NHTSA opens investigation into Firestone ATX, Wilderness tires

WASHINGTON (May 15)—The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened a preliminary evaluation into whether the Firestone ATX, ATX II and Wilderness tires, which are original equipment on various Ford sport-utility vehicles and pickup trucks, have a defect leading to tread separation and blowout. The agency reports 90 complaints of separation and failure on these tires, leading to 33 crashes, four deaths and 27 injuries. "It´s impossible to say where this might lead to," a NHTSA spokesman said. "We don´t even know now what model years and models of tires are involved."