FORD EXPLORER ROLLOVERS –
Defective Tires or Defective SUV Design?
In August 2000, Bridgestone/Firestone Inc (Firestone) and Ford Motor Co. jointly announced the recall of 14.4 million Firestone tires, due to a manufacturing defect that made the tires prone to separating and peeling off. The tires have been implicated in numerous serious and fatal accidents, most involving the extremely popular Ford Explorer. The recall included Firestone's 15-inch radial ATX, ATX II and Wilderness tires. Firestone estimated that 6.5 million of the recalled tires are still on the road. The NHTSA also issued warnings concerning 22 brands of Bridgestone/Firestone tires produced between 1991 and 2000. The tires have been blamed for at least 300 deaths and hundreds of injuries.
FORD EXPLORER DESIGN DEFECTS:
Most of the recalled tires were part of the original equipment on the Ford Explorer models manufactured between 1991-2000. According to the NHTSA, of 194 reported rollovers, 166 involved Ford Explorers and Ford Explorers accounted for 79 of the 88 rollover fatalities. Experts have cited two factors contributing to the high rate Ford Explorer rollovers: inadequate tire pressure and design flaws which make the vehicle unreasonably unstable and susceptible to rollovers.
In 1989 Ford lowered the recommended tire pressure on Ford Explorers equipped with Firestone tires to 26 pounds per square inch, in order to increase stability and soften the ride. The Firestone tires originally equipped on the Explorer had the lowest possible rating for withstanding high temperatures, and the lower tire pressure recommended by Ford made the tires even more susceptible to overheating, especially at higher speeds or increased loads.
Internal company documents cited in complaints against Ford allege that internal tests conducted in 1988 by Ford revealed a higher risk of rollover, even when the tires where inflated according to the tire manufacturer recommendations. A 1989 company memo by Ford engineers recommended several changes in the Ford Explorer design that would have improved the stability of the vehicle. However, Ford refused to implement major redesign changes that would have increased the vehicles' stability and handling in order to maintain its production schedule and keep production costs down. Another top-heavy redesign of Explorer in 1995 further increased the vehicle's instability and rollover risk.
Ford's 1995 redesign of the Ford Explorer increased the vehicle's center of gravity and made the vehicle's stability index slightly worse. Internal company documents show that Ford could have adopted a design which would have lowered the Explorer's center of gravity by lowering the engine height and thereby increasing stability. However, the company decided to retain the existing engine position in order to avoid additional redesign costs that would have negatively impacted the Explorer's nearly 40 percent profit margin. Additionally, the Explorer's weak roof design is more prone to collapsing on the occupants in the event of a rollover, thereby increasing the risk of serious injury, paralysis and death.
INTERNAL DOCUMENTS AND DEPOSITIONS REVEAL FORD MOTOR CO. WAS AWARE OF FORD EXPLORER DESIGN FLAWS
Recently released company documents and depositions of Ford employees suggest that Ford Motor Co. ignored its engineers' advice that the Explorer sport-utility vehicle needed design revisions to prevent rollover accidents and fatal injuries.
Company records show that In 1993, Ford engineers advised the company to reinforce Explorer roof supports to prevent collapses in rollovers. However, Ford engineering supervisor Christopher Brewer stated in a 2003 deposition that Ford didn't make changes because the U.S. government didn't require any. Additionally, in 1999, Ford engineers in Venezuela warned that Explorers were rolling over and had caused at least nine deaths because of flaws in the suspension. Documents reveal that three years earlier, Ford engineers stated that the deficiency could be solved by moving the shock absorbers toward the wheels. Despite the warnings and proposed solution, Ford didn't make the change.
MORE BRIDGESTONE/FIRESTONE TIRE RECALLS & SETTLEMENT
In February 2004, Bridgestone/Firestone announced the recall of about 490,000 Steeltex tires linked to linked to 14 sport utility vehicle crashes that killed five people. The tires were made for use on Ford Excursions from 2000 to 2002 and some early 2003 models. About 300,000 of the recalled Steelex tires are believed to be still in use.
In March 2004, a Texas state court judge approved a $149 million settlement of 30 class-action lawsuits filed on behalf of tire owners against Bridgestone-Firestone North American Tire. The lawsuits resolved as part of the settlement included those filed by Firestone ATX, ATX II and Wilderness AT customers whose tires were investigated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in 2000. The settlement calls for Firestone to pay an estimated $70 million to replace tires, $41 million to manufacture tires that provide better high speed capacity, $15.5 million on a consumer education and awareness campaign, and $19 million for attorneys fees. Those who are not named in the settlement but owned one of 22 brands of Bridgestone/Firestone tires between 1991 and 2001 may qualify to have their tires replaced. The settlement affects an estimated 60 million tires and 15 million drivers.
