Bridgestone/Firestone, Ford trade jabs

WASHINGTON (Sept. 21)—Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. and Ford Motor Co. executives continued to trade barbs about tire vs. vehicle safety during testimony before a House subcommitte Sept. 21 considering legislation to tighten federal controls over vehicle makers and their suppliers. Bridgestone/Firestone Executive Vice President John Lampe reiterated BFS´s contention that "the tire is only part of the overall safety problem shown by these tragic accidents. . .; we could remove every one of our tires from the Explorer, and rollovers and serious accidents will continue." In his testimony, Lampe said the company is stepping up an internal investigation into possible problems at its Decatur, Ill., plant and urged Ford Motor Co. in a letter to change to inflation specification for the Explorer to 30 psi. "We know now that at 26 psi," Lampe said, "there is a low safety margin for the Explorer as compared to other SUVs."