Is Firestone's Darkest History Repeating Itself?
Remember the Firestone - Ford Explorer tire-induced rollover debacle during 2000 and 2001, causing the largest tire recall in history? Well, it looks like, on a much smaller scale, history is repeating itself.
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| History is repeating itself for Ford and Firestone, as a recall of approximately 80,000 Ford Excursions fitted with Firestone A/T tires has been announced. (Photo: Ford Motor Company of Canada) |
Bridgestone Americas Holding Inc., the Japanese tire manufacturer that produces the Firestone brand, is recalling its tires as found on approximately 80,000 model year 2000 through 2003 Ford Excursions that were built at Ford's Louisville assembly plant between March 24, 1999, and Feb. 13, 2003.
The tires, which were involved in two fatal crashes in 2002 and a third in 2003, can suffer from the same "rapid air loss" problem that affected the 2000 through 2001 tires.
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| The issue with the Firestone tires is the same "rapid air loss" problem that caused the previous major recall. (Photo: Firestone) |
The tires were involved in two fatal crashes in 2002 and a third in 2003, a Firestone spokesman said. The company became aware of the crashes in 2003, he said. According to Bridgestone, under-inflation will increase chances of a blown tire, as well overloaded vehicles or speeds that exceed recommendations.
But despite tires being the only thing between a vehicle and the road, they are often the least maintained car parts. Most motorists do not check their tire pressure monthly, making sure that each tire is set to recommended levels, which can vary depending on temperatures. This problem has caused carmakers to include sophisticated tire pressure monitoring systems in premium models.