Ford, Bridgestone send experts to Decatur

DECATUR, Ill. (Aug. 15)—Ford Motor Co. has flown in "a half-dozen experts" to the Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. tire plant in Decatur, while Bridgestone Corp. has sent its own delegation from Japan to research why the 15-inch Wilderness AT tire from the Decatur plant has a failure rate so much higher than the same tire from other Bridgestone/Firestone facilities, company spokespersons said during a media conference call. "The goal is for the experts to stay on site until they understand the root cause of the problem," a spokesperson said. The 15-inch Wilderness tires from Decatur, and only from Decatur, were included in the 6.5 million tire recall Bridgestone/Firestone announced Aug. 9.