Half-million Continental tires on Ford SUVs are recalled

WASHINGTON -- Continental Tire North America said Monday it is recalling more than half a million tires installed on Ford Motor Co.'s sport utility vehicles after some lost their tread.

Tread separations led to the recall of millions of Firestone tires in the past two years that were used primarily on the Ford Explorer. Ford officials say they discovered the Continental problem through a rigorous internal process put in place after the Firestone recall to quickly identify possible tire defects.

Continental would not say how many tread separations had occurred but said most complaints involved uneven wear and vibrations. It estimates the recall will cost $19-million.

The recalled Continental tires were installed as original equipment on 106,701 two-wheel drive Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator SUVs from the 2000 and 2001 model years. About 60,000 more tires were sold as replacements on light trucks.

The recall involves the P275/60R17 size of the ContiTrac AW and General Grabber AW tires made at the company's plant in Mayfield, Ky. Those involved have Department of Transportation codes on the back of the tires that end with date codes ranging from 109 to 4400.

Continental's action is the largest tire recall since Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. announced in October it would replace 3.5-million Wilderness AT tires along with the 6.5-million it recalled in August 2000.

"We have no indication this is related to SUV design," Ford spokesman Todd Nissen said.

Owners should get a letter from Continental within a month advising where to get free replacement tires.

Also Monday, Ford said it incorrectly labeled the tire pressure for the rear wheels on 81,774 two-wheel drive Expedition and Navigator SUVs from the 2000 model year, some of which are included in Continental's recall. The rear tires have a recommended pressure of 33 pounds per square inch, but were labeled at 30 psi, Ford said. The front tire pressure is correctly labeled 26 psi. Ford will mail new labels to owners.

GM recalls 720,000 cars

DETROIT -General Motors Corp. recalled nearly 720,000 cars and trucks Monday that have potential air bag problems.

The first recall includes 570,000 model year 2000 pickups and sport utility vehicles with a problem that could prevent air bags from working in certain frontal collisions.

The affected models: Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups and Tahoe/Suburban and Yukon/Yukon XL SUVs. Only full-size pickups and SUVs built between February 1999 and February 2000 are affected.

The second recall includes 150,000 2002 and 2003 Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Oldsmobile and Pontiac cars and trucks built between May and July 2002.

In these vehicles, GM said the air bag inflation device on the driver's side might break apart during inflation and "strike or injure the occupants." The air bag also would not fully inflate.

GM said it has not received reports of crashes or injuries related to the problems.

The vehicles involved: Buick LeSabre, Cadillac DeVille, Chevrolet Impala and Monte Carlo, Oldsmobile Aurora and Pontiac Bonneville passenger cars; Chevrolet Venture, Pontiac Montana and Oldsmobile Silhouette minivans; and Buick Rendezvous, Chevrolet TrailBlazer, GMC Envoy and Oldsmobile Bravada SUVs.

Owners involved are asked to take their vehicles to a dealer.

Indiana University chosen as top 'party school'

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University was crowned the nation's No. 1 "party school" Monday in an annual Princeton Review survey that school leaders and medical experts derided as irresponsible and unscientific.

"I think there are some serious questions about the methodology of the study, and it really calls into question the credibility of the ranking," said Bill Stephan, an IU vice president.

Florida was No. 5 in the rankings. Florida State was No. 9.

The survey, conducted since 1992, ranks schools in 63 categories based on in-person or computer interviews with 100,000 students. The party school designation is based on student reports on alcohol and marijuana use, the amount of time spent studying outside of class and the popularity of fraternities and sororities.

Princeton Review is a test-preparation and college admissions company with no connection to Princeton University.

"We simply are reporting on the conditions that exist on those particular campuses, and if social life continues to be an aspect that students comment on, then I will continue to include that list in the book," said Robert Franek, the company's editorial director.

Winners in other categories in The Best 345 Colleges included Northwestern University (best academics overall) and Brigham Young University (stone cold sober school).

Elsewhere . . .

SOME HIGH-SPEED AMTRAK TRAINS RETURN: Amtrak put nine of its Acela Express passenger trains back into duty Monday, but President David Gunn said it will be days before the high-speed service returns to full strength.

JUDGE REJECTS ELECTION TO REPLACE TRAFICANT: U.S. District Judge Edmund Sargus on Monday denied a request by a civil liberties group for a special election to replace ousted Rep. James Traficant Jr., saying that Congress is scheduled to recess on Oct. 3, leaving a strong likelihood that a winner would never cast a vote.

IT'S "MISSOUREE': In a mock election by residents that ended Sunday at the Missouri State Fair, "Missouree" beat "Missourah" by a 3 to 1 margin, 3,921 to 1,390, in a contest over how to pronounce the state's name.

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