That is a likely line of questioning as a Congressional subcommittee on consumer protection opens hearings today in Washington.
Critics say the agency was too slow to act, even as it became aware of mounting fatalities.
The agency, they say, suffers from inadequate funding, which has hampered investigations, and laws that don't give it the necessary teeth to punish violators. Tyson said the agency received 46 complaints about Firestone tires from 1990 until 1999. The huge spike, he said, occurred only after the series of Firestone-related reports by the Houston TV station. Last year, in comparison, Tyson said the agency received 52,000 complaints overall about product defects. Claybrook said the fines are too small to be a deterrent.