NASHVILLE, TENN. (November 28, 2000)-
Bridgestone/Firestone, Inc. announced today that it has provided
consumers with an estimated 5.5 million tires in less than four
months under its safety recall of P235/75R15 Radial ATX, ATXII
and certain P235/75R15 Wilderness AT tires. The company also announced
that there is now sufficient supply of replacement tires to satisfy
the needs of remaining recall customers. Finally, with the exception
of some smaller markets mainly in the midwest and upper northeast,
waiting lists for Firestone replacement tires have been eliminated.
"This remarkable achievement underscores
the commitment all of us at Bridgestone/Firestone have to regaining
the public's full confidence," said John T. Lampe, Chairman and
CEO. "When we initiated this effort in August, everyone believed
it might take at least a year to reach this point. But 13,000
Firestone dealers, thousands and thousands of Bridgestone/Firestone
employees, along with our associates at the Ford Motor Company,
have worked hard to do the job faster than anyone believed possible."
"We have more than an adequate supply of
Firestone and Bridgestone replacement tires," said Lampe. "There
are some independent dealers, predominately in smaller markets,
that don't have the physical capacity to install replacement tires
as rapidly as we would prefer. In those areas we are working with
our dealer network to accommodate those customers."
No major automotive recall has achieved
such significant results in so short a period. The extraordinary
actions Bridgestone/Firestone took to meet this challenge included
dramatically increasing the production of replacement tires at
its North American plants and airlifting hundreds of thousands
of tires from Japan. Bridgestone/Firestone also gave consumers
the option of replacing their Firestone tires with competing brands
and reimbursing them up to $100 per tire for the purchase of competitors'
brands at competing outlets, both unprecedented steps intended
to speed the recall.
Earlier this month, the head of the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Dr. Sue Bailey,
was quoted in news media accounts as describing the Firestone
recall as "a phenomenal effort" on the part of the company.
"My personal mission is to restore confidence
in the Firestone brand. The first step on that path has been to
replace the recalled tires quickly and efficiently. The next step
is to determine the root causes of the problems that led to the
recall," Lampe said.
The company has assembled a special team
to try to determine what may have caused tread separations in
a small number of the recalled tires. The company also has hired
Dr. Sanjay Govindjee, an independent expert who is working separately
from the company on another study of tread separation issues.
Lampe said he hopes and expects the company's
special team will complete its investigation before the end of
the year.
In addition to announcing the progress
of the recall, Lampe also urged consumers who have not yet replaced
recalled tires to visit their local Firestone retailer for free
replacement
Although some consumers who opt to replace recalled Firestone
tires with other brands may still experience delays, there is
a strong supply of both Bridgestone and Firestone brand tires
in the P235/75R15 size more than sufficient to address the recall
needs of all remaining consumers.
"Our customers have been extremely supportive
throughout this process and I want them to know that we take seriously
our responsibilities to every one of them. That's why we initiated
this recall," Lampe added.
Nashville-based Bridgestone/Firestone,
Inc., is a subsidiary of Bridgestone Corporation, the world's
largest tire and rubber company. Bridgestone/Firestone manufactures
and markets Bridgestone, Firestone and Dayton brand tires and
manufactures a variety of private brand tires. The company also
produces Firestone air springs, roofing materials, synthetic rubber
and industrial products. The company employs approximately 35,000
people in North America. Additional information is available at
www.firestone.com.
