ADVISORY/Consumers Union to Urge California Attorney General to Investigate Whether Criminal Charges Should be Filed Against Bridgestone/Firestone and Ford
19 September 2000
ADVISORY/Consumers Union to Urge California Attorney General to Investigate Whether Criminal Charges Should be Filed Against Bridgestone/Firestone and Ford
--Company Executives May Have Violated California Law If They Failed to
Notify State Officials Once They Learned of Tire Defects
WHAT: News Conference to explain Consumers Union's call for
California Attorney General Bill Lockyer to investigate
whether company officials at Bridgestone/Firestone and Ford
may have violated California law by failing to properly notify
state officials about dangerous tire defects. If an
investigation determines the companies violated California's
unique product defect notification law, company executives
could be subject to criminal prosecution.
On August 9, Bridgestone/Firestone announced the recall of its
P235/75R15 Firestone ATX, ATX II, and Wilderness AT tires. The tires
have been recalled because of tread separations that have been blamed
for dozens of fatal crashes. Officials at both companies have
maintained that they were not aware of the scope of the tire defects
until shortly before they announced the recall. However, evidence is
mounting that officials at Bridgestone/Firestone and Ford may have
been aware of these dangerous defects long before the tire recall was
announced.
WHEN: Tuesday, September 19, 2000
10:30 am
WHERE: Consumers Union
1535 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
415/431-6747
Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports, is an independent, nonprofit testing and information organization, serving only the consumer. We are a comprehensive source of unbiased advice about products and services, personal finance, health, nutrition, and other consumer concerns. Since 1936, our mission has been to test products, inform the public, and protect consumers.