FORD'S VENEZUELAN PROBLEM.

• Author: WHALEN, CHRISTOPHER
• Position: Brief Article

While most Americans are aware of mounting questions about the safety of the popular Ford Explorer, few realize that the roots of the legal and regulatory wrangle trace back to Venezuela. The Latin oil producer was among the first countries to raise questions about the safety of the Explorer. Since 1999, Venezuelan agencies have been questioning the tendency of Ford Explorers, which are the world's top selling sports utility vehicle and the dominant SUV brand in most Latin markets, to roll over in sudden, evasive turns.

Ford officials say that three years ago, they began to receive anecdotal reports about "tread separation leading to accidents" in Venezuela on Explorers outfitted with Firestone ATX tires. Ford claims that in the fall of 1999, they were sufficiently concerned to change 2000 model year Explorers in Latin America to Goodyear tires. By the spring of 2000, reports of problems in Venezuela drew attention to related reports...