WASHINGTON (June 27, 2001)—The tire industry has no definition of property damage claims or accepted average for an appropriate claims rate on tires, according to a press release from Rubber Manufacturers Association President Donald B. Shea.
“Property damage claims and the associated claims rate have not, do not, and can not define the safety of a tire,” Mr. Shea said.
“U.S. tire makers actually use a number of indicators…when determining if a process of post-manufacturing study, testing, analysis and evaluation of a tire is warranted.”
Mr. Shea spoke in reply to a House Energy and Commerce Committee study which showed that 11 tire models Ford Motor Co. is using to replace 13 million recalled Firestone Wilderness AT tires exceed Ford's benchmark claims rate figure of five per million.