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• May 8, 2008 10:42 am US/Eastern
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  Firestone Tire Recall, Eight Years Later

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Firestone Tire Recall, Eight Years Later

Click Here For Firestone Inspections Guidelines-pdf FILE

Click Here For Firestone Statement In Response To Our Story

Ford Q&A Responses Regarding Tires

MIAMI (CBS4) ― It was the largest recall in United States history. The result of thousands of complaints and hundreds of deaths. Now 8 years after that recall, CBS4 Consumer Investigator Al Sunshine discovered those same tires may still be claiming lives. 

Margie Moreno and Victor Crispin still choke back tears when they talk about the death of their son Jason back in February.

He and friend Steven Tarafa died in an accident when the left rear tire on Jason's 1999 Ford Explorer suffered a tread separation according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

The tire, an 8-year-old Firestone Wilderness AT, was believed to be the original spare on the old SUV. 

It was recalled by Ford back in 2001 as one of the 13-million tires pulled off Ford Explorers as part the biggest tire recall in U.S. history.

Margie Moreno says the loss of her son Jason hurts every day, even when she goes shopping. "I went to Publix to pick up groceries and I would pick something up and, 'Oh no, Jason's not here', he's the one who used to eat that. He was supposed to bury me, not me bury him."

Both families are now suing Ford, Firestone and the Miami used-car dealer who sold the old Explorer.

Denise Sosa, Steve's mom, is angry they didn't know about about the tire, "that was defective. There was no way for us to know, even him."

As CBS4 Al Sunshine has been reporting for some 8 years now, it's almost impossible to find out how old the tires on a car, truck or SUV may be.

The information's in the production code imprinted into the side of the tire.

The Firestone Wilderness that came apart on Jason Crispin's Explorer carried a 189 production code. That means it was made in the 18th week of 1999.

And even though Ford recalled them, the tire on Jason's old Explorer was still in use.

Father Victor Crispin doesn't understand why more isn't being done to warn families about old tires.

"We're talking about saving lives. It seems there's to be a price to be paid that, you either spend the money in trying to save the lives or you wait for people to die," he said while wiping back tears from his eyes.

Ford and Firestone insist they got millions of recalled tires off the road. 

Ford recommends replacing tires after 6 years of road use. Firestone advises concerned customers to visit their neighborhood Firestone dealer for a free safety inspection. 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, better known as NHTSA, is now monitoring this accident to see if it could signal the start of another deadly round of aging tire failures as the summer driving season starts heating up. 

It's been 2 years since the agency issued its last warning advising owners to check if they're riding on recalled tires. Back then, it also warned SUV owners to make sure their tires were as safe as they should be during summer driving vacations. 

Those safety tips are as important today as they've ever been. 

The Feds tell CBS4 they believe more than 90% of Firestones' recalled tires are now off the market.

(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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