NASHVILLE (Nov. 10, 2005) — Bridgestone/Firestone has sent a technical bulletin to its dealers, telling them it is adopting the recommendation of parent company Bridgestone Corp. that tires more than 10 years old should be replaced.
Tokyo-based Bridgestone endorsed the 10-year advisory the first week of November, following the lead of the Japan Automobile Tyre Manufacturers Association, which first made the recommendation in September.
Earlier this year Ford Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler A.G. began advising customers to replace their tires after six years, despite protests from tire makers that no scientific data support such a move.
Despite adopting its parent firm's policy, however, BFS still stands with the rest of the U.S. tire industry in calling on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to perform testing to establish how age affects tires, a BFS spokewoman said.
A spokesman for the Rubber Manufacturers Association noted that the RMA sent NHTSA a letter earlier this year on this subject but has heard nothing further except for “a couple of conversations” with agency officials, he said.