Hundreds of thousands of Firestone tires, that were recalled six years ago, are still sitting in vehicles as spare tires, allegedly capable of causing car crashes and fatalities to unsuspecting motorists. The Ford Explorer spare tire is attached to the undercarriage of the vehicle, requiring the owner to crawl under the vehicle in order to check the brand name. Many people just didn't think of checking their spare tire when the original recall was issued.
Several crashes involving serious injuries and deaths have been reported so far. Witnesses claim to have seen the tread coming off the tires.
Firestone claims that 90% of the defective tires were reclaimed, but apparently a recall on spare tires somehow fell through the cracks. Ford says that 76 percent of the Explorer tires eligible for replacement have been processed.
Firestone wants to get all pre-2000 tires off SUV's. They are offering replacements free of charge - no questions asked. Even if a spare tire has never been used, and looks brand new - it should be replaced after 6 years as tires suffer from aging.
Firestone Spare Tire Recall in the News
Jul-21-06: Firestone issues renewed recall for radial tires mainly used as spares in Ford Explorers and SUVs. [CNN]Jun-22-06: Firestone recall misses spare tires which still lurk in vehicles with the potential to cause accidents and death. [NBC]
Jun-22-06: Ford/Firestone miss spare tires in recall issued six years ago. [
