The Firestone tire recall has been a bumpy ride for some Wasatch Front tire shops but a smooth one for others.
David Early Tires had to wait for more than a week to get a good supply of replacements before it could help customers. The recall hit B&R Tire Co. at a time of low inventory and it has resorted to issuing rain checks for the work. But a Midas Auto Service Experts shop has been able to refer most folks to a Firestone shop it deals with and has had enough supply to handle the others.
But all agree that the initial hubbub — including hundreds of calls from concerned Firestone tire owners — has quieted.
"One or two a day call now," said Randy Brewer, owner of B&R Tire. "We had about 200 phone calls two weeks ago. I think the average person wasn't going to wait. They'd either get a rain check or get it done right away."
Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. began its recall of 6.5 million Firestone tires Aug. 9. The tires are used primarily for light trucks and sport utility vehicles. The recall involves all size P235/75R15 Firestone radial ATX and radial ATX II tires produced in North America and Wilderness AT tires produced at the company's Decatur, Ill., plant.
The company said it had expected to pass the 1 million mark in replacements last weekend.
Congress is holding hearings in Washington, D.C., next month to examine the recall of the tires in the United States after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began investigating reports of at least 62 deaths and more than 100 injuries in crashes reportedly connected to the 15-inch tires.
Two Commerce Committee subcommittees will hold a joint hearing on Sept. 6 into the case.
"Things are going fairly smoothly now," Marty Krcelik, president of David Early Tires, said of the replacement process. "We had trouble with supply for a week to 10-day period. Everybody was caught off-guard with the initial recall. People were rushing in, and we had only certain stock levels.
"We have a limited supply, and we're hoping to get a consistent supply every week from now on. Demand has obviously exceeded the supply, and as each week goes on, it will continue to get smoother."
Rick Tueller, manager of a Midas shop in Murray, knows he was lucky. When the recall was announced, a Firestone shop that supplies him with that brand told him to send folks there.
"Most of mine have gone there and I've handled the rest," he said. "I had that tire size in stock already, so we didn't have a problem at all."
Eight to 10 calls per day from concerned tire owners was the norm at the start of the recall, he said. "Then it died down as people contacted the Firestone stores more than the Midas stores. I think it's coming to an end already. People who were really worried about it took care of the problem immediately."
Brewer, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky. At the time of the recall, inventory was low because the company was nearing the end of its fiscal year. "We got caught shorthanded when this started," Brewer said. "We only had enough to do eight vehicles, and there's been a supply problem ever since the recall was announced."
About 20 people have rain checks, he said, and the two B&R shops are awaiting shipment of several hundred Firestone tires for fleet customers.
Krcelik said David Early shops are replacing Firestone tires on perhaps two vehicles per day now. "Most people have been put on a list elsewhere and have had them replaced," he said, noting that customers have been allowed to replace tires outside the Bridgestone dealership network and can be reimbursed up to $100 per replacement tire.
But while the initial flurry of activity has diminished, Krcelik said dealing with the recall's early effects probably hurt David Early's overall business by 15 percent. Now the effect is perhaps 5 percent.
"We can't shut down the business just to handle the recalled tires," he said. "We're happy to take it so we can help the consumer, but we want to handle the matter quickly, which is convenient for the consumer and for us."
Just how long the shops deal with the recall is difficult to gauge, but it could be months. "If people are going to get a free set of tires, I think it will go clear to the end of the year," Brewer said. "Some will have 40,000 miles on them and they'll still be able to get free tires."
"As long as the product continues to filter in, I think we'll see an impact through the end of the year," Krcelik said. "Then it will wean its way out."
E-mail: bwallace@desnews.com