DETROIT - The recall of 6.5 million Firestone tires could be completed as early as November, now that the tire industry has increased production of replacement sizes, Ford Motor Co. said Friday.
Ford spokesman Mike Vaughn said as of Friday, 3.79 million recalled tires had been replaced - 58.3 percent of all those recalled. Bridgestone/Firestone offered a similar estimate of recalled tires, and said the companies were replacing more than 79,000 a day.
When the recall of certain 15-inch Firestone ATX, ATX II and Wilderness AT tires was announced in August, the companies estimated it would take until next summer to complete. But after a public outcry, Ford and Bridgestone/Firestone allowed the use of tires from other manufacturers.
Ford and Bridgestone/Firestone said the speed of the recall had picked up in recent weeks.
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. said Friday it had supplied about 1.5 million replacements and was now producing 1 million replacement tires a month - five times more than it was making before the recall.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating the recalled models in connection with 101 deaths and over 400 injuries.
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On the Net:
Ford Motor Co.: http://www.ford.com
Bridgestone/Firestone: http://www.bridgestone-firestone.com
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: http://www.nhtsa.gov
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