Tire recall, replacement ongoing for peninsula residents

No one on the Kenai Peninsula has been negatively impacted by the Bridgestone/Firestone tire voluntary recall, according to Seekins Ford General Manager John Lohrke.

"We don't know of any incidents in Alaska," he said.

When Seekins was informed of the recall, the Soldotna dealership scanned the lot and found five vehicles with the tires.

"We have since replaced them with better tires," Lohrke said.

The tires recalled are Firestone Radial P235/75R15 ATX and ATX II sizes manufactured in North America and Wilderness P235/75R15 AT tires produced in Decatur, Ill.

Lohrke said the 15-inch tires have been found on light trucks and sport utility vehicles, such as the Ford Explorer.

The recall stems from incidents of 26 additional U.S. traffic deaths -- for a current total of 88 -- now under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The NHTSA has received more than 1,400 complaints, including reports of the 88 deaths and more than 250 injuries, since opening its investigation into Firestone tires that reportedly lose their tread, sometimes while traveling at highway speeds.

NHTSA spokesman Rae Tyson said the death toll includes 77 deaths reported directly to the agency and 11 reported by Bridgestone/Firestone.

Previously the agency said it was looking into 62 deaths from accidents that may have been the result of blowouts, tread separation and other problems with the tires.

Bridgestone/Firestone is recalling 6.5 million of the ATX, ATX II and Wilderness AT tires in the United States, but NHTSA is still determining if the recall includes all defective tires.

Lohrke added that the tire problems also have been linked to under-inflated tires and warm weather.

Though Ford Motor Company offers a bumper-to-bumper, three-year, 36,000-mile warranty on its new vehicles, Lohrke said tires are excluded from the warranty, as is the emissions system. Information regarding the exclusions are listed in the owner's manual and warranty guide.

"Tires are the one thing not warranted by the manufacturer," he said, adding that the tires have their own warranty.

He said vehicle owners will be notified by mail, but those concerned may call Seekins Ford, which is referring owners to Midas.

Jeremy Wallis, Midas store manager, said Midas has inspected about 400 tires, looking for Department of Transporta-tion numbers that match those on his list.

He said he encourages people to stop and just have their tires checked at no cost. The inspection takes just a couple of minutes, he said.

He said he has seen two out-of-state vehicles, one from California and another from Texas, that showed signs of indicated wear. None of the Alaska vehicles have shown similar signs. Wallis said his store has replaced about 150 sets of tires.

For those who have recalled tires, Midas currently has a waiting list. The wait for the tires is one to three weeks.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.