Statement by Christine Karbowiak Vice
President, Public Affairs,
Bridgestone/Firestone August 14, 2000
Firestone is committed to producing
the safest and highest quality tires on the road today and stands
by its products.
Regarding today's press conference by
SafetyForum.com, ANYONE or any group can make unsubstantiated
allegations. But, the data released late last week clearly shows
that the Wilderness AT tires, other than the P235/75R15 size
produced at Decatur, Ill., are good, quality tires with an excellent
record of safety. And, even the P235/75R15 size tires have a
low incident rate.
We have taken an unprecedented step to
voluntarily recall the P235/75 R15 Radial ATX and Radial ATX
II tires made in North America and the P235/75 R15 Wilderness
AT tires made in Decatur, Ill., with the safety and confidence
of our consumers as our number one priority.
We did this because the data and the
abundance of public concern clearly indicate the need for this
action. Specifically, the data shows:
- The number of reported incidents with
the P235/75 R15 Radial ATX and the ATX II is higher than the
other sizes in the line.
- The Decatur, Ill., plant is over-represented
in accident claims and in reports when compared with other
plants.
- The 16-inch Wilderness AT and Radial
ATX and ATX II tires have excellent records with very low
adjustment rates.
We continue to strongly encourage consumers
to keep any tire maintained and properly inflated. No tire is
immune to the hazards of the road, or to misuse.
