Given the consistency among results from Firestone, NHTSA and Ford's own data, the company concluded that it does not have sufficient confidence in the future performance of some of the Wilderness AT tires and that it will take the precautionary measure of replacing all Wilderness AT tires on its customers' vehicles.
William Clay Ford, Jr., chairman of Ford Motor Company, said that the "announcement to replace Wilderness AT tires reflects our deep-seated conviction that customer safety always comes first. The actions of Ford's people and its partners, including our dealers, employees, tire suppliers and independent tire retailers, are true to what's at the core of our value system at Ford Motor Company ? nothing is more important than the safety of our customers. The decisions announced have my full support and that of the entire Board."
Jacques Nasser, president and chief executive officer of Ford Motor Company, said, "Our unequivocal commitment to our customers is the core value of Ford Motor Company. Since last year, we have closely monitored field data from Firestone, worked closely with NHTSA, and conducted extensive laboratory and road testing. Taken together, all the data and analysis do not give us sufficient confidence in the future durability and performance of the non-recalled Wilderness AT tires on our vehicles. While some of the tires we are replacing do not have a substantial failure risk, we are offering to replace all Wilderness AT tires to avoid any confusion among our customers and eliminate any doubt about the quality of their tires. There are early warning signs about these tires, and we will not ignore them."