GM Added To Firestone Lawsuits

MONTERREY, Mexico--General Motors Corp. vehicles are being included in Mexican legal actions over some 32 deaths allegedly related to faulty Firestone tires. Reuters is reporting that lawyers for Mexicans suing in the United States say they have identified almost 24 fatal wrecks involving GM Suburbans and Silveradoes.

Mexicans are suing Bridgestone Corp. in U.S. courts over 32 deaths that allegedly resulted because of crashes caused by Firestone tires on Ford Explorer models. “But lawyer Rafael Alday of Monterrey law firm International Legal Services (SLI) said the litigation would now be extended to include accidents involving General Motors Suburban and Silverado models,” Reuters reported.

The international wire service quoted Alday as saying “we already have recorded 22 deaths and 15 injuries in General Motors vehicles, Suburban and Silverado (models), whose tires are FR480s.”

SLI has been working in coordination with various U.S. law firms representing dozens of class action and individual lawsuits in U.S. courts over 119 deaths linked to Firestone tire failures.

In Mexico, Firestone launched a voluntary recall of 30,000 tires on 6,000 Explorer SUVs. By Oct. 11, the recall was 80 percent complete, the tiremaker said.

Richard Lagarde, a lawyer with U.S. law firm Bianchi & Lagarde, told Reuters that he was concerned at the pace of the recall, and the way the company had informed the public in Mexico.

“I believe the deaths and injuries here in Mexico will be higher than in the United States,” Lagarde was quoted as saying.

He added, according to reuters, that his firm had conducted a quick check of Ford Explorers in Mexico City two weeks ago and found that seven out of eight had not had their tires replaced.