Firestone Tire Recall of 2000: The Second Largest Tire Recall in U.S.
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 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.
Recent Tire Recalls
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Firestone 2007-2008 FR380/P235/75R15 Defects cause vibrations and groove cracking, leading to tread distortion and tread separation.
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2006 Firestone Destination A Tire Manufacturing flaw can lead to tread separation
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Cooper Dominator Sport A/T Tires Defect causes tread separation
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BF Goodrich Land Terrain Tires: Defective tread wear indicators
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BF Goodrich tires: Do not perform to company standards (including; Goodrich, Uniroyal, Liberator, Medalist, Phantom, and Prospector Brands.
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Bridgestone Dueler A/T and Turanza EL41 Tires: Defect causes tread separation
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Bridgestone/Firestone Radial ATX, Radial AXII and Wilderness AT Tires: Defective design and manufacturing causes tread separation.
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Continental Tires: Defective manufacture/design causes uneven wear, vibration and possible tread separation
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Cooper Discoverer, Wildcat, and Wild Country Tires: Manufacturing defect causes sidewall separation.
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Michelin Pilot Power and Pilot Power 2 CT Motorcycle Tires: Manufacturing defect causes deformation, vibration and tread separation.
Tire Failure Defects and Danger
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 seperation or failure caused by faulty manufacturing practices or inadequate design can result in:
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Loss of control while operating a vehicle
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Risk of rollovers
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Tire explosion
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Tire blowouts
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:
Vehicle Equipment and Tire Failure Attorneys
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 tire failure attorneys in Austin, San Antonio, Killeen and statewide Texas at 888-335-7492 or contact us online.
