Lawmaker gets Ford to analyze data on tires

By Patty Davis
CNN Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Ford will analyze new data from congressional investigators on the tires it is using to replace 13 million Firestone tires, a House committee chairman said Thursday.

Investigators provided the automaker with claims and product information on seven tire brands investigators said have higher tread separation rates than those being replaced, said Rep. Billy Tauzin, R-Louisiana, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

"The results of these tests, coupled with Ford's analysis of the problem of tire aging, will allow federal regulators to make informed decisions about the safety of the replacement tires in question," Tauzin said.

Tauzin sent Ford a letter on Thursday asking it to test the tires after congressional investigators said they uncovered higher rates of tread separation for the replacement tires than the recalled Firestone Wilderness AT tires.

Ford said it would analyze that data but has yet to agree to testing all the tire models.

Authorities blame accidents linked to faulty tires on Ford's popular Explorer sport utility vehicle for more than 200 deaths. Tauzin said Ford's decision to analyze the information was "an important step" in finding out more about the replacement tires.

Tauzin has been critical of Ford for not having tested the tires it recommended to its customers affected by the recall of the 13 million Firestone tires. He has said the nation's second-largest automaker must test the tires under the same protocol Ford used to evaluate the Firestone Wilderness AT tires.

Ford was given claims and product information on seven tire replacement brands, including the Goodyear Wrangler HT and the Continental-General Tire Grabber.

Ken Johnson, a spokesman for Tauzin, said the committee is pressing the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to conclude its look at Ford's replacement tire data sooner rather than later. Tauzin has given NHTSA 30 days to examine the information and weigh in with any safety concerns.

Ford announced last month it would replace up to 13 million Firestone tires on its vehicles, citing failure rates that exceed models from competitors. The announcement came one day after Bridgestone/Firestone severed its nearly century-old business relationship with the nation's second-largest automaker.

Firestone maintains its tires are safe and that the problem arises from a Ford Explorer design flaw.

Ford recommended tires made by Goodyear, Michelin, BFGoodrich, Continental-General Tire and Uniroyal. The company relied on data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to determine the safety of the replacement tires.

The recall applies to all 15-inch, 16-inch and 17-inch Firestone Wilderness tires on Ford Explorers, Expeditions, Rangers, Broncos and F-Series pickup trucks, as well as the Mercury Mountaineer.