Documents: Firestone Knew of Tire Defects in '97

Sept. 6 -- Officials at Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. knew as early as 1997 that there were concerns about the company’s Wilderness tires but apparently took no action to correct the problems, according to documents obtained by ABCNEWS.

The revelations came as lawmakers began hearings today in Washington into the defective tires suspected of causing accidents that have claimed more than 100 lives.

In mid-1997, a Ford dealership in Saudi Arabia alerted Firestone to problems with its tires and urged the now-beleaguered tire maker to recall tires fitted on 1995, 1996 and 1997 Ford Explorers, the documents show.

“I have to state I believe this situation to be of a safety concern,” Paul Wright of Al-Jazirah Vehicles wrote in a sternly worded letter to Firestone officials in Saudi Arabia in October 1998. “So I am asking, what is going on? Do we have to have a fatality before any action is taken on this subject?”

Ford ultimately replaced the tires in the Middle East, but neither company informed the U.S. government of the problems. They are not required to do so under current law.

Lawmakers also revealed today that warranty claims on the tires began escalating in 1996. And The Associated Press reported that Firestone began logging customer complaints of tread separation in tires from its Decatur, Ill., plant as early as 1997.

In August 1999, Ford recalled about 6,800 tires on Ford Explorers and Mercury Mountaineers in the Middle Eastern nations of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Yemen and Egypt, the company said.

But it wasn’t until four months ago that the federal government began investigating the case and less than a month ago that Bridgestone/Firestone announced a voluntary recall of 6.5 million ATX, ATX II and Wilderness tires, most of which were on Ford Explorers.

Ford and Firestone Under Fire

Firestone and Ford officials found themselves under heavy grilling during today’s congressional hearings.