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Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. Releases NHTSA Reports

10 October 2000

Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. Releases NHTSA Reports; Company Supports Passage of Federal Legislation

    NASHVILLE, Tenn., Oct. 6 Bridgestone/Firestone, Inc.,
(BFS) today released 166 of the 168 National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) vehicle owner questionnaires (VOQ) that led to last
Friday's announcement of a preliminary evaluation of the Steeltex R4S and
Steeltex AT light truck tires.  We are releasing the 166 that have been
supplied to BFS.  NHSTA is still processing the remaining two.
    While the reported incidents date back to 1994, all but two were reported
to NHTSA after August 9, 2000, when BFS instituted its voluntary safety recall
of all Firestone P235/75R15 ATX and ATX II tires and P235/75R15 Firestone and
Wilderness AT tires produced in Firestone's Decatur, Ill., plant.  All were
received in 2000.
    After an initial review of the data by BFS, it is clear why the Department
of Transportation, NHTSA, the Rubber Manufacturers Association,
Bridgestone/Firestone and others support changes in how this data is
collected, analyzed and reported.
    The review of this information makes it apparent that the initial data
collection, provided by the VOQs, does not give a clear path to determine
whether a problem exists.  For example:

    *  Some of the VOQs relate to a tire and size which were the subject of a
       previous recall on the Ford F-250, F-350 and F-450 in December of 1997
       due to tire damage caused at the Ford Assembly Plant.  At that time,
       Ford initiated a tire replacement program through Bridgestone/Firestone
       retailers.

    *  Two VOQs list vehicles for which the Steeltex R4S and Steeltex AT light
       truck tires will not fit:
       *  870358 (appears to be listed as a Dodge Monaco)
       *  727657 (appears to be listed as a Chrysler Le Baron)

    *  One VOQ (869433) is listed as a Honda Civic, which gives a tire size
       that is not a Steeltex size (P175/70R13) and refers to the tire simply
       as a "steel belted radial."

    *  Other complaints are e-mail messages to NHTSA with no relevant data.

    *  On many forms the DOT numbers are not listed and the tire location is
       missing.  DOT numbers are important because that will indicate where
       and when a tire is made.

    *  On one VOQ the information provided appears to say that the tire was
       original equipment and that the tire had 91,000 miles on it.  Most
       tires should be replaced at between 40,000 and 60,000 miles.

    The legislation pending before Congress is designed to address the issue
of ensuring the collection of better and more complete data that will be
meaningful to consumers, manufacturers and regulators, including NHTSA.
    More broadly, BFS strongly supports Congressional passage of the goals of
early reporting requirements, increased monitoring by NHTSA, and enhanced
labeling standards in the transportation recall legislation (S 3959 and H.R.
5164).