Ford disputes report it will call for broader tire recall

DETROIT -- Ford Motor Co. says it has not decided whether to demand a broader recall of Firestone tires, despite a published report that it is leaning toward such a demand.

A report published Friday in The New York Times said the automaker had decided there were problems with tires beyond the 6.5 million recalled last year.

But Ford spokesman Ken Zino said "no conclusions" have been made by the company.

Ford and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had a closed-door meeting Thursday night, according to a source familiar with the talks who spoke on a condition of anonymity.

Ford officials reportedly told NHTSA the company believes the Wilderness AT tires had a defective design and that the company would replace all those tires already installed on their vehicles, regardless of whether Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. recalls them.