Firestone Reaching One Million
Mark
in Drive to Replace Recalled Tires
Nashville, Tenn., August 26, 2000
—This weekend Bridgestone/Firestone
and other tire retailers will pass the 1 million tire mark
in the drive to replace recalled Firestone Wilderness AT tires
in size P235/75R15 produced at the company’s Decatur, Ill
plant and Radial ATX and Radial ATX II tires in the same size.
“We appreciate the patience and
understanding that so many of our Firestone customers have shown
during this major undertaking,” said John Lampe, executive
vice president, Bridgestone/Firestone, Inc. “We’re
doing everything in our power to replace all recalled tires
as quickly as possible.”
The conservative estimate of reaching
at least 1 million tire replacements this weekend was made after
reaching the 850,000 mark on Wednesday of this week.
Currently, Bridgestone/Firestone manufacturing
plants in the United States have increased production by 7,000
tires daily in the size needed to replace recalled tires to
meet consumer needs. In addition, Bridgestone manufacturing
plants in Japan are air lifting thousands of tires to assist
with the recall, and competitive manufacturers are increasing
production.
“Our employees and dealers are responding
to this challenge with energy and commitment,” Lampe said.
“We’re also grateful for the cooperation of independent
tire retailers, Ford/Mercury dealers and competing tire makers.”
Lampe said Firestone engineers and others
are continuing their investigation to identify the root cause
or causes of the tire failures that led to the recall. In addition,
Bridgestone/Firestone announced today that the company plans
to retain a leading independent tire expert or experts to examine
and verify the company’s internal investigation process.
