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Small SUVs can be big problem

Rollover crashes lead to more deaths in those kinds of models than other cars.

By TOM ZUCCO
Published November 10, 2005

The two-door Ford Explorer that rolled over on the Howard Frankland Bridge and sank in Tampa Bay is one of the most dangerous vehicles on the road, according to insurance industry data.

And although no one is sure how many such models are still in use, the number is likely in the tens of thousands, insurance industry sources say.

In a report earlier this year on the risk of dying in a vehicle crash, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a research group financed by car insurers, found that the two-door Explorer Sport the Jakupovic family was riding in has a rollover death rate of 122 per million vehicle years.

Only the two-door Chevrolet Blazer, a similar midsized SUV, has a higher rollover death rate - 251 per million.

The average for all passenger vehicles is 28 rollover deaths per million.

Because of its higher center of gravity, a more narrow, trucklike foundation and relatively light weight, the two-door Explorer Sport is at much greater risk than most other vehicles, including other SUVs, analysts say. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Saturday's accident was caused when tread separated from the vehicle's left rear tire, causing the SUV to spin and roll over 11/2 times.

It is unclear what brand of tire was on the Jakupovic's 1998 Explorer Sport, and what the condition of the tires was. Amira and Mujo Jakupovic and the couple's two sons, Emrah and Amar, had to be rescued from the bay. Mujo and Amar Jakupovic remain hospitalized.

But this was far from the first time Explorers and tire failure have been linked to an accident.

In May 2000, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration contacted Ford and Firestone about a high incidence of tire failure on Explorers that had Firestone tires.

All the failures involved tread separation. If the vehicle was running at higher speeds, there was a high likelihood the vehicle could leave the road and roll over.

Ford and Firestone blamed each other for the problem. However, an NHTSA investigation showed the Explorer was no more likely to roll than any other SUV.

Still, Ford SUVs had rollover problems long before the Explorer and Firestone controversy. Consumer Reports criticized the Bronco II, the Explorer's predecessor, for being prone to flip, and Ford settled more than 800 lawsuits involving the Bronco and overhauled it in the 1980s.

Although Ford has made design changes to its newer SUVs, many of the older models remain on the road, including the two-door Explorer Sport, which was replaced in 2004 by the Sport Trac, a pickup-SUV combination.

Although figures for 1998 were not available, more than 112,000 Explorer Sports were sold in 2000. Ford sold a two-door Explorer model from 1991 to 2003.

For years, critics have said SUVs in general have a rollover problem. As recently as two years ago, there were 16.42 deaths for every 100,000 registered SUVs, compared with 14.85 deaths for every 100,000 registered passenger cars, according to the NHTSA.

But the Explorer Sport's problems, said Russ Rader, a spokesman for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, are much worse than average.

"With the Explorer two-door, the problem is compounded by the fact that it has a shorter wheelbase - the distance between the center of the front wheel and the center of the rear wheel," Rader said. "That makes the vehicle even more unstable."

The two-door used a 102.1-inch wheelbase, and the four-door a 111.9-inch wheelbase.

"This is a very unforgiving vehicle," Rader added. "It is top heavy and much more likely to roll over, even more than other SUVs."

Insurance industry analysts also point to a contributing factor automakers have nothing to do with. Most older model SUVs, especially two-door models, are likely on their second or third owner, a driver who is often more prone to risk than the original owner.

"There may be more young, inexperienced drivers driving them," Rader said. "Which can have an effect on the death rate."

A spokesman for Ford did not return calls for comment Tuesday. But the company has long maintained that all its SUVs are safe, and points to the fact that none has been recalled for problems related to rollovers.

"There's extensive information in every SUV about how they must be driven differently than normal passenger cars," Eron Shosteck, a spokesman for the automobile manufacturers' alliance, told the New York Times recently. "You can't take turns as quickly and you can't drive them as if you were driving a low-slung sports car.

"There's information in the owner's manual and there are warnings on the sun visors and there has been plenty of information in the media."

But owner's manuals and warning stickers are often lost or missing when a car is resold.

The Explorer Sport involved in Saturday's crash is registered to Amira Jakupovic. Records indicate the vehicle had not been in an accident before Saturday, and as of December 2003, it had 70,000 miles on it.

Records also show that Jakupovic was at least the vehicle's third owner.

Times researcher Cathy Wos contributed to this report, which contains information from the New York Times.

[Last modified November 10, 2005, 01:21:17]