Center for Auto Safety files suit to broaden recall

WASHINGTON (Aug. 22)—The Center for Auto Safety has filed suit against Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. and Ford Motor Co. to force the companies to broaden the recall of Firestone ATX, ATX II and Wilderness AT tires to cover all tires in those lines, regardless of size and place of manufacture. This marks the first time ever that the CAS has sued corporations over an auto safety issue, rather than the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, according to CAS Executive Director Clarence M. Ditlow III. Both companies have given "conflicting stories" about the performance of the tires, and some of the 62 deaths recorded by NHTSA occurred on ATX, ATX II or Wilderness tires that aren´t part of the recall, Ditlow said. "When you take all these facts together, we need a trial just to get these questions answered," he said. A Bridgestone/Firestone spokesman said it is company policy to decline all comment on pending lawsuits.