Kane says 'Times' story 'contradicts the facts'

WASHINGTON (June 27)—A consultant to plaintiffs' attorneys said a "New York Times" article "contradicts the facts" in stating that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration was hampered in learning about problems with Firestone tires because the consultant didn't divulge his knowledge to the agency. NHTSA's database "was not virtually empty" at the time Sean Kane of Strategic Safety discovered about 30 cases of Firestone tire failures on Ford Explorers and Rangers, Kane said in a statement on Strategic Safety's Web site. "A review of complaints publicly available from NHTSA on June 24, 1999, revealed 36 complaints of tires failures on Ford Explorers and Rangers—nearly all of the incidents we were aware of," he said.