The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has begun its own preliminary probe into over one million Ford trucks and cars following reports that faulty tire valve stems were causing tires to leak air. Ford Motor Company, which conducted its own investigation, says that the tire valve stems do not pose a safety risk. Safety advocates, however, claim that the potential danger of sudden tire air loss should mandate a recall. In a letter to NHTSA, auto safety researcher Sean Kane, who called for the investigation into Ford's tire valve stems, warned that drivers and tire repair shops would be unlikely to notice the defects.
The NHTSA's investigation involves 1,050,000 2007 Ford vehicles, including the Ford F-150, Edge, Mustang, Milan, Fusion, MKZ, Mercury Grand Marquis, MKX, Explorer, Expedition, Escape, and Focus. The agency says that they have 37 complaints involving Ford motor vehicles with faulty valve stems.
23 complaints involved autos with more than one defective tire valve stem. 11 reports involved cases where an air leak caused tire damage. A valve stem is supposed to keep the air in a tire. Topseal Automotive, a subsidiary of Chinese company Shanghai Baolong, made the valve stems that are under investigation.
In May, the NHTSA began another investigation into 23 million Shanghai Baolong Automotive Corp. replacement valve stems that were made in 2006. The agency found 4,767 complaints involving these replacement stems. One complaint reported a deadly auto accident involving a 1998 Ford Explorer that experienced tire failure.
Last month, the NHTSA upgraded that probe into what it calls "Engineering Analysis." This means that if the analysis investigation finds that the replacement valve stems, imported by Dill Air Controls Products, are defective, some 23.5 million replacement tire valves that were installed between August 2006 and July 2007 may be recalled.
Topseal Automotive told NHTSA that the replacement valve stems lacked proper protection from ozone damage, which can cause the stem bases to crack after 8 to 14 months of use and lead to air loss, tire failure or tire blowouts. Topseal supplies eight million tire valve stems each month to Ford and other car manufacturers around the world.
Ford spokesperson Wes Sherwood maintains that even though they purchased the valve stems from Topseal, the stems they use on their cars and trucks are not made from the same material that the replacement valve stems are made with. Sherwood also says that the valve stems used on Ford vehicles are made with different equipment.
Tire blowouts can lead to serious injury accidents, including vehicle rollovers, multi-vehicle collisions, and accidents involving pedestrians. You may be entitled to compensation from an auto manufacturer or tire maker if you were injured in a motor vehicle accident involving a defective tire.
Feds probe Ford tire leaks, Detroit Free Press, October 22, 2008
NHTSA steps up investigation of tire valves … but not enough, Consumer Reports, October 3, 2008
Related Web Resources:
Throughout the United States, the auto products liability law firm of Gilbert & Ollanik, PC represents personal injury victims and their families with products liability lawsuits against some of the largest car manufacturers in the world. Our products liability lawyers are known for obtaining the best results for our clients.
