Tires made at the Firestone plant in Decatur, Ill., during the mid-1990s had numerous quality control problems, according to data released by Ford Motor Co. Monday.

The central Illinois plant manufactured many of the 6.5 million light truck and sport utility vehicle tires recalled last Wednesday by Bridgestone/Firestone. A Ford spokesman said an analysis of Firestone documents shows the tire maker received a disproportionate number of complaints of injury and property damage involving ATX and Wilderness AT tires made at the Decatur plant but that the company did not notify Ford.

Bridgestone/Firestone recalled millions of P235/75R15 size ATX, ATX II and Wilderness tires after the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration began investigating more than 300 tread separation failures in accidents linked to 46 deaths and 80 injuries.

Ford said tires made at the Decatur plant were "over-represented" in complaints and accident claims. For 10 months during that period, striking United Rubber Workers were replaced by managers and temporary employees who made ATX and Wilderness tires.

About two-thirds of the recalled tires were original equipment on Ford Explorer and Mercury Mountaineer SUVs and small Ranger pickups. Ford bowed to pressure from consumers Friday and agreed to allow recalled tires to be with other brands.

The Washington Post Monday reported six former Firestone employees said quality control was virtually nonexistent during the labor strife in Decatur and that plant workers manually punctured bubbles in the rubber of flawed tires that should have been scrapped.

Bridgestone/Firestone said the charges came from disgruntled former employees who left during the walkout and defended the quality of tires produced at its Illinois plant.

Attorneys for Public Citizen and Safetyforum.com, two safety groups, and plaintiffs suing Bridgestone/Firestone called for the Japanese-owned company to expand its recall to include 16-inch ATX, ATX II and Wilderness brand tires. Firestone voluntarily replaced 16-inch SUV tires in South America and Saudi Arabia.

The city of Chicago sent a letters to NHTSA, the Nashville-based tire maker and the National Transportation Safety Board questioning Firestone's decision to replace tires in hot-weather western, southwestern and southern states up to 18 months before the Midwest.

"A delay of more than one year in recalling potentially hazardous tires cannot be justified," wrote Caroline Shoenberger, commissioner of the Department of Consumer Services. "The Firestone Corporation should take whatever measurers necessary to immediately recall and replace these potentially dangerous and defective tires, not only in Illinois, but in all 50 states."

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