Settlement OK in Recalled Tires Suits

[undergroundrailroad]

Settlement OK in Recalled Tires Suits


By PAM EASTON
The Associated Press
Friday, July 25, 2003; 1:11 AM


HOUSTON - A judge offered preliminary approval Thursday to a settlement with Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire to resolve numerous class action lawsuits filed after the company recalled three brands of tires in August 2000.

The settlement agreement is subject to final approval by State District Judge Donald Floyd in Beaumont, Texas.

As part of the proposed settlement agreement, Bridgestone/Firestone has agreed to spend $15.4 million on a consumer education and awareness campaign for three years.

The settlement agreement also requires that for seven years Bridgestone/Firestone manufacture certain tires with cap strips, nylon strips or other material that provides better high speed capacity.

The settlement would resolve lawsuits filed by customers of Firestone ATX, ATX II and Wilderness AT customers whose tires were among those investigated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in 2000, but who did not sustain personal injury or property damage.

[finecraft]

1. Which will it be?

"As part of the proposed settlement agreement, Bridgestone/Firestone has agreed to spend $15.4 million on a consumer education and awareness campaign for three years."

There could be two possibilities:

1) a consumer education and awareness campaign that teaches tires must be kept properly inflated.
2) a campaign that educates the consumer on how not to chose a badly designed vehicle, equiped with tires proven to have manufacturing defects.

Which will it be?

[Wcross]

2. Defects? I disagree.

The tires did not have a cap strip. They were designed that way. The tires were not suitable for long term highway use, they were for off road use. Roll over because of a tire failure? Bad vehicle design is what I would call the whole situation.