1. C. Tab Turner, a personal injury lawyer who specializes in rollovers, said all sport utility vehicles were too vulnerable to flipping over if a tire fails. 2. Calculating the frequency of rollovers when tires fail is almost impossible because no one knows for sure how many tire failures there are. 3. Firestone has said that its tires failed partly because of underinflation, which can cause tires to overheat and come apart. 4. It has been investigating only the tires, because the accidents began when tires failed. 5. Most occurred when the tires failed at high speed and the Explorers rolled over. 6. Nor did he assess why Firestone had contended that sport utility vehicles in general were too prone to rolling over when tires fail. 7. One mystery is whether the Firestone tires are failing because of a manufacturing problem in Decatur or because of a design problem that might affect tires made elsewhere. 8. The report contended that the Explorer has a steering deficiency that makes it harder to control than a Jeep Cherokee or Chevrolet Blazer when a tire fails. 9. They have also maintained that Explorers are safe and that the deadly rollovers would not have occurred had the tires not failed. 10. This is why groups like American Automobile Association advise motorists to avoid hitting the brakes hard or swerving when a tire fails, particularly if they are driving SUVs. |