In August 2000, Firestone recalled 6.5 million Firestone AT and Firestone AXT tires due to fatal accidents caused by tread separation and vehicle rollovers. The tires were standard equipment on the Ford Explorer SUVs, the most popular sport utility vehicle at the time. Firestone announced that the design of the Ford Explorer was the problem, and not the Firestone tires. The company contended that the tires experienced no problems on other vehicles. Ford disagreed with Firestone's claims. Ford said that a majority of the tires involved in the accidents came from the Decatur Il where Firestone experienced manufacturing problems. Ford had experience high demand for the Ford Explorer in the 90's , leaving the employees at the plant overworked. Employees went on strike, and other inexperienced workers came in to take their place. This lasted for more than one year. However, investigation into the scandal revealed that Ford had knowledge of the Explorer's instability even before it hit the market. In the design phase of the Explorer, Ford's management rejected several design improvements recommended by its engineers. In preparation for production, Ford attempted to compensate for the Explorer's instability by lowering the recommended tire pressure on the tires from 26 psi to 30psi, increasing it's friction with the ground and reducing the risk of rollover. Firestone says the tire pressure was much lower than what they normally used, and that it had increased heat on the tires, causing the treads to separate. Ford learned that the lower tire pressure decreased the fuel economy of the vehicle and asked Firestone to reduce the weight. Safety experts say that the lighter tires made it less durable and more prone to separation.
             Internal memos showed that the two companies had knowledge of potential problems with the tires early on, yet failed to recall them in the United States. In the late 1990's...