kilroy
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- May 9, 2000
- Messages
- 633
- Reaction score
- 0
- City, State
- Capron IL
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 2001 F150
Recent News
Ford: Pick Your Own Explorer Tires
September 29, 2000 9:15 am EST
Customers To Choose Brand For New Explorers
DETROIT, WASHINGTON, SEPT. 28, 2000 (CBS News) - Ford Motor Co. said Thursday it will let customers decide whether the next version of its Explorer sport utility vehicle rides on Firestone tires.
The move comes as both companies images have been battered by a recall of 6.5 million tires, most of them installed as standard equipment on Explorers, which have been linked to at least 101 deaths and more than 400 injuries.
Some Ford dealers are already reporting that some buyers are unwilling to accept Explorers with Firestone tires.
Ford has lined up Michelin as a supplier and is in talks with Goodyear, Ford spokeswoman Della DiPietro said. The moves put more distance between Ford's flagship product and Bridgestone/Firestone Inc., which had been the sole supplier of Explorer tires.
DiPietro said Michelins would be available for customers when the SUV hits dealerships. She said the automaker had decided to use Michelin as a supplier for the 2002 Explorer and Mercury Mountaineer well before the August 9th recall.
Ford had earlier said Michelin would supply slightly more tires than Firestone in the size used on 80 percent of the Explorers and Mountaineers.
But now, DiPietro said, Ford will leave the decision entirely in customers' hands. She declined to speculate what share of tires Ford was expecting Michelin or Firestone to supply in the wake of the recall. She said Ford had asked the tire makers to be flexible with their production.
"That will be a marketplace decision," she said. "Our expectation isn't the important thing, and we're preparing for all possible scenarios."
DiPietro said the details of how the system will work have not been figured out. Dealers and customers who place orders will be able to specify tires, but it's not clear how the choice will be handled for vehicles sitting on dealer lots.
A Bridgestone/Firestone spokeswoman said the tire maker would provide 70 percent of the Explorer tire production when the vehicle launches early next year, with Michelin handling the other 30 percent.
Bridgestone/Firestone had said earlier Thursday it would be the sole supplier, but later changed its statement. Ford did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment on the tire maker's numbers.
While automakers often offer customers a choice of tire sizes for a vehicle, it's rare for them to offer a choice of tire brands in the same size. DiPietro said the automaker would consider making similar options available on other vehicles over the next three years.
Meanwhile, CBS News Correspondent Sharyl Attkisson reports, a team of federal investigators converged on Firestone's Decatur, Illinois plant Thursday.
Both Firestone and Ford claim the plant is the biggest source of bad Firestone tires. But Georgia court documents unsealed after a court action initiated by CBS News point to more widespread problems, specifically at the tire maker's Wilson, N.C., plant.
Confidential data shows an unusually high rate of tread separations among ATX tires made at the Wilson plant. Among tires returned by customers for refunds in 1995, 69 percent had tread separations.
According to analysts consulted by CBS News, that number is double what it should be. Both Ford and Firestone had access to this data two years ago.
"We can't speculate as to why they're showing up in Wilson. It could be any number of things. It's like a needle in a haystack," said Bridgestone/Firestone spokeswoman Christine Karbowiak.
Karbowiak also said tread separations were often the way steel-belted radial tires failed.
Tread separations are "not the cause of a problem. It's the result of something else: improper repair, under-inflation, road hazards, or perhaps a tire that has just exceeded its lifetime," she said.
CBS News has won a motion to unseal more confidential Firestone court documents. Firestone argued that would reveal competitive information.
But the judge said no competitor would want to replicate the design of a tire that has been recalled around the world. Firestone may appeal.
Meanwhile, the tire maker is objecting to a move by Saudi Arabian authorities banning the import of vehicles equipped with Firestone tires. The Saudi Arabian Standards Organization issued a notice last week to vehicle exporters that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was banning new and used vehicles with Firestone tires, effective immediately.
Bridgestone/Firestone said it believes the action may violate international trade agreements, and has expressed its concerns to U.S. trade officials.
In Venezuela, Ford's sales of the Explorer have plunged 37 percent this year amid allegations that design flaws in the sport utility vehicle played a role in at least 46 fatal accidents there. A government safety official has said shock absorbers on the Explorer played a role in tread separations. Ford maintains all problems with tire failure are Firestone's fault.
In his first television interview on the subject, Jorge Gonzalez, president of Bridgestone/Firestone in Venezuela, denies there were defects in his company's tires that caused the fatal accidents.
In remarks to be aired on 60 Minutes Sunday night, Gonzalez tells Correspondent Ed Bradley several factors could have played a role in the accidents. Among them: the suspension system in the Explorer, the lower tire pressure Ford recommended—which was well below what Firestone suggested—and the individuals driving the vehicles.
