Are Some Cars at Higher Risk for Having Faulty Valves??
They're a tiny part that's on every car on the road. Valve stems that let air in and out of your tire. And as we explained before, millions of them still on the road could be defective. But are some cars at a bigger risk for having these flawed stems? ABC2 News Investigator Joce Sterman went through the complaints logged with NHTSA to find out.
For Sara Monk, the pain of losing her husband never fades. She says, "I just remember thinking this isn't happening to me. This isn't real. I mean even now I still think it's not real." It’s been nearly a year since her husband, Robert (Chip) Monk, was killed. His SUV was mangled in a roll-over crash that his family blames on a faulty tire valve stem. Sara Monk tells ABC2, "If we had known ahead of time, we could have done something to prevent it."
We now know millions of bad stems have been yanked from the market, recalled by Tech International because of a flaw they say could lead to hazardous cracks. Don Mays with Consumer Reports explains, "The problem is that there wasn't enough ozone protection put into the rubber, which means that over time these valve stems are going to degrade more quickly than normal." But the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) says as many as 30 million other defective valves with that problem could still be on the road. That’s because another company that uses the same manufacturer has not pulled its product from the public.
Attorneys for Sara Monk say Dill Air Controls supplied the stems involved in the crash. According to documents submitted to NHTSA, the company knew about the flaws months before Chip's death. Attorney Frank Melton says, "Dill was being made aware of valve stems cracking, of valve stems failing, of valve stem problems. They could have done something. Robert Monk's death could have been prevented." Melton has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Dill on Sara Monk’s behalf, as well as a class action lawsuit for other consumers whose cars may have been damaged by the faulty valve stems. He tells ABC2 they’re getting calls every day. And that comes as no surprise, because hundreds of people have already complained to the federal government.
NHTSA is investigating the valve flaw. The agency's Office of Defect Investigations has received more than 200 complaints about bad valve stems. We broke down the complaints, looking to see if one car might be more likely to have valve stem issues. Our ABC2 News investigation uncovered the majority of faulty valve stem complaints have come from owners of 2007 Fords. Those cars had nearly six times more complaints than any other car, make, model or year. Ford says they use valve stems made by the same Chinese company that supplies Dill and Tech International. Their stems are even made at the same location, but their representative says different equipment at a different facility is used. As for our findings, Communications Manager Wes Sherwood says, "We are working to better understand NHTSA's customer complaint information. Ford has determined there is no risk to motor vehicle safety." But we’re not the only ones looking at what seems to be a trend in the complaint log. A Massachusetts watchdog group, Safety Research and Strategies, has sent a letter to NHTSA, asking the agency to open an investigation into whether the defective valve stems were original equipment on 2007 Ford vehicles.
But when it comes to valve stems on millions of cars, Sara Monk knows the risks all too well. She lost her husband and her little boy will never know the man who helped bring him into the world, all because of a problem that got little attention. That’s until Sara came along to make sure her husband’s story wouldn't be repeated. She says, "To be standing up for something and speaking out about it, I think he would be really proud of me."
Full Statement from Ford
"We are working to better understand NHTSA's customer complaint information. Ford has determined there is no risk to motor vehicle safety. No valve stems on Ford vehicles are part of any recall even though they may appear similar. Valve stems purchased by Ford are made with different material, meet different physical specifications and are made on different equipment than those that have been recalled. Vehicle owners sometimes report issues to NHTSA if they are confused why their vehicles are not part of a recall for similar components."
--Wes Sherwood
Ford Safety Communications Mgr.
