Bridgestone Firestone made the ATX and Wilderness tires recalled in the United States in 2000 after tread separations caused crashes.
The controversy centered on tread separation, in which the outer tread detached from the tire casing. The affected tires were fitted especially widely to Ford Explorer sport-utility vehicles. Investigations connected failures to rollover crashes, particularly in hot climates and under certain inflation conditions.
Firestone recalled millions of tires, while Ford also faced scrutiny over vehicle design, tire recommendations, and its handling of customer complaints. The dispute damaged the long-standing relationship between Ford and Firestone, which had supplied Ford for decades.
The recall is often confused with a simple tire-wear campaign, but the central safety concern was tread separation and the resulting loss of vehicle control. The case also helped drive changes in tire identification and recall reporting in the United States.