CUSTOMERS BESIEGE FORD DEALERS SWAMPED WITH TIRE QUERIES.Byline: Staff and Wire Services San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. Ford dealers and tire showrooms reported a flood of phone calls Wednesday from customers seeking replacement tires for some of the 13 million Firestone Wilderness AT tires Ford Motor Co. recalled a day earlier. Jacques Nasser Jacques Nasser (born December 27, 1947[1] in Amyoun, Lebanon;[2] Arabic جاك نصر ) nicknamed "Jac The Knife" because of his penchant for cost-cutting, is a business executive, most known for his infamous tenure as CEO of Ford , Ford's president and chief executive, told a gathering of securities and industry analysts Wednesday that discussions were under way with teams from Goodyear, Continental and Michelin to work on what he called a ``phase-in plan'' as the company scrambles to line up enough replacements. Nasser said Ford was caught off guard by a letter he received Monday from Bridgestone/Firestone CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. John Lampe, severing the 95-year relationship between the two companies. ``For that reason, we really haven't had a chance to develop a detailed plan in terms of migrating out of Firestone tires,'' Nasser said. Lampe's letter was sent to Nasser following a meeting at Bridgestone/Firestone's Nashville, Tenn., headquarters Monday, at which Ford officials presented data suggesting safety problems with Wilderness AT tires. Last summer, the tire maker recalled 6.5 million 15-inch Wilderness AT, ATX See ATX motherboard. (hardware, standard) ATX - An open PC motherboard specification by Intel. ATX is a development of the Baby AT specification with the motherboard rotated 90 degrees in the chassis. and ATX II tires, most of which were installed as original equipment on Ford Explorer
The Ford Explorer is a mid-size sport utility vehicle sold in North America and built by the Ford Motor Company since 1990. sport utility vehicles This page lists sports utility vehicles currently in production (as of April 2007), as well as past models. The list includes crossover SUVs, Mini SUVs, Compact SUVs and other similar vehicles. . The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA, often pronounced "nit-suh") is an agency of the Executive Branch of the U.S. Government, part of the Department of Transportation. has attributed at least 174 deaths and more than 700 injuries to the tires. In some cases the Ford vehicles The following is a list of vehicles manufactured by the Ford Motor Company under the Ford marque. Cars
Nasser announced Tuesday that Ford would unilaterally replace 13 million Wilderness AT tires that were not originally recalled. Ford will spend up to $3 billion to implement the replacement program and take a $2.1 billion after-tax charge against second-quarter earnings. Owners of certain Ford SUVs and pickup trucks will receive notices in the mail outlining the process for replacing the tires. Ford dealers will make the switch for free, while those customers buying replacements at authorized dealers will be reimbursed either $110 or $130, depending on the size of the tire. Swamped customer service staffs across the Valley said calls had come in all day long, but referred specific questions to corporate offices that did not immediately return telephone messages. German tire maker Continental AG said Wednesday that it is in advanced talks with Ford Motor Co., to supply tires, but no deal has been reached. Both Akron, Ohio-based Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. and Greenville, S.C.-based Michelin North America North America, third largest continent (1990 est. pop. 365,000,000), c.9,400,000 sq mi (24,346,000 sq km), the northern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere. Inc. also said they were working with Ford. For the tire companies being courted to replace Firestone, the prospect could be a double-edged sword, however. ``Original equipment contracts are notoriously nonprofitable,'' because of pressure from automakers to lower prices, said Bob Ulrich, editor of Modern Tire Dealer magazine. But the increased exposure in the marketplace can be a valuable tool to promote a brand name, he said. Ford spokeswoman Della DiPietro said any vehicles in production or in assembly plant storage lots awaiting delivery would be outfitted with replacement tires. Vehicles in transit to dealers would be retrofitted after they arrive. |
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