Editorial.The ongoing saga between Ford and Bridgestone has been a good one because it has drawn comments and responses from such a wide variety of media sources, domestic and worldwide. Prior to September 11, these two were in the news about as much as Microsoft and Congressman Gary Condit Gary Adrian Condit (born April 21, 1948) is an American politician, a "Blue Dog" Democrat who served in the House of Representatives from 1989 to 2003. Condit represented California's 18th congressional district, the northern San Joaquin Valley (when he was first elected, this . With the recently announced settlement between Bridgestone and the courts, the news value of this story seems to be waning. The firing of Jacques Nasser Jacques Nasser (born December 27, 1947[1] in Amyoun, Lebanon;[2] Arabic جاك نصر ) nicknamed "Jac The Knife" because of his penchant for cost-cutting, is a business executive, most known for his infamous tenure as CEO of Ford as Ford CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. renewed interest in the story since it is generally agreed it was his handling of the Ford Explorer
The Ford Explorer is a mid-size sport utility vehicle sold in North America and built by the Ford Motor Company since 1990. rollover A graphic element in an application or on a Web page that changes its color or shape when the pointer is moved (rolled) over it. See JavaScript rollover. See also n-key rollover. problem that got him the ax. I'm sure he wasn't the only person at Ford who thought laying all the blame on the rollover problem at the feet of its longtime tire supplier was the best solution. More fallout from this is taking place in Congress, where a mandated tire pressure monitoring system A tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) is an electronic system to monitor the air pressure inside a pneumatic tire. They are sometimes referred to as remote tire pressure monitoring systems (RTPMS) or simply as Run flat indicators. is being developed. This is related because the Transportation Recall Efficiency, Accountability and Documentation (TREAD) Act is basically the legislative response to the Ford/Bridgestone problem. But the battle this time pits most of the tire manufacturers against the auto-mobile assemblers This is a list of assemblers. Hundreds of assemblers have been written; some notable examples are:
It should not be surprising that the auto assemblers believe they know more about tire engineering and manufacturing than the people who actually design, engineer, manufacture and test tires. But they do, and they are telling those drafting the standards for the upcoming tire pressure monitoring systems which will be standard equipment by 2004. The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers did this recently at a hearing where it rebuffed nearly every point the Rubber Manufacturers Association made. The RMA's position is supported by most tire related groups. It seems the auto companies think that a tire 20-25% under the vehicle manufacturer's recommended pressure poses no risk. Wasn't it Ford that ignored Bridgestone's recommended pressure settings and lowered the rating for the Explorer? The tire makers need to remain firm and not waver from what they consider safe. If the auto assemblers want a system that is not safe, let them assume the liability. Bridgestone's problems stemmed from supplying Ford a tire it specified. |
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