Of those, 6.5 million tires are thought to be still in use. Mexican and Canadian regulators have been informed, the tire maker said. The recall would be the biggest since Firestone was asked to recall 14.5 million tires in 1978 by U.S. officials. Facing about 50 lawsuits over the latest tires, Firestone said the recall would initially focus on Arizona, California, Florida and Texas, where 80 percent of the complaints originated. It expects to have replaced all tires in those states by October and other southern states by next summer.
Hot weather appears to be a factor in the complaints.
Until the tires are replaced, Firestone urged owners to move to a higher inflation pressure than the 26 pounds per square inch recommended by Ford. The automaker said it was comfortable with up to 30 psi recommended by Firestone. Publicity surrounding the probe caused complaints to soar to at least 46 fatalities as of Monday. The tires subject to recall were also sold as after-market replacements for a variety of vehicles.