Firestone tied to more deaths
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September 25, 2000: 5:53 a.m. ET
Nine deaths in Florida from tires not included in recall - report
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MIAMI (CNN) - At least 21 Floridians have been killed or injured over the past two years in vehicles with Bridgestone/Firestone tires not recalled by the company, the Miami Herald reported Sunday, citing its own review of consumer complaints and lawsuits.
The paper said the nine deaths and 12 injuries suggested Firestone "may have a problem with Wilderness AT and other brands that were not part of the Nashville, Tenn.-based tire maker's recall in August."
The newspaper said six of the deaths and 10 of the injuries occurred in four accidents that involved Firestone Wilderness AT tires that were made at the company's Wilson, N.C. plant.
"Every tire maker has had claims on the tires they make," Firestone spokeswoman Anne Conrad told the newspaper. "Is there any indication that we have a problem there [at the Wilson plant]? Right now, no."
Firestone has recalled the 15-inch Wilderness AT tires made at its plant in Decatur, Ill., but none of the models made at other plants.
Complaints filed with federal regulators for the past two years show 22 of the 25 deaths in Florida in vehicles equipped with Firestone tires involved the Ford Explorer, which has been cited in a number of lawsuits for its tendency to roll over in failures of Firestone tires.
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Bridgestone/Firestone
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