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Ford Explorer scrutinized
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September 20, 2000: 9:25 p.m. ET
Ford admits Nasser misstatement as Congress examines SUV's design
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - Ford Motor Co. admitted Wednesday that CEO Jacques Nasser misspoke under oath in Congressional testimony regarding the testing of tire pressure on the company's Explorer sport/utility vehicle.
Nasser had said the automaker had asked Firestone to test the tires when in fact Ford performed the tests. The admission comes as Congressional investigators and plaintiffs' lawyers are trying to determine if the design of the Explorer could have contributed to the accidents being blamed on faulty tires.
The Wall Street Journal first reported the Explorer probe Wednesday.
The tires, made by Firestone, are cited as the cause in accidents that have killed 103 people.
 Documents released by Ford to plaintiff lawyers suggest that the Explorer was designed with little thought given to how to the choice of tires could affect the Explorer's risk of rollover in certain conditions, according to the Journal.
In one example, the Journal said the documents indicate that Ford lowered its recommended tire pressure levels on the Firestone P235 ATX tires after simulations showed that the lower tire pressure would make vehicle handling more stable.
The lowered tire pressure was considered a crucial part of safe handling of the vehicle, the newspaper said, and Ford (F: Research, Estimates) considered affixing a sticker to Explorer vehicles warning that an inflation level of 26 pounds per square inch was "required" in order to prevent loss of control or rollover of the vehicle.
However, the warning labels were never added, the Journal said. Nasser last week told the Senate Commerce Committee, "This is a tire issue, not a vehicle issue," the paper said.
Ford on Wednesday admitted Nasser misspoke when he told the U.S. Congress that Ford had asked Firestone to test its tires at 26 pounds per square inch, Ford's recommended tire pressure.
In a letter to Congressional investigators, Nasser said he erred in his testimony -- Ford conducted those tests, not Firestone, he said.
Ford also said it hadn't performed the tire testing on an Explorer, but on a "mule," a truck that can be adapted to emulate an Explorer.
Congressman Billy Tauzin R-La., who is leading investigations on the Hill, said that is not good enough. He said he will call for legislation that will require auto and tire makers to conduct tests on the actual vehicles they are intended for in real conditions.
Firestone, a unit of Japan-based Bridgestone/Firestone, is in the process of recalling some 6.5 million 15-inch ATX, ATX II and Wilderness tires. On Tuesday, about 160,000 General tires used on another Ford product, the Lincoln Navigator SUV, were recalled because of a tendency for chunks of tire to come off.
Ford shares closed Wednesday at $25.06, down 69 cents. 
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