In 1999, the State Farm Insurance Company informed Firestone that its
SUV tires were failing at an abnormally high rate. Yet in the face of
clear evidence that their tires were killing people, Firestone continued
to manufacture and sell them.
In 1999, Firestone and Ford recalled all Firestone SUV tires in Saudi
Arabia because of excessive tire failure problems. Yet in the face of
clear evidence that their tires were killing people, Firestone continued
to manufacture and sell them.
Earlier this year, Firestone officials admit that they reviewed
evidence of increased legal claims because of excessive SUV tire failure
problems to learn how the litigation would affect corporate profits. Yet
in the face of clear evidence that their tires were killing people,
Firestone continued to manufacture and sell them.
In the spring of 2000, a Houston television station reported that it
had found evidence of greater than average failures in Firestone SUV
tires. Yet in the face of clear evidence that their tires were killing
people, Firestone continued to manufacture and sell them.
As summer approached, the National Highway Safety and Transportation
Agency began an investigation of reports that Firestone SUV tires were
failing at an abnormally high rate. Yet in the face of clear evidence
that their tires were killing people, Firestone continued to manufacture
and sell them.
As of today, at least 88 Americans and 46 Venezuelans have died
because of Firestone's failure to protect the driving public. Even now,
however, Firestone has shown that it cares more about profits than
people. Because after they announced the recall, Firestone initially
refused to allow its customers to go to any store to immediately replace
their tires.
Instead, Firestone told its customers to continue driving on its
dangerous tires until it could build enough replacements to meet the
need. As a result, at least four additional people have died since the
recall because Firestone forced them to drive on their unsafe SUV tires.
That is criminal!
To this day, Firestone continues to stonewall, acting as though it
has done everything that it could to protect its customers. Firestone
has not. In fact, they have displayed an unprecedented disdain for the
health and safety of their customers. For that we must punish those who
decided to put profits ahead of people in the most severe way.
I learned about Firestone's tires the hard way. During our 4th of
July vacation, the rear right tire on my Explorer started to shake while
we were driving from Carlsbad, N.M., toward Santa Fe. I stopped and
looked at the tire but could not see anything wrong. In fact, my tires
had been checked just before I left. So I thought that the tire had lost
a balance weight and was just out of balance. I was wrong.
As we continued to drive north, the vibration increased and I slowed
down. By the time I reached Roswell, I could only drive 40 miles an
hour. In Roswell, a fellow driver honked at me and told me that it
looked as though my rear wheel was bent. I immediately stopped at the
Roswell Sears, where they told me that my right rear tire had started to
separate and had to be replaced. When the mechanic took off my spare, he
told me that it too had started to separate.
But for the grace of God, Firestone's tires would have killed me
also.
This week, two months later, I finally received my recall notice from
Firestone. Nowhere in that recall notice are there clear instructions
about how I can get reimbursed for tires that I had to replace in an
emergency purchase from Sears in July. I'm not worried about getting
paid. I am, after all, a lawyer. However, one shouldn't have to be a
lawyer to get Firestone to treat them with respect.
Firestone's handling of this recall is a textbook example of what not
to do. Their continued strategy of stonewalling and denial guarantees
that I and millions of other Americans will never, ever purchase another
Firestone product while the current management is in control.
Their callous disregard for the safety of their customers demands
that those responsible for these decisions be tried as the criminals
that they are. The Firestone officials who put profits before the health
and safety of their customers must be sent to prison for the rest of
their lives. And we must strip them of their personal wealth.
Let's not forget the unions. They too bear responsibility for what
happened. They knew what was going on in the Decatur plant, but didn't
blow the whistle. They knew that they were not making inspections and
old rubber was being used ... and they continued to send the tires out
the door.
Finally, Ford is partially responsible also. Evidence suggests that
some of their dealers began telling corporate headquarters about
increased body repair work because of rollovers at least four years ago.
I cannot believe that Ford doesn't track insurance industry statistics
about the types of accidents its vehicles have.
We also know that those Explorers that had Goodyear tires did not
experience the same handling and accident problems as those with
Firestone tires. Any of these items should have alerted Ford that there
was a problem. That it didn't means Ford must redesign its business to
constantly monitor accident data.
Nevertheless, the ultimate responsibility for tire failures has to
sit with Firestone and its unions. They made the defective tires. They
shipped the defective tires. They did nothing when they learned that the
tires were killing their customers. We must make them to pay for their
war against their customers.
Firestone, you have failed all of us and there is only one way you
can regain our trust.
You must fire the men and women who put profits before people. You
must spend whatever amount of money required to replace every one of
your dangerous SUV tires before this month ends. And, you must pay those
families whose lives have been shattered by your dangerous tires what
they ask.
Because none of this would have occurred if you had put people before
profits.