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January 31, 2006

NHTSA ACCUSED OF HIDING TIRE-FAILURE SUV ROLLOVER DATA

An independent researcher has accused the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of concealing data showing continued correlations between tire failures and SUV rollovers. Randy Whitfield, president of Quality Control Systems Corporation, said in a filing with the agency:

The well-known replacement of tires in a substantial fraction of the Ford Explorer fleet slowed but did not halt tire-related, Ford Explorer crash fatalities. Since the tire recalls were completed, there have been more reported fatalities related to tire failures than there had been up to the time the scandal was first given wide publicity. Unfortunately, the types of tires involved and the specific nature of these failures is not publicly known. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration possesses important public health data which could aid an investigation of this issue. These data are being kept secret from researchers outside the agency, while the problem appears to be worsening once again.

For the full filing, CLICK HERE.

Posted by MVHAP at January 31, 2006 08:31 AM