Sears Pulls Some Firestone Tires

H O F F M A N  E S T A T E S, Ill., Aug. 4 -- Almost 100 years ago, Henry Ford chose Harvey Firestone to supply tires for America’s first mass-produced automobiles. It was the beginning of an enduring friendship and fortunes that would outlive them both.

The companies that grew out of the relationship are trying tomaintain their solidarity in the face of a government investigationinto whether Firestone tires used on Ford Motor Co.’s popularExplorer have caused people to die.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has 193complaints, including reports of 21 deaths, that Firestone tirespeel off their casings, sometimes as the car they are on isbarreling down the road at speed.

Many of the Firestone ATX, ATX II and Wilderness tires areoriginal equipment on Ford, General Motors, Toyota, Nissan andSubaru SUVs and pickups, but most accidents reported to the trafficsafety agency have involved the Ford Explorer, the industry’stop-selling sport utility vehicle.

Probe in Beginning Stages

Concern about the tires prompted Sears Roebuck & Co. to pullthem from its store shelves starting Friday.

“There’s no recall, but until we have more information fromFirestone, the responsible thing to do is to discontinue sales,”Sears spokesman Tom Nicholson said Thursday.

Firestone’s ATX, ATX II and Wilderness tires will no longer besold at 780 Sears Auto Centers or the 350 National Tire & Batteryshops.

NHTSA’s investigation is in its preliminary stages, butsometimes such investigations lead to a recall by the manufacturer,which in this case is Firestone’s parent company, Nashville,Tenn.-based Bridgestone/Firestone.

Ford is looking into the case on its own. Company officials sayit’s too soon to say how they might respond, but spokesman Ken Zinosaid Ford’s decision probably would not involve dropping itslongtime tire supplier.

“I can envision no response to a problem, if there is one, thatdoesn’t involve working closely with Bridgestone/Firestone,” Zinosaid. “I think it’s extremely unlikely that this long-standingsupplier would not work closely with us.”