Nader Says Send Ford, Firestone Execs To Jail
Presidential Candidate Speaks Before Economic Club
The consumer advocate came to Detroit Tuesday to speak at a luncheon of the Detroit Economic Club.
Ralph Nader has harsh words for Ford and Bridgestone/Firestone
Nader's audience consisted of many automobile executives and suppliers, hardly a cordial bunch to a man whose watershed 1965 book "Unsafe At Any Speed" exposed problems with the automotive industry, leading to stricter regulation.
Nader said that the Ford Explorer is an inherently unstable vehicle and the Firestone tires used on them have serious defects.
He said that both companies knew about the problems, but instead of correcting them, tried to blame each other.
As punishment, Nader said that executives from both companies should have been jailed.
Nader also had harsh words for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Nader said that NHTSA had basically acted as a "consultant" for the auto industry, instead of its expected role as a law enforcer.
If elected, Nader said that he wants a tougher NHTSA and harsher penalties if companies don't act swiftly on recalls.
