Ford report blames tires, not Explorer, for fatal crashes

The second-largest automaker prepared the analysis for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's ongoing probe of 174 highway deaths linked to tire-tread separations, Ford spokesman Jon Harmon said. The Explorer's design didn't make it more susceptible to tire failures or rollovers than other midsize sport-utility vehicles, the report said. Ford and the tiremaker have been settling dozens of lawsuits since the Aug. 9 recall of 6.5 million Firestone tires. Damages sought for Explorer rollover cases where a dollar amount has been specified have totaled $590 million, Ford said in a March 22 U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing. Bridgestone/Firestone Inc., the tire maker's U.S. division, said it disagreed with Ford's emphasis on tires over vehicle design. A Firestone report last year included vehicle design as one of the contributing causes. Ford has more than 400 rollover cases pending, and lawyers in litigation and mediation with Ford say the company has settled about 100 cases. Ford engineers in 1989 recommended that the automaker lower the Explorer's frame and widen its wheel-base to increase stability, according to testimony by the company's engineers. The Explorer's design has been modified for the 2002 model year, making it less prone to rollovers, plaintiffs' attorneys said.