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Pearson and Pearson Bridgestone Firestone Wilderness ATXTire Blowout and Rollover Information Page Our lawfirm is currently engaged in numerous active claims (and lawsuits) where consumers were either (1) killed, (2) injured, or (3) suffered property damage, as a result of a tire failure, rollover, or lack-of-crashworthiness problem. We routinely provide information to people affected by these problems at no cost. We are happy to provide you free information, to discuss and review your individual situation, or to assist you in the filing of a complaint with the NHTSA (see below). The references shown below will lead you to some of the critical information you need in a review of this tragic area. The source of most of this information is shown and is the Federal Government Agencies, the News Services, and even the manufacturers themselves. After completing your review of the links we have assembled for you, you can contact us by (1) filling out and submitting the questionnaire (2) calling us toll free at 800-447-6443, or (3) contacting us by E-mail at pearsonpc@aol.com
Damaging Documents Bridgestone/Firestone chief executive Masatoshi Ono waits to testify
before the Senate Appropriations transportation subcommittee on
Capitol Hill on Sept. 6. (Dennis Cook/AP Photo)
Original Recall Notice GENERAL INFORMATION At 11:00 am on Wednesday, August 9, Bridgestone/Firestone (Firestone) and Ford announced jointly that Firestone will recall approximately 14.4 million tires that contain a safety-related defect. (Most of the tires in question were original equipment on Ford vehicles, primarily the Ford Explorer, although a small number were used as original equipment on other manufacturers' vehicles, and they have been used as replacement tires on a wide variety of models.) The recall will cover all P235/75 R15 Firestone ATX and ATX II tires (from 1991 to the present) and all P235/75R15 Wilderness AT tires (from 1996 to the present) manufactured at Firestone's Decatur, IL plant. Firestone does not plan to recall the approximately 5.6 million Wilderness AT tires manufactured at its other plants (Joliet, Canada and Wilson, NC) or other models of Wilderness tires. Firestone estimates that approximately 6.5 million of the tires covered by the recall (which include original equipment, replacement, and full-size, non-temporary spare tires) are still on the road. The remedy will be to replace the defective tires with new Wilderness AT tires from the Joliette and Wilson plants, other Bridgestone/Firestone tires models, and competitors' tires. All owners will be able to obtain the replacement tires at Firestone /tire & Service Centers, and participating Bridgestone/Firestone retail stores. Ford, Mercury, and Mazda owners will be able to obtain them at participating Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Mazda dealerships. Owners who wish to purchase competitors' tires will be reimbursed up to $100 per tire, including mounting and balancing charges and taxes. Owners should pick up a refund form and obtain additional information from a Bridgestone/Firestone authorized retail location. Bridgestone/Firestone began mailing notification letters to owners on August 26, 2000 and will complete that process by October 14, 2000. NHTSA will continue its investigation to ascertain whether the scope of the recall is appropriate (e.g., whether the tires from Firestone's other plants should have been recalled also, and whether other sizes of these brands should have been covered). We will also monitor the recall to assure that it is performed expeditiously and that the remedy is adequate.
New
Consumer Advisory FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEThe National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is recommending that owners of vehicles with certain models and sizes of Firestone tires not already being recalled by Firestone take a number of actions to assure their safety, based on NHTSA's analysis of Firestone's data. On May 2, 2000, NHTSA opened a defect investigation into approximately 47 million ATX, ATXII, and Wilderness tires manufactured by Bridgestone/Firestone, Inc. (Firestone). On August 9, Firestone announced that it was recalling 14.4 million of the tires under investigation. These include all Firestone ATX and ATXII tires of the P235/75R15 size manufactured since 1991 and all Wilderness AT tires of that same size manufactured at Firestone's Decatur, IL plant. Firestone has estimated that about 6.5 million of these tires were still in service as of that date. NHTSA has continued its investigation into the remaining tires. As part of that investigation, NHTSA has reviewed data provided by Firestone on property damage claims, personal injury claims, and lawsuits regarding the tires under investigation. Although its investigation is not complete, that review indicated that the rate of tread separations for certain other tire models and sizes exceed those of the recalled tires, sometimes by a large margin. Therefore, NHTSA is concerned about the possible safety risk associated with those tires. On August 30, 2000, NHTSA staff met with Firestone representatives in Washington and recommended that Firestone expand the recall to include these tire models. On August 31, Firestone advised NHTSA that it would not voluntarily expand the recall at this time. We are continuing our investigation, which may result in an order directing Firestone to recall these tires and any other defective tires. However, in view of the potential safety risk, NHTSA believes that it is important to alert the public of its concerns now. The tire models with the high tread separation rates are set out in an Attachment to this advisory. A total of approximately 1.4 million of these tires were produced. However, since many of them were manufactured many years ago, it is likely that far fewer are currently on the road. Most of them were sold as replacement equipment and were not installed as original tires on new cars. Since Firestone has chosen not to expand the recall at this time, you may not be able to obtain free replacement tires from Firestone. However, in light of these concerns, NHTSA recommends that you consider replacing the tires in question and that you retain all documentation. If you have one of these tires on your vehicle, you should take the following steps: · Check your tires to be sure there are no visible signs of a problem. · Be sure your tires are properly inflated. · Do not drive at a high rate of speed, particularly in hot weather. If possible, choose roads with relatively low speed limits. · Make sure your vehicle is not overloaded. · Wear your seatbelt. Please be aware that while these precautions are good general guidelines to tire safety, they may not prevent a tire failure. NHTSA will be moving to rapidly complete its defect investigation into these particular tires as well as the remaining Firestone tires under investigation. If the agency concludes that other tires should be recalled, it will act promptly to assure that the public is protected. Attached: List of Tires Included in 9/1/00 Consumer Advisory TIRES INCLUDED IN THE SEPTEMBER 1, 2000 CONSUMER ADVISORY
* Firestone's lists this
model as a LTP235/75R15.
