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Tuesday
August 15 1:15 AM ET
DRIVERS FILE CLASS-ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST FIRESTONE
Reuters Photo
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By
Cara Buckley
MIAMI
(Reuters) -- South Florida drivers launched a class action
lawsuit suit against Bridgestone Corp. (5108.T) /Firestone, the
tire giant embroiled in the second largest tire recall in U.S.
history, complaining that Florida tire dealers cannot replace
their faulty tires fast enough, and demanding vouchers to help
pay for new tires.
``I
spent the whole entire day looking for (tire dealers) to help
me,'' said Ana LeCausi, a lead plaintiff in the suit, who said
she cannot afford to buy replacement tires.
``They
told me to wait until September. They didn't even have a date
in September.''
Bridgestone/Firestone,
together with the Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F - news), last week recalled
14.4 million tires, mostly fitted to Ford Explorer sports utility
vehicles, after a government report linked the tires to 270 traffic
accidents and 46 deaths.
Launched
in four southern U.S. states, the recall covers 6.5 million tires
still in use and found in the report to easily blow up and become
threadbare.
But
lawyers for the five groups of Florida plaintiffs accused Bridgestone/Firestone
of not moving fast enough and failing to keep up with demand.
``It's
not just that there aren't enough tires,'' said Roy Oppenheim,
a lawyer spearheading the suit. ``They don't have enough authorized
mechanics to remove the death tires from the cars.''
The
Florida lawsuit demands Bridgestone/Firestone immediately furnish
affected drivers with vouchers that allow recalled tires to be
replaced with suitable tires from any manufacturer.
``This
lawsuit requires Firestone to really put meat behind its promise
(to replace the tires),'' said Oppenheim. ``I do not understand
why this hasn't happened.''
Vouchers
would cut waiting time for replacements, lawyers said, by allowing
drivers to use alternative tire brands without shouldering the
cost.
``There
are many families where an outlay of hundreds of dollars for new
tires is simply not possible,'' the plaintiffs' lawyers said.
None
of the plaintiffs in this lawsuit have been injured, but they
said that unless Firestone moved quickly, faulty tires drumming
Florida's hot highways could prove to be time bombs.
``When
I drive now, I feel unsafe for me and unsafe for everyone else
around me,'' said LeCausi, who said she has stopped driving on
the highway.
A
hearing was scheduled in Miami on Friday at 9 a.m., the lawyers
said.
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