Bridgestone/Firestone claims mismarking tires just a mistake

CARACAS (Aug. 29)—Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. made an "unintentional mistake" in mismarking 15- and 16-inch Wilderness tires for Ford Motor Co. which were made in the firm´s Venezuelan facility, according to a company statement. Ford had requested an extra nylon cap ply in those tires, which Bridgestone/Firestone supplied, but some tires made prior to the cap-ply tires were erroneously marked as having the cap plies. "The inadvertent marking errors had no bearing on tire quality, performance or safety," Bridegestone/Firestone said. The company has addressed the mismarking situation and has no plans to conduct a recall of the Venezuelan tires, it added. In an Aug. 28 letter to INDECU, the Venezuelan consumer protection agency, Bridgestone/Firestone said it had stopped making the mismarked tires and asked its dealers to return any mismarked tires still in inventory. None of the tires were made in or exported to the U.S., the company said. Last weekend, Ford urged the tire maker to recall all the tires it supplied to Ford vehicles from the Venezuelan plant, a Ford spokesman said.