The majority of the tires listed above were sold as replacements in the aftermarket mostly for light trucks and SUV's. In the right column are vehicles upon which the tires were originally installed by the vehicle manufacturer when new. How do I know if my tires are included? A. First you need to read the model name off of the sidewall of your tire and verify that it's on the above list. Once you establish that you have one of the models listed above, you need to check the tire size and verify it's on the list. The tire size is located on both sides of the tire in raised letters. The tire size should be one of the sizes listed above. B. Next you need to locate the DOT code to determine where your tire was built (plant). The DOT number is located on the blackwall side of the tire, under the F in Firestone and it is 10 characters long, and it starts with DOT. Since this code is on the blackwall side of the tire, and not on the outside of the tire, you may need to crawl underneath your vehicle with a flashlight to find the code. There may be spaces in between some of the numbers, but be sure to count all 10 characters to ensure you have found the proper code. Examples include: DOT VDHL1PM046 The first two letters of the DOT code are the DOT plant code (see right hand column above). If the first two letters of the DOT code are VD, HY, or W2 and you have the tire line and size shown above, then your tires are on the consumer advisory list.
August 31, 2000 We are updating our Website database on Firestone tires under investigation by NHTSA. We are now aware of 88 reported fatalities related to these tires. Seventy-seven of those fatalities were reported directly to NHTSA. Our recently completed review of Firestone's submission revealed 11 additional, non-duplicate, reports of fatalities. The Firestone fatalities are not individually listed in the database. Firestone requested that the data concerning the fatalities and other claims be treated as confidential information. NHTSA is evaluating that request. Our injury and complaint counts are updated also. Currently, we have received over 1400 complaints, including more than 250 reported injuries. Despite our best efforts, the database may contain duplicate records of incidents, injuries, and fatalities. To download a copy of the NHTSA complaints, click Download the MS Excel Spreadsheet Here We continue to receive consumer complaints and the next update will be on September 18, 2000. AUGUST 22, 2000 We found an error in our database that has been corrected. Some of the complaint dates in our August 15, 2000 online database were wrong. On August 2, we received information from an attorney concerning 57 lawsuits. Included were copies of legal "complaints" filed in various jurisdictions. Some dating back to 1992. Each suit was assigned a unique report number in our database. In some cases the "Complaint Date" was wrong because we used the date the lawsuit was filed with the court instead of the date we actually received the information. Consequently, all of these "Complaint Dates" have been corrected to accurately reflect the date NHTSA received the information (i.e., August 2, 2000). We are continuing to enter complaints and the next update will be on September 15, 2000. Two additional pieces of information have been added. First, the complaint data has been sorted three ways and the sort criteria is noted on each individual spreadsheet. Sheet one, "VOQ Number Sort", is sorted by the Vehicle Owner Questionnaire number, which is a NHTSA report number assigned to each complaint. Sheet number two, "State Sort", is sorted by the state where the owner lives. Sheet three, "Tire Size Sort", is sorted by the tire size. Secondly, we have added a "Summary" field generally describing each report. August 15, 2000 Due to the overwhelming number of inquiries regarding our Preliminary Evaluation of Firestone tires, PE00-020, we have created three charts containing information from our current database. One is sorted by the Vehicle Owner Questionnaire number (VOQ), one is sorted by the State where the owner lives that reported the incident, and one is sorted by the tire size. You will note that not all complainants reported the size of their tires or the DOT number from the failed tire. The DOT number gives the plant code and tells us where the tire was built. You should also be aware that the state where the owner lives, may not be the location where the incident took place. We are still receiving and inputting complaints into our database. The data included in these charts has not been verified. A large number of complaints received through August 8, 2000 have been included in this update; however, there are additional complaints still being compiled from the week of August 7th that will be included in the next database update on September 15, 2000. There are duplicates that still need to be addressed. We currently have received over 750 complaints, and we are aware of at least 62 fatalities and over 100 injuries alleged to be related to a tire failure.
