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Treacherous Treads Still Taking Lives

Firestone tires on a Ford Explorer can still be a lethal combination

By Truman Lewis
ConsumerAffairs.com

May 7, 2008

Among the latest are two Miami-area men, Jason Crespin and Steven Tarafa. They died on Feb. 18 when Jason's 1999 Ford Explorer swerved out of control and hit a tree, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

Tarafa's mother, Denise Sosa, talked with CBS4 Consumer Investigator Al Sunshine about the last time she saw her son alive, minutes before he left on a short business trip to North Florida.

"He hugged me and he kissed me and he said I'll see you next week and that was it. I never got to see him again," she said.

The cause, according to the state's accident report? The Firestone Wilderness-AT tire on Jason's 1999 Ford Explorer came apart while they were driving from Tallhassee to Jacksonville.

The accident report includes the notation "Vehicle Defect: The left rear tire of vehicle 1's tread (cap) separated from the main body of the tire."

Both families are now suing Ford, Firestone and the Miami used car dealer that sold Jason the old Explorer just three weeks before the accident.

According to the lawsuits, the nine-year-old tire is believed to be the original spare that came on the the old Explorer.

Post-recall

Firestone finally agreed to recall millions of the tires but continued to insist that the accidents were at least partly caused by faulty design on the Explorers. It also blamed consumers for not maintaining proper pressure in the tires.

But the argument is moot in the case of Jason and Steven. That's because the tire on their Explorer was made after the cutoff date of the Firestone recall.

Perhaps so, but Miami attorney Mike Eidson says the tire failed exactly the same way the earlier Firestones did. The entire top tread came off in one big piece.

"They all look like this," Eidson said. "They all end up with this little shoulder piece and then the treads gone" showing how all that was left of the tire was the so-called steel-belted casing and the two sidewalls.

Both families say they don't understand why state and federal auto safety agencies are not doing more to warn consumers that old, recalled tires could still be on pre-owned Ford Explorers, Sunshine reported.

Under Florida law there's no formal requirement that used-car dealers have to make sure the vehicles they sell don't have recalled tires on them.

"You're going to see more and more people die every year as these tires get older as they remain on these cars That's what's going to happen. Each one has the potential to be a ticking time bomb, like this one. They're dangerous," Eidson said.

The feds told CBS4 they believe more than 90% of Firestones' recalled tires are now off the market. But critics say that means hundreds of thousands more could still be in old Ford Explorers as spare tires their new owners may not know about.

Companies respond

Ford says it recommends replacing tires after six years, including spares. A spokesman said the company offers its sympathy to the Florida families.

Firestone says its campaign pulled 95 percent of the recalled tires off the market and was one of the most effectively administered product safety campaigns in history.

If customers have questions about the safety of their tires, they should check with their nearest Ford or Firestone dealer for a free safety check, both companies said.

CBS4's Sunshine added this safety note: "As I've been reporting for 8 years now, SUV owners especially need to check your tire pressure at least once a month, don't overload your vehicle beyond its posted weight limits and maintain the proper speed limit."

"As we approach the summer driving season with our crowded, hot highways, tire safety should be an even more important concern for all of us and our families."

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