ad info

 
CNN.comTranscripts
 
Editions | myCNN | Video | Audio | Headline News Brief | Feedback  

 

  Search
 
 

 

TOP STORIES

Bush signs order opening 'faith-based' charity office for business

Rescues continue 4 days after devastating India earthquake

DaimlerChrysler employees join rapidly swelling ranks of laid-off U.S. workers

Disney's GO.com is a goner

(MORE)

MARKETS
4:30pm ET, 4/16
144.70
8257.60
3.71
1394.72
10.90
879.91
 


WORLD

U.S.

POLITICS

LAW

TECHNOLOGY

ENTERTAINMENT

 
TRAVEL

ARTS & STYLE



(MORE HEADLINES)
 
CNN Websites
Networks image


Morning News

Continental General to Recall ContiTrac AS Tires on Lincoln Navigators

Aired September 19, 2000 - 9:01 a.m. ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: We begin this morning with more tire trouble. Another recall expected again today. This time it does not involve Firestone, but rather it involves Ford. It is a Continental General 16-inch tire expected to be announced later today.

Carl Rochelle live from Washington tracking the latest on this.

Carl, what do we know at this point, 9:00 a.m. Eastern time?

CARL ROCHELLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Bill, what we know this morning is that Continental General and Ford are going to meet with NHTSA, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, later today to discuss this recall, which apparently came about because of some consumer complaints, consumers that had some problems with the tires. We're told that roughly 60 complaints were filed, and these were warranty complaints where people came back in to get problems taken care of with their tires.

It's a different vehicle, it's the same manufacturer. This is the Lincoln Navigator, 1998 and 1999 models, and the tire they are talking about is the ContiTrac AS. They were installed on the 1998 and '99 vehicles.

We understand that roughly 40,000 vehicles, roughly 160,000 tires involved in this and that Continental General is debating whether to call this a consumers satisfaction program or a recall. But apparently the word is that they plan to replace those tires, Bill, and that announcement will be expected a bit later today.

HEMMER: One would assume that a lot of viewers tuning in to hear this story, Carl, would think this may be linked to the Firestone issue. Are they unrelated or related?

ROCHELLE: Well, they are unrelated in the sense that what has happened to these tires apparently is that they are throwing pieces of tread, chunks of tread coming off of it. But the Firestone tire recall involved the actual tread separating from the vehicle. And that, of course, was involved in apparently roughly 88 or so deaths. We are told that there have been no deaths from this particular tire, no injuries, no fatalities, no accidents and no rollovers. But because they are throwing pieces of tread, customers unsatisfied with them, they're going to recall the tires.

HEMMER: While we have you here, Carl, what is the latest with Firestone? What should we know?

ROCHELLE: Well, we're looking for a couple of things, Bill. Today, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration may put out those latest figures. Now, that's the ones that they have put together studying how many reports of accidents involving fatalities. You know the figure is at least 88. We expect the consumer, the number to go even higher than that. They are working on the data, hoped to have it out yesterday, didn't make it, hope to have it out today. That later on in the day we expect it, we're looking for.

And also, the House subcommittee that last week held hearings into Ford and Firestone got 16 boxes worth of data from Ford and Firestone on Friday. They've been going through that. They're going to hold a hearing on Thursday. They're going to study the issue of tire pressure and tire testing, hoping that will give them some information about how these tires on the Firestone vehicles -- now probably will look into this other also -- came to be on the vehicles and what needs to be done about it. They're talking about legislation later in the day, Bill.

HEMMER: All right, you'll watch it all for us, I'm sure. Carl Rochelle, thanks, in Washington.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com

 Search   


Back to the top  © 2001 Cable News Network. All Rights Reserved.
Terms under which this service is provided to you.
Read our privacy guidelines.