Related News Stories ·Early Signs Given Of Tire Problems - Washington Post (Sep 9, 2000) ·Safety Agency Wants Increase in Authority - NY Times (registration req'd) (Sep 9, 2000) ·Fueled By Tire Safety Problem, Agency Asks for Funds, Power - NY Times (registration req'd) (Sep 9, 2000) ·Federal Reforms Seen in Wake of Tire Recall - Los Angeles Times (Sep 9, 2000) ·For Recyclers, a Silver Lining in the Treads - Los Angeles Times (Sep 9, 2000) Related
Web Sites ·Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. - company site that includes a section that addresses the tire recall. ·Ford Motor Company: News Room - has information about the tire recall, which affects many Ford Explorer owners. ·National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) - responsible for reducing deaths, injuries and economic losses resulting from motor vehicle crashes. Site includes a section on the tire recall. ·United
Steelworkers of America - national labor union; AFL-CIO-CLC. Opinion
& Editorials ·Congress Kicks the Tires - Christian Science Monitor (Sep 8, 2000) ·Safety Can Cost Too Much - NY Times (registration req'd) (Sep 8, 2000) ·New rule could create bureaucratic complications - Detroit Free Press (Sep 7, 2000) Magazine
Articles ·The NHTSA's New Boss: "The System Works" - interview with NHTSA Chief Sue Bailey - Business Week Daily (Sep 8, 2000) ·The Firestone Fiasco: Was the NHTSA "Asleep at the Wheel"? - Business Week Daily (Sep 8, 2000) ·Why Tire Rage Roils Venezuela - Los Angeles Times (Sep 8, 2000) Audio ·Review of possible criminal and civil court actions in Firestone case - NPR (Sep 8, 2000) ·Congress Promises More Bridgestone/Firestone Hearings - NPR (Sep 7, 2000) ·Congress grills Bridgestone/firestone Execs - NPR (Sep 7, 2000) Video ·Will Bridgestone & Ford recover from the tire scandal? - CBC.CA (Sep 7, 2000) ·Congressional grilling - (Sep 7, 2000) ·Drivers
are rushing to change their tires - BBC (Sep 7, 2000) Related
Full Coverage ·Consumer News and Recall Information ·Bridgestone
Hits 8-Yr Low on Recall Woes (September 8) ·Firestone, Ford under fire - Sept. 7, 2000 ·Justice
Dept. to study Firestone recall - Sept. 7, 2000 Research and Development The R&D program
serves as the foundation that supports the NHTSA’s goal to reduce
motor vehicle injuries and fatalities. Through extensive research,
development, testing, crash investigation, and data collection and
analysis activities, R&D provides the scientific strength needed to
support the Agency's motor vehicle and traffic safety goals. The Crash Avoidance group at NHTSA Vehicle Research and Test Center (VRTC) conducts research and vehicle testing to examine issues relating to crash prevention. Research encompasses both light and heavy vehicles and focuses on the areas listed below. Dr. W. Riley Garrott is the Chief of the Vehicle Stability and Control Division at VRTC.
Once a crash is unavoidable, the emphasis is on protecting the occupants of motor vehicles from serious injury and death. The Crashworthiness research program seeks to use occupant restraint systems and changes to the vehicle structures to minimize the severity of occupant injury.
To develop good measures of occupant injury so crashworthiness countermeasures can reduce occupant risk, the Biomechanics research program studies driver and passenger injuries, the design and validity of human surrogate dummies used in crash testing, and other areas related to evaluating the human component of crash survivability.
Conclusion Once you have finished your review, you may (1) fill out and submit the questionnaire found by clicking on the underlined word "questionnaire" in this sentence (2) call us toll free at (800) 447-6443, or (3) send us E-Mail. Bridgestone Firestone Wilderness ATX QUESTIONNAIRE Don't Lose Your Rights! It is very easy to lose your rights completely. Each state has its own deadlines, called statutes of limitation, for allowing victims of car crashes etc. to file lawsuits. This means that there are strict deadlines for filing claims or lawsuits after an injury or loss is suffered. We are happy to discuss this with you, and you can access our "Legal Notices" section. | About Us | Asbestosis | Commercial | Fen - Phen | Silicosis | Breast Implants | Location | Pearson and
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