Word: treaded
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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There is mounting evidence that it may. According to an internal Ford memo in the hands of congressional investigators, the company concluded after looking into accidents in Venezuela that "the high incidence [of] vehicle rollover after a tire blowout or tread loss has not been detected for other vehicle brands," such as Toyota, GM or Chrysler. Last May, according to a confidential Firestone document obtained by TIME, Firestone officials suggested to their colleagues at Ford in Venezuela that the Explorer's suspension was a factor. Ford disagreed, as it still does...
...some Goodyear tires on the Explorer (and has been tapping them for replacement tires since the Firestone recall); indeed, the apparently trouble-free performance of Goodyear's tires has been the company's main defense against Bridgestone/Firestone's persistent contentions that Ford-ordered underinflation was at the base of tread-separation problems. It's also talking to Continental General Tire, a German firm. But according to the Journal, the France-based Michelin company will be a main supplier...
...other words, the ongoing Firestone mess may have made a new car's tires something they weren't before: a deal-breaker. Ford's next Explorer will be courting customers more educated about things like tread separation than they ever wanted to be. With road conditions like that, Ford isn't taking any chances...
...ATXII and certain Wilderness AT tires were shredding at abnormally high rates. At least six months before Firestone launched the recall of 6.5 million defective tires in early August, it was aware of a steep rise in the number of warranty, damage and injury claims involving tread separations on those suspect models, according to confidential company reports released by congressional investigators. Firestone, which has argued that it didn't know of any pattern of problems until early August, said it didn't typically use such data to assess product quality...
...unfortunately, still has nowhere to hide. Senator John McCain is scheduled to hold additional hearings this week, and Ono is supposed to give a deposition in a tread-separation case in Texas. His company, meanwhile, will try to do a better job of communicating how it's going to fix the problem. "The public is very forgiving for those institutions that will admit their shortcomings and really level with them all the way," says Harold Burson, CEO of p.r. pioneer Burson-Marsteller. If Firestone is going to remain on the road long after the recall, Ono has to make sure...