At that time reports began to filter in of Firestone tire blowouts on Ford Explorers. Indecu states that the two companies had a secret meeting, and it was decided that there was a problem with the tire design. This layer, which is not present on the Firestone tires being recalled in the United States, would supposedly help prevent tread separation. Ford eventually issued a recall for Firestone tires on its Explorer in May of this year. Meanwhile Firestone, which controls about half of the Venezuelan tire market, began producing tires labeled as having the extra layer, many of which in fact did not.
Many details remain unclear.
For example, Ford has stated that it has always requested a nylon cap on tires for its Explorer in Venezuela, while Firestone says that the request was made only last year, at about the time of the secret meeting alleged by Indecu. Ford initially blamed quality control at one American plant in Decatur, Illinois for the problems with the Firestone tires, but the tires in Venezuela are made in that South American country. Moreover, over the last year Ford issued similar recalls in 15 other hot weather countries in South America and the Middle East, clearly suggesting that there are basic problems with the tire design and the Ford inflation specification, problems of which the two companies were aware well before the US recall. As both Ford and Firestone attempt to point fingers and contain the extent of the investigations, the US government has been forced to place more pressure on the two corporations. Many states have begun or are considering criminal or civil investigations into the tire failures, and the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration has requested documents from Ford dealing with its overseas recalls.