Congress Fit to be 'Tired'
Dateline: 09/05/00
Updated: 09/07/00
Ford and Firestone Blame Each Other
(9/7/00)
In more than 13 hours of grilling by House and Senate joint
committees, Firestone and Ford executives apologized and explained, but
apparently failed to satisfy lawmakers. Congress also took NHTSA and DOT to
task for year-long delays in notifying American consumers of the problems with
defective Firestone tires.
Congress will certainly get "tired" as they race toward the end of this session. Firestone tired, that is.
Both House and Senate Commerce Committees, as well as the House Science Committee will start out the already action-packed last 20 working days of this legislative session asking, "What did Firestone, Ford and the NHTSA know, and when did they know it?"
Only weeks after Firestone's August 9th recall of 6.5 million of their ATX, ATX II and Wilderness AT tires, many installed on new Ford trucks and SUVs, came reports that both Firestone and Ford may have been aware of serious defects in these tires, now being blamed for at least 88 deaths and 250 injuries, as long as a year ago.
According to a Reuters report of Aug. 26, 2000, Ford replaced Firestone tires on around 6,800 trucks sold in Saudi Arabia during August of 1999, and replaced even more Firestone tires on trucks in Malaysia, Thailand, Venezuela and other countries earlier this year.
Late last Friday (Sept. 1, 2000), the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NTSHA) warned consumers that another 1.4 million Firestone tires may have the same problems as the 6.5 million tires recalled last month, and expanded its investigation to include Firestone tires installed on Nissan and Chevrolet trucks as early as 1990.
According to a NTHSA statement, many of this older batch of tires showed failure rates in excess of "those of the recalled tires, sometimes by a large margin."
Included in the latest additional NTHSA warning were Firestone's Wilderness AT 16-inch tires installed on 1996-98 Ford F-150 pickups, 15-inch ATX tires on 1991-94 Nissan pickups and 15-inch ATX tires on 1991 Chevy Blazer SUVs. Contending that most of these tires are probably no longer in service, Firestone has refused to issue a recall on them.
Two House Commerce subcommittees are scheduled to hold a joint hearing on the Ford-Firestone recall on Wednesday, Sept. 6, while the Senate Commerce Committee has set its recall hearing for Sept. 12.
While there are few limits on what congressional investigators can look into, any specific violations found on the part of Firestone or Ford would likely be to parts of Title 49, Section 301 of the U.S. Code - Transportation, Motor Vehicle Safety.
The NHTSA may also be inline for some Congressional drilling and grilling by these committees. As early as 1998, the watchdog agency was notified by the auto insurance industry of a high number of blowouts involving the tires recalled in August of this year.
The NHTSA has received heat from Congress in the past for relying too heavily on the companies it regulates to voluntarily provide consumer safety information and initiate voluntary recalls.
The Firestone-Ford firestorm could not have come at a worse time for Congress. (See: US Congress: Long Road - Short Time)
Twelve of the thirteen Appropriations Bills of the FY 2001 federal budget remain to be considered and voted on. Hours of debate and countless amendments await these in both House and Senate. If all thirteen bills are not completed by October 1st, emergency legislation will be needed just to keep the government operating. Failure by Congress to get the budget done on time can lead to a dreaded government shutdown like the six-month episode in 1995-96.
On Thursday, Aug 31, President Clinton officially vetoed H.R.8 -- the Estate (Death) Tax Elimination Act -- at a 2:20 pm ceremony in the Rose Garden, no less. The President has stated that the tax cut would spend money that should be used to pay down the national debt and protect Medicare. This bill will be back before the end of this session, you can bet the estate on that.
The first thing the Senate is scheduled to consider will be the controversial question of establishing permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) with the People's Republic of China, or H.R.4444 the U.S.- China Relations Act of 2000.
Articles on
Trade With China
Read what About Guides have to say on opening up trade with China.
Also look for lengthy debates on the "common sense" gun control bill backed by President Clinton that requires trigger locks and gun-buyer background checks at gun shows. This bill -- H.R. 1501 - Violent and Repeat Juvenile Offender Accountability and Rehabilitation Act of 1999 -- is still locked in committee and may never see the floor for debate this session.
Articles on
Gun Control
Where do About Guides stand on gun control? Find out here.
Reference Links
For information on the tire recall, you can call these Firestone toll-free hotlines:USA 1-800-465-1904
Puerto Rico 1-888-276-2120
Mexico 0-1-800-713-7646
Canada 1-888-212-4733
Firestone Online Store LocatorThe US Civil Code on Tires (Under Title 49 USC - Transportation)
Title 49, Chapter 301, Section 30123, US Code - Tires
Covering labeling. grading and maximum load standards for tires.Title 49, Chapter 301, Section 30118, US Code - Notification
Covering notification of defects and noncompliance of motor vehicles or replacement equipment by manufacturers.Title 49, Chapter 301, Section 30163, US Code - Civil Actions
Covering civil actions that can be taken by the Justice Department for non-compliance with the law.Latest Advisory from NHTSA - Older Firestone Tires
The 9/1/00 advisory from NHTSA regarding problems with older Firestone tires not included in the August 9th recall.NHTSA Complaints Received on Firestone Tires
Download a complete list (Excel spreadsheet) of consumer complaints about the recalled Firestone tires as received by the NHTSA through Aug. 31, 2000.
Firestone, Ford, DOT and the Law
As congressional hearings into the tire recall continue, this much we know; somebody failed American consumers -- fatally. But, exactly what laws might have been violated, and what could the penalties for those violations be? From your About Guide.
US News Guide Clare Saliba keeps you abreast of breaking coverage of the Firestone/Ford fiasco.
Find the latest information on the Bridgestone/Firestone ATX, ATX II, and Wilderness AT tire recall from About's Consumer Information Guide Nicolette Parisi.
Information on the original 6.5 million tires recalled by Firestone/Bridgestone on Aug. 9, 2000. From your About Guide.
The Firestone tire recall has already sliced profits and blemished the company's image. Despite those misfortunes, it may get even worse. There are legal battles ahead and a possible price war if rivals have their way. From Global Business Guide Paul Bishop.
When Congress returns on Sept 5, the President wants them to take care of -- The 2001 Budget, Gun Control, China Free Trade, Minimum Wage, Prescription Drug Benefits, HMO Patient’s Rights, and more -- all in about 20 days - in an election year. From your About Guide.
Where do About Guides stand on gun control? Find out here.
Read what About Guides have to say on opening up trade with China.
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