After the 2000 Ford-Firestone rollover debacle to which U.S. officials linked 271 deaths, the Transportation, Recall Enhancement, Accountability and Documentation (TREAD) Act was passed. The TREAD Act was designed to warn the public about vehicle defects soon after manufacturers become aware of them to help people avoid crashes by requiring new tire standards, better tire pressure monitoring systems and better consumer information about rollover propensity. Congress ordered the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to carry out its mandates and gave the agency additional funds and staff in order to carry out the new law.
The much-publicized law allowed the NHTSA to finally begin receiving the new early warning vehicle safety data in December 2003, while auto makers and tire makers fought to keep the new information out of public eye. By the spring of 2004, the NHTSA decided to make public the data on deaths, injuries and property damage, but chose not to reveal data regarding car and truck warranty claims, customer complaints and early-warning defect reports from auto dealers to the public. Consumer groups and vehicle safety advocates were outraged at the agency's failure to fully disclose safety information to the public, and in April 2004, the Public Citizen Consumer Advocacy Group sued the NHTSA for the release of all the information.
In June 2004, the Rubber Manufacturers ' Association, a group that represents tire makers like Bridgestone, Goodyear and Continental, filed a lawsuit against the NHTSA, lobbying to keep the information from the public. An unspoken concern by business interests was that the data would be used to help trial lawyers build stronger cases against auto makers and tire makers. Consumer groups , waiting for the release of safety data ever since the 2000 Ford-Firestone fatal accidents , believed some of it was finally going to be made public until the NHTSA announced in September 2004 that it was reversing its earlier decision, backtracking on its earlier pledge to allow consumers access to detailed data.
The NHTSA has said it will hold off indefinitely on releasing the information until the lawsuit filed by the country's largest tire makers has been decided on, which could potentially take years.
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