Ford continues to express confidence in the vehicle and plans to spend $4 million in a Venezuelan publicity campaign to boost sales for its Explorer 2001 model.
Ford: Pick Your Own Explorer Tires
September 29, 2000 9:15 am EST
Customers To Choose Brand For New Explorers
DETROIT, WASHINGTON, SEPT. 28, 2000 (CBS News) - Ford Motor Co. said Thursday it will let customers decide whether the next version of its Explorer sport utility vehicle rides on Firestone tires.
The move comes as both companies images have been battered by a recall of 6.5 million tires, most of them installed as standard equipment on Explorers, which have been linked to at least 101 deaths and more than 400 injuries.
Some Ford dealers are already reporting that some buyers are unwilling to accept Explorers with Firestone tires.
Ford has lined up Michelin as a supplier and is in talks with Goodyear, Ford spokeswoman Della DiPietro said. The moves put more distance between Ford's flagship product and Bridgestone/Firestone Inc., which had been the sole supplier of Explorer tires.
DiPietro said Michelins would be available for customers when the SUV hits dealerships. She said the automaker had decided to use Michelin as a supplier for the 2002 Explorer and Mercury Mountaineer well before the August 9th recall.
Ford had earlier said Michelin would supply slightly more tires than Firestone in the size used on 80 percent of the Explorers and Mountaineers.
But now, DiPietro said, Ford will leave the decision entirely in customers' hands. She declined to speculate what share of tires Ford was expecting Michelin or Firestone to supply in the wake of the recall. She said Ford had asked the tire makers to be flexible with their production.
"That will be a marketplace decision," she said. "Our expectation isn't the important thing, and we're preparing for all possible scenarios."
DiPietro said the details of how the system will work have not been figured out. Dealers and customers who place orders will be able to specify tires, but it's not clear how the choice will be handled for vehicles sitting on dealer lots.
A Bridgestone/Firestone spokeswoman said the tire maker would provide 70 percent of the Explorer tire production when the vehicle launches early next year, with Michelin handling the other 30 percent.
Bridgestone/Firestone had said earlier Thursday it would be the sole supplier, but later changed its statement. Ford did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment on the tire maker's numbers.
While automakers often offer customers a choice of tire sizes for a vehicle, it's rare for them to offer a choice of tire brands in the same size. DiPietro said the automaker would consider making similar options available on other vehicles over the next three years.
Meanwhile, CBS News Correspondent Sharyl Attkisson reports, a team of federal investigators converged on Firestone's Decatur, Illinois plant Thursday.
Both Firestone and Ford claim the plant is the biggest source of bad Firestone tires. But Georgia court documents unsealed after a court action initiated by CBS News point to more widespread problems, specifically at the tire maker's Wilson, N.C., plant.
Confidential data shows an unusually high rate of tread separations among ATX tires made at the Wilson plant. Among tires returned by customers for refunds in 1995, 69 percent had tread separations.
According to analysts consulted by CBS News, that number is double what it should be. Both Ford and Firestone had access to this data two years ago.
"We can't speculate as to why they're showing up in Wilson. It could be any number of things. It's like a needle in a haystack," said Bridgestone/Firestone spokeswoman Christine Karbowiak.
Karbowiak also said tread separations were often the way steel-belted radial tires failed.
Tread separations are "not the cause of a problem. It's the result of something else: improper repair, under-inflation, road hazards, or perhaps a tire that has just exceeded its lifetime," she said.
CBS News has won a motion to unseal more confidential Firestone court documents. Firestone argued that would reveal competitive information.
But the judge said no competitor would want to replicate the design of a tire that has been recalled around the world. Firestone may appeal.
Meanwhile, the tire maker is objecting to a move by Saudi Arabian authorities banning the import of vehicles equipped with Firestone tires. The Saudi Arabian Standards Organization issued a notice last week to vehicle exporters that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was banning new and used vehicles with Firestone tires, effective immediately.
Bridgestone/Firestone said it believes the action may violate international trade agreements, and has expressed its concerns to U.S. trade officials.
In Venezuela, Ford's sales of the Explorer have plunged 37 percent this year amid allegations that design flaws in the sport utility vehicle played a role in at least 46 fatal accidents there. A government safety official has said shock absorbers on the Explorer played a role in tread separations. Ford maintains all problems with tire failure are Firestone's fault.
In his first television interview on the subject, Jorge Gonzalez, president of Bridgestone/Firestone in Venezuela, denies there were defects in his company's tires that caused the fatal accidents.
In remarks to be aired on 60 Minutes Sunday night, Gonzalez tells Correspondent Ed Bradley several factors could have played a role in the accidents. Among them: the suspension system in the Explorer, the lower tire pressure Ford recommended—which was well below what Firestone suggested—and the individuals driving the vehicles.
Ford continues to express confidence in the vehicle and plans to spend $4 million in a Venezuelan publicity campaign to boost sales for its Explorer 2001 model.
