Firestone Begins Limited Recall of Steeltex Tires Just Days Before NHTSA Is Expected to Announce Decision on Re-Opening of Steeltex Safety Defect Investigation, According to Lisoni & Lisoni

    PASADENA, Calif.--May 15, 2003--Firestone began a limited recall of certain Firestone Steeltex A/T tires for the same type of defect that led to a massive recall of its Wilderness tires, according to a May 14 Reuters article. Firestone's recall comes just days before the NHTSA is expected to announce whether they will re-open a safety-defect investigation of the Firestone Steeltex tire series, according to the article.
    Both a national class action lawsuit and a petition to re-open a safety defect investigation with the NHTSA has been spearheaded by the consumer safety law firm of Lisoni & Lisoni. The Lisoni law firm has called the Firestone Steeltex tire "lethally defective" and the "big brother" of the infamous Firestone Wilderness tire. Lead attorney Joseph Lisoni explains that the Wilderness tire suffered from tread separation and alleges that the Steeltex tire suffers from the same safety defects causing tread separations in the Steeltex line.
    Lisoni stated that there is rising concern and mounting evidence indicating that the Steeltex tire line suffers from catastrophic tread separation and in no manner is limited to the "minuscule" recall recently initiated by Firestone. The Lisoni law firm states that they have investigated and forwarded to NHTSA thousands of Steeltex tires which failed from tread separations, and that such Steeltex tread separations caused numerous property damage, injury cases and fatalities.
    Significantly, Lisoni notes that all three of the leading automobile consumer safety organizations - Public Citizen, Center for Auto Safety and SafetyForum.com - have gone on record calling the Firestone Steeltex tire unacceptably dangerous and calling on NHTSA to re-open their safety defect investigation.
    In a major courtroom victory on April 24, 2003, Judge Christopher Sheldon of the Indio, California Superior Court sustained the Lisoni's national class action lawsuit against Bridgestone/Firestone, Inc. seeking the recall of approximately thirty million Firestone Steeltex tires.
    Lisoni questions whether the timing of Firestone's recall of the Steeltex tire was meant as a "race to disclose" or as a pre-emptive act meant to publicly minimize the significance of the recent court victory and endorsements of Public Citizen, Center for Auto Safety and Safetyforum.com.
    Lisoni noted that Firestone's partial recall of the Steeltex line must be expanded to a full and complete recall of the Steeltex tire line, and the Steeltex tire is a dangerous and defective product. Lisoni & Lisoni is frequently contacted by website at www.firestonesteeltexclassaction.com.