Ford, Firestone issues continue

Ford will replace 10 to 13 million Firestone Wilderness AT tires on the firm’s Explorer, Expedition and F-150 vehicles citing concerns over possible safety issues in the future. According to a May 22 letter to Firestone CEO John Lampe, Ford CEO Jac Nasser declared, “we are concerned that the performance of certain Wilderness AT tires not included in last summer’s recall is not at a level consistent with the performance of similar usage tires from competitive manufacturers.” The Ford replacement announcement is the latest action in an increasingly acrimonious and very public dispute between Ford and its oldest supplier, a dispute that began with last summer’s voluntary recall of some six and a half million Firestone Wilderness AT, ATX and ATX II tires. In a letter from Lampe to Ford’s Nasser the day before the Ford replacement announcement, the Bridgestone/Firestone president stated: “Our analysis suggests that there is a significant safety concern with a substantial segment of Ford Explorers…We believe they are attempting to divert scrutiny of their vehicle by casting doubt on the quality of Firestone tires.” In the letter, Bridgestone/Firestone formally ended the two firms’ century old business relationship in the Americas, which began with company founders Harvey Firestone and Henry Ford. In related news, Toronto law firm Rochon Genova has filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of Canadians injured in Ford Explorers equipped with Firestone tires. The named plaintiff, Michelle Rambharos of Brampton, Ontario, was injured in the rollover of an Explorer in 1996. Both Ford and Bridgestone/Firestone are named as defendants.