Ford Slashes Firestone ‘02 SUV Role

DETROIT--People buying 2002 Ford Explorers and Mountaineers will be able to choose which brand of rubber they want riding on their new vehicles--sort of.

The Ford Motor Co. has said that The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. will supply some tires for the 2002 Explorer and Mountaineer sport utility vehicles, which further reduces business for Bridgestone/Firestone Inc.--previously the the sole supplier for the top-selling SUVs. It also said it had decided before the Firestone recall that some of the SUV tire business would be going to Michelin.

As it turns out, customers shopping for the 2002 models when they go on sale next year will have two options: Firestones or no Firestones. When buyers ask for non-Firestone tires, they will be given either Goodyears or Michelins, depending on the tire and vehicle specifications.

However, in a piece from Blue Oval, an organization of Ford owners and workers, author Steve Blake noted that Ford told its dealers that company executives had reversed an earlier decision to include Firestone tires as the default tire of choice, with Goodyear and Michelin brands being provided as an option, for all orders submitted through Oct. 6. That means that initially all 2002 Ford Explorers, unless changed by dealers, will be delivered with either Goodyear or Michelin tires, Blake wrote.

According to a source within Ford, who spoke on condition of anonymity, “the primary reason for this recent action by was due to the fact some dealers may not have been aware of the optional Goodyear and Michelin brand tires,” wrote Blake. “However, that same source also stated that the inability of Firestone to yet determine a root cause for tread separations experienced on the current and past model year Explorers also played a roll in Ford’s decision.

“This latest action by Ford adds further credibility to reports that the rift between Firestone and Ford is at a critical stage” which started with the Aug. 9 Firestone recall. The U.S. death toll from crashes blamed on the failure of Firestone tires fitted to SUVs and light trucks has risen to 119 according to the latest figures released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

As quoted by Blue Oval, Jason Vines, Ford’s vice president of communications, said that Ford dealers are now turning away replacement tires being shipped into Florida, as the recall nears completion, and many other states are getting into that same position now. Vines also went on to say, “We plan to have the recall completed by the middle of November, if customers come in. We are seeing some cases where people are waiting to get more use out of their current tires before they get their free set, and that just blows my mind.”

Goodyear Global Communications Director Chris Aiken told Blake he was unaware of this recent action by Ford, reporting that the specific Goodyear tire is currently in its certification stage for use by Ford.

Aiken told of the support given by Goodyear to Ford regarding the Firestone tire recall. “We’ve supplied close to 2 million tires, and that translates into approximately 50 percent of all tires that have been utilized as replacements,” said Aiken to Blake.

With the support of other tiremakers such as Goodyear, Ford’s “choice to possibly rid itself of the Firestone brand altogether is becoming easier,” Blake observed. “Firestone has stated publicly that the fault of tread separations on their brand of tires may also by attributed to the unique design of the Ford Explorer, and that is a claim that Ford vehemently denies.”

To read the entire Blake piece, contact www.blueovalnews.com.