PRINTER'S NO. 3984
No. 578 Session of 2000
INTRODUCED BY SURRA, GEORGE, CAPPABIANCA, ROONEY, BELARDI,
YUDICHAK, TIGUE, COY, LAUGHLIN, B. SMITH, M. COHEN, SHANER,
FREEMAN, HARHAI, BROWNE, MELIO, KENNEY, STABACK, WASHINGTON,
YOUNGBLOOD, SCHRODER, WILLIAMS AND WALKO, SEPTEMBER 27, 2000
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON RULES, SEPTEMBER 27, 2000
A RESOLUTION
1 Calling upon the Attorney General of the Commonwealth to
2 consider legal action on behalf of the citizens of this
3 Commonwealth against Bridgestone/Firestone, Inc., to prevent
4 continued marketing of the corporation's potentially
5 defective tires.
6 WHEREAS, Twenty-four of the 1,400 incidents currently under
7 investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety
8 Administration of Bridgestone/Firestone, Inc.'s tires were
9 reported in Pennsylvania; and
10 WHEREAS, Four of those incidents involved serious injury,
11 including one fatality; and
12 WHEREAS, Eighteen involved the Wilderness and Wilderness AT
13 models and 15 involved tire tread separation from one or more
14 tires, the same problem identified in many other accidents
15 across the country; and
16 WHEREAS, Attorney General Charlie Condon of South Carolina
17 has called upon Attorneys General in other states, including New
18 York, California, Tennessee, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi,
1 Oklahoma and Nevada, to join in legal action; and
2 WHEREAS, Evidence released by the United States House of
3 Representatives suggests that warranty claims on these tires
4 began escalating as early as 1996; and
5 WHEREAS, A pattern of knowing misconduct may be established
6 given the magnitude of the problem and the duration of
7 apparently some years during which Bridgestone/Firestone knew
8 about the problem; and
9 WHEREAS, The tires may be a threat to the safety of
10 Pennsylvanians and others who travel our highways; and
11 WHEREAS, The purpose of the act of December 17, 1968
12 (P.L.1224, No.387), known as the Unfair Trade Practices and
13 Consumer Protection Law, is to protect the public from fraud and
14 unfair or deceptive business practices; and
15 WHEREAS, The Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection
16 Law protects citizens from such practices and empowers the
17 Attorney General to obtain injunctive relief for protection of
18 consumers; therefore be it
19 RESOLVED, That the Attorney General investigate possible
20 violations by Bridgestone/Firestone, Inc.; and be it further
21 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives call upon the
22 Attorney General to consider other forms of legal action against
23 Bridgestone/Firestone, Inc., in an effort to remove its
24 potentially defective tires from the market.
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