The infamous Firestone tire recall of 2000 may have taken place years ago, but its memory continues to thrive as Bridgstone Corp., the manufacturer of Firestone tires is taking some heat from congress. Millions of the tires, many used on Ford vehicles, were recalled in August 2000 when complaints, some fatal, poured into the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Frustrated consumers, injury inducing blowouts and thousands of complaints resulted in class action lawsuits against the tire manufacturers. The poorly designed and manufactured Firestone tires resulted in as many as 63 fatalities that were reported by the NHTSA. By the end of August, Ford reported that it was aware of problems with the tires as early as two years prior to the recall.
Though Firestone, Bridgestone and Ford continue to face criticism regarding the massive tire recall of 2000, other companies have shared similar complaints throughout their own tire tread failure and subsequent recalls. Cooper Tire and Rubber Company is another tire manufacturer that has experienced the plague of defective design and corner cutting manufacturing that often results in injuries and recalls.
According to AAA, advanced or unusual tread wear is just one sign that your tires may not be able to experience proper traction, especially during more dangerous weather and road conditions.
Like the large scale recall of Firestone tires that occurred in August 2000, tires and other vehicle equipment is recalled frequently, making knowledge of such notifications vital for owners and operators. Make sure to check recall lists that are published frequently to stay updated on the safety of your tires.
Tire tread separation or failure caused by faulty manufacturing practices or inadequate design can result in:
Tread separation occurring on sport utility vehicles creates an increasingly dangerous risk in contrast with smaller cars because of the already eminent danger of rollover that exists. For more information about tire recalls and notifications, contact the NHTSA.
The dangers that accompany the failure of tires due to tread separation or accompany recalls linked to defective equipment can often be linked to low quality design and defective manufacturing of tires. In fact, some tire failures in the past have been later shown to have been problems that vehicle and tire manufacturers were fully informed about, making fatalities and injuries resulting even more frustrating. Negligent tire manufacturing procedures must be held accountable for defective tires that have posed serious injury on consumers.
If you or someone you know has been injured as a result of a tire tread separation accident or faulty vehicle equipment, call our product liability attorneys at our offices in Waco, Temple, Killeen and throughout central Texas.