Ford Motor Company officials have accused Indecu, the Venezuelan consumer protection agency, with using inaccurate accident data in its evaluation of the Ford Explorer. The agency recently announced that design defects in Explorers were the probable cause of 50 accidents in that country since the company replaced tires on 30,000 of its Explorers in Venezuela in August 2000.

After analyzing the data relied on by Indecu, Ford Director of Sales Hector Rodriguez disputed the agency's accusations. He claims that 13 of the 50 accidents listed in the data were not rollovers as the agency claimed but instead were "simple crashes." Three of the accidents did not even involve Explorers according to Rodriguez, and four accidents were listed in the data twice.

Ford Motor Company and Bridgestone/Firestone are involved in a public battle in Venezuela similar to the one currently playing out in the U.S. The combination is allegedly responsible for at least 46 deaths in Venezuela, and Indecu has blamed both manufacturers for withholding safety information regarding their products.