Senators praise Les Schwab at recall hearing

WASHINGTON (Sept. 13)—Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Slade Gorton, R-Wash., went out of their way to praise Les Schwab Tire Centers Inc. for its actions during the recall of 6.5 million Firestone tires. At a Senate Commerce Committee hearing, Wyden said Les Schwab had replaced 120,000 tires—or about 6 percent of the 2 million tires replaced so far—since the recall began Aug. 9. Gorton said that in replacing the recalled tires with non-Firestone tires, Les Schwab was billing Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. directly, rather than charging consumers. Prineville, Ore.-based Les Schwab is the fifth-largest tire dealership in the U.S., with more than 300 outlets.