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States Issue Alert on More Firestone Tires

Originally Published in Trailer Life Magazine

The attorneys general from 48 U.S. states are alerting consumers that Firestone has agreed
to replace, free of charge, 1.4 million tires beyond the 6.5 million covered by the recall.
The additional tires, used mostly on SUVs and light trucks, include 24 tire models of
various sizes, including further sizes of ATXs, as well as certain tires from the Firehawk,
ATX 23 Degree, Widetrack Radial Baja, Wilderness AT and Wilderness HT lines. Most of the
additional 1.4 million tires were sold as replacement equipment, but some were fitted at
the factory to 1991 Chevy Blazers made by General Motors Corp., Nissan Motor Company Ltd.
1991-94 pickup trucks, and 1996-98 Ford Motor Company F-150 pickups. Michigan Attorney
General Jennifer M. Granholm said in a statement, “I want to urge all consumers to replace
any consumer advisory tires as soon as possible. You can either get free replacements at a
Bridgestone/Firestone dealer or obtain reimbursement of up to $140 per tire if you go to a
competitor to have your tires replaced.” The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) said that the additional 1.4 million tires may have even higher
rates of tread separation than the recalled tires, which have been linked to 101 U.S.
highway deaths and about 50 more elsewhere. NHTSA had asked Firestone to include the
additional 1.4 million tires in the voluntary recall of 6.5 million, but the company, a
unit of Japan’s Bridgestone Corp., did not comply with the request. Firestone disagreed
with NHTSA’s analysis but has since agreed to replace any of the additional 1.4 million
tires, regardless of wear and tear, although it said it would not accept any tires that had
been removed from the vehicle.

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