WASHINGTON, Aug. 21, 2000 -- Firestone has gotten a huge black eye from the problems with its ATX and Wilderness tires, used mostly on Ford vehicles. But Ford may wind up with a few scrapes and bruises too.
The Washington Post is reporting that Ford specified a lower-than-normal inflation pressure for the tires because of concerns that its popular Explorer would be more prone to roll over if tires were inflated beyond 26 pounds per square inch.
That's a bit lower the 30 pounds normally recommended for tires of this type -- and could contribute to the tires becoming overheated under certain conditions. That, in turn, could be a factor in the treat separations that have been blamed for hundreds of accidents, many of them fatal.
Firestone initially blamed underinflation for some of the accidents but, fearful of alienating Ford, has lately had little to say about the matter.
