Fatal Crashes Involving Ford Explorers Were Higher Due to Tire-Related Issues, Analysis Finds

Strategic Insights -

From 1995 to 1998, fatal crashes involving Ford Explorers were almost three times as likely to be tire-related as fatal crashes involving other sport utility vehicles, analysis of data from the Department of Transportation's Fatality Analysis Reporting System revealed. The discrepancy emerged after The New York Times analyzed the data, showing that fatal crashes involving Explorers were 2.8 times as likely to list tires as a contributing factor as those involving other S.U.V.'s. The findings suggest that Ford, Firestone, and federal safety regulators missed an early warning sign of problems with Firestone's tires for sport utilities.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Department of Transportation's data revealed that fatal crashes involving Ford Explorers were 2.8 times as likely to be tire-related as fatal crashes involving other sport utility vehicles from 1995 to 1998.
  • Firestone documents obtained by Congressional investigators showed that officials were briefed as early as February about rising warranty costs for the recalled tires.
  • Ford's president and CEO, Jacques Nasser, testified that even after replacing Firestone tires in some countries, the company held off taking action in the United States citing "anecdotal data" and "no data" in those countries.
  • The number of complaints about tire problems to Ford was low, with a peak of 10 in 1998.
  • Ford directors its customers with tire problems to the tire manufacturers, which contributed to the low number of complaints.
  • The highway safety agency pulled back from collecting anecdotal evidence from garages and body shops due to budget constraints, limiting the data available.
  • The Fatality Analysis Reporting System records approximately 40,000 deaths a year, but the data shows that tires do fail and expected failure rates.
  • Ford's manager of safety data analysis, Ernie Grush, stated that examining the data without a clear understanding of its contents made it harder to find clues.

Statistics:

  • 2.8 times as likely: Fatal crashes involving Ford Explorers were to be tire-related as fatal crashes involving other S.U.V.'s from 1995 to 1998 (The New York Times analysis).
  • 35: Number of tire-related fatal crashes involving Explorers in the 1995-98 period (The New York Times).
  • 120 billion miles: The number of miles driven by Explorers by the end of 1998.
  • 0.03: The number of deaths per hundred million miles related to tire failures in Explorers (Ernie Grush calculation).
  • 0.6: The number of rollover deaths per hundred million miles in Explorers (Ernie Grush calculation).
  • 1: The number of all fatalities per hundred million miles in Explorers (Ernie Grush calculation).
  • 9: Number of fatal accidents involving Explorers from Ford's Louisville plant equipped with Firestone tires in 1996 and 1997 (The Times analysis).
  • 1: Number of fatal accidents involving Explorers from Ford's St. Louis plant equipped with Goodyear tires in 1996 and 1997 (The Times analysis).
  • 17.8: The number of tire-related fatal accidents per 1,000 accidents involving Explorers from 1995 through 1998 (Department of Transportation data).
  • 6.4: The number of tire-related fatal accidents per 1,000 accidents involving other sport utility vehicles from 1995 through 1998 (Department of Transportation data).
  • 6.0: The number of tire-related fatal accidents per 1,000 accidents in cars from 1995 through 1998 (Department of Transportation data).
  • 5: Number of complaints per year concerning Firestone tires out of 50,000 complaints of all kinds about vehicles (Sue Bailey, highway safety agency administrator).
  • 40,000: The number of deaths recorded in the Fatality Analysis Reporting System per year.

Sources:

  • The New York Times
  • Department of Transportation's Fatality Analysis Reporting System
  • Congressional investigators
  • Firestone documents
  • House subcommittee hearing testimony of Jacques Nasser, Ford's president and CEO
  • House hearing testimony of Ernie Grush, Ford's manager of safety data analysis
  • House hearing testimony of Samuel Boyden, State Farm's associate research director
  • The American Automobile Association Foundation for Traffic Safety