Government turns up heat on Firestone recall

WASHINGTON (Aug. 28)—While it´s premature to instigate a recall of all 47 million Firestone ATX, ATX II and Wilderness AT tires, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and its parent agency, the Department of Transportation, have not ruled that out, according to DOT Secretary Rodney Slater. Although Slater publicly defended NHTSA´s performance leading up to the 6.5 million-tire recall announced Aug. 9, he also criticized Ford Motor Co. for not telling the agency it had replaced those lines of tires in Malaysia, Thailand, Venezuela and several Middle Eastern countries. Meanwhile, Congress is heating up its scrutiny of the recall. Not only did Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, call a Sept. 6 hearing on the issue, but Rep. Thomas Bliley, R-Va., chairman of the House Commerce Committee, sent committee staff to Ford and Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. to meet with company officials and review documents relating to the recall.