Confusion Full Over Spares

DEARBORN, Mich.--There’s no shortage of confusion over the status of the Firestone spare tires that Ford has on some of its new Ford Ranger pickups.

Each vehicle comes equipped with a 15-inch Firestone ATX tire as a spare, which is is the same tire now under recall. Or is it?

Both Ford and Firestone are now maintaining that the spare tires have several structural differences. Previously a different stance was being taken.

The use of ATX tires as spares was first reported by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in Texas last week and by KIRO-TV in Seattle this week.

In both media accounts, Firestone officials were quoted as saying the tires were the same as those being recalled--other than having a temporary use stamp applied to the sidewall. Ford said the tires were different.

Now Firestone says the ATX spare has a different rubber compound in its tread and a different belt design than the ATX tires included in the recall.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has ruled that there is nothing wrong with using these tires as spares if they do indeed have a different construction than the tires under recall. The rubber is marked for temporary use only and motorists are warned not to drive over 50 mph or farther than 50 miles .

Chris Jarvis, a spokesman for the Washington state attorney general’s office, told the Associated Press that authorities are “making contact with the various folks involved to get to the bottom of this.”

The wire service reported that attorneys general in other states are now taking an interest in this issue.

Meanwhile, Ford has eliminated Firestone as its tire supplier for two of its vehicle models made in Venezuela.

The automaker’s Venezuelan subsidiary has switched to Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. tires for its Lazer family vehicle and 350 truck. This severs all ties between the two companies in Venezuela.