Rolling Again

Firestone's strong comeback

Less than two years ago, Akron's Firestone Tire & Rubber Co., the second largest U.S. tiremaker, behind Goodyear, was skidding almost uncontrollably toward bankruptcy. Sales to the U.S. auto industry were sharply off, and some of Firestone's most faithful customers, like Ford, had been turning to France's Michelin for radial tires for certain models. In addition, Firestone was reeling from a 1978 agreement with the Government forcing it to begin recalling up to 10 million of its 500 radial because of possibly dangerous defects. Related consumer and class-action lawsuits against...

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