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Ford finds defects in Firestone tyres in Venezuela
Robert L Simison & Gregory L White
Detroit, Aug 27: Ford Motor Co said its investigation of Firestone tires that experienced tread separation in Venezuela turned up a serious manufacturing defect that could have contributed to the tires' failures. Confirming allegations made in a statement Friday by Strategic Safety, an Arlington, Va., safety research concern, Ford said its investigation determined that the tires provided by Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. for Ford Explorer sport-utility vehicles in Venezuela didn't have a nylon layer that was needed to help the tires stand up to the punishment of the country's rough roads. The No. 2 auto maker said it has turned this information over to Venezuela government authorities and to Bridgestone/Firestone. After a high number of tread separation accidents began turning up in Venezuela, Ford said, it recalled the tires on about 40,000 Explorers in May and replaced them with similar tires made by Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. Ford's specifications for the Firestone Wilderness AT tires in Venezuela had called for the nylon layer, and the sidewall of the tires had indicated the tires were built with such a layer, according to Jason Vines, Ford's vice president for communications. He said most of the tires were produced in Venezuela but some were imported from the U.S. He said Ford suspects serious problems in Firestone's manufacturing systems in Venezuela. The Goodyear tires Ford installed in the recall in fact were built with the nylon layer, the Ford spokesman said. Ford replaced tires with both 15- and 16-inch diameters in Venezuela; the spokesman couldn't say whether the manufacturing defect was found in both diameters. In the U.S., Bridgestone/Firestone is recalling only 15-inch tires, as statistical analysis has indicated the overwhelming proportion of tread separation incidents affected that size. While confirming that portion of the safety concern's allegations, Mr. Vines rejected the group's argument that such a layer should have been on the Firestone tires that are being recalled in the U.S. because of high rates of tread separation. He said the nylon layer is needed in Venezuela because of high-speed driving over "washboard"-surfaced roads. U.S. driving conditions are nowhere near as severe, so such a layer isn't necessary for tires on vehicles sold for U.S. use, Vines argued. Copyright © 2000 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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