Lampe acknowledged past problems with the company's now-recalled tires, but said investigators must consider whether the Explorer played a role in hundreds of rollover accidents triggered by a tire failure.
Tires can lose tread.
It is a foreseeable problem,'' Lampe told reporters after meeting with Mineta. The government's auto safety agency has the information under review, said Rae Tyson, spokesman for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Ford's John M. Rintamaki reaffirmed the automaker's position that the accidents are the result of faulty tires. The Explorer performs the same as competitive SUVs before, during and after a tread separation,'' he said. Firestone Wilderness AT tires on its vehicles.