Rollover Accidents - Attorneys representing victims of rollover accidents across Washington State.

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Firestone Tires and Ford Rollovers - On May 21,2001, a lawyer for Ford announced they would recall 13 million Bridgestone (Firestone) tires starting with the oldest in service. Firestone countered that Explorers were unsafe and that Ford design was the cause of safety problems rather than Firestone tires which have been recalled. These announcements were precipitated by serious Ford Explorer rollover accidents causing serious personal injury to consumers caused by defective Firestone and Bridgestone tires. Based on a report by the Washington Post, citing analysis of national and Florida crash statistics, the Ford Explorer, even when fitted with tires other than Firestone, has a higher rate of tire-related accidents than other sport utility vehicles. According to the report, Ford Explorers with Goodyear tires have been linked to 101 deaths nationwide.

Tire Recall - Ford Motor Co. plans to replace 10 million to 13 million Firestone tires, an amount that far surpasses the large recall previously ordered last summer by Bridgestone/Firestone. This extended recall of 13 million Firestone tires will cost Ford $3 billion and force it to idle three plants to free up tires to use as replacements. Ford said it is taking the extraordinary step of recalling the huge number of Wilderness AT tires because it considers them unsafe, and their manufacturer, Bridgestone-Firestone Inc., refuses to recall them.

Ford will replace all 15-, 16- and 17-inch Wilderness AT tires on its vehicles for free at Ford and Lincoln Mercury dealers, and reimburse owners who purchase them elsewhere for up to $130 for the 16- and 17-inch tires. Jacques Nasser Ford's CEO said "We lack confidence in the performance of any of Firestone's Wilderness AT tires." "There are enough warning signs there, and we wanted to act in a precautionary sense," he added.

Who is at fault? With Ford recalling more Firestone tires, and Bridgestone/Firestone deciding to no longer sell tires to Ford, it is difficult for accident victims to know who to blame. These decisions have caused an end to a 95-year relationship between Ford and Bridgestone and makes it clear that neither party will accept sole responsibility for the unusually large number of accidents involving Ford Explorer SUVs with Firestone tires. However, Ford is blaming Firestone Tires and has stated that the problem points to the design and manufacture of certain Firestone tires built in Firestone's Decatur, Illinois plant.

25,000 fatal and non-fatal SUV accidents with 83 blown tires in Florida showed that tire blowouts in Goodyear equipped Explorers contributed to crashes at rates more than double those of other SUVs. This report demonstrates that no other make or model of SUV had a pattern of equipment failure that related as strongly to accidents as the Explorer's tire blowouts. Using two different ways of measuring accident rates, the Explorer was either three or four times as likely as other SUVs to have a tire blowout contribute to an accident, the Post said.