Iowa attorney general Tom Miller announced today the state has reached a final settlement with Ford Motor company, closing the final chapter on the consumer lawsuit over vehicles with dangerous Firestone tires. All the attorneys general announced simultaneously the final settlement with Ford Motor Company, concerning the Firestone tires that blew out causing Ford Explorers to roll over. A settlement with Firestone already netted a bit over fifty-million dollars for consumer advocates, and Miller says this is the final phase of the same case. Ford said it’ll pay the states 51 and-a-half million and also will tell the public about any future problems found with safety of their vehicles. Iowa attorney general Tom Miller says this is the second and final phase of the Firestone tire consumer action. First they deal with Firestone, then Ford, and Miller says each suggested the other was primarily at fault but the attorneys determined the fault was shared, and as it’s turned out each paid the same, 51-and-a-half million dollars. The majority of the money, 30-million dollars, will be used for a national PSA campaign on the safety of SUV’s, which he calls “wonderful vehicles.” Miller says though he owns one himself, consumers DO need more information about their safety. They’re not a car, he explains, and don’t handle like one because they’re built on a truck bed, and Miller also says need to know how to properly load the vehicle and fill its tires.
