Word: nasser
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...more than a little nervous," he said in his tentative English, as three female Japanese interpreters in brightly colored suits hovered nearby. Ono offered a sharp contrast to the carefully scripted performance of Ford boss Jac Nasser, who would later pin the blame squarely on Firestone's tires. He was visibly uncomfortable, expressing regret on one hand, denying any tire defect on the other. And his watered-down apology incited a harsh response. Senator Richard Shelby, Alabama Republican, summed up the general sentiment by asking, "What does it take to put a company on notice that perhaps they...
...Nasser, who was initially wary of getting caught up in an election-year circus, has decided to attend congressional hearings set for this week. He has promised to release all company documents showing what Ford knew and when it knew it; his counterpart at Bridgestone/Firestone, CEO Masatoshi Ono, will also be there. Both are sure to incur the wrath of politicians fed up with what they view as stonewalling. "This whole thing stinks," said Representative Billy Tauzin, the Louisiana Republican who is chairman of the House Commerce Subcommittee on Consumer Protection. "You can't tell me someone at Firestone...
...seemingly endless spell of bad news is creating a wider and wider gulf between Ford and Firestone. "This is a tire issue, not a vehicle issue," Ford CEO Jacques Nasser stressed last week, distancing himself from the company's partner for nearly a century. But Firestone, while loath to alienate such a valuable customer, says the lower level of air pressure Ford recommended for the tires--26 PSI, compared with Firestone's suggested 30 PSI--may have contributed to the trouble. Ford has decided to end its exclusive contract with Firestone and use an additional tire supplier, Michelin...
...most companies in today's superlitigious society, tend to assume that the bulk of legal actions are frivolous. "We're going to be second-guessed about this forever. But based on the number of vehicles in service, the number of incidents was statistically insignificant," says Ken Zino, one of Nasser's senior advisers. "We get sued every day. A lawsuit by itself isn't considered a signal of any kind...
...Nasser claims Ford handled the recall in a responsible and timely manner. Not everyone agrees: Consumer safety advocates are primed for blood, and early indications are that Ford is in just as precarious a position as Firestone when it comes to the double sword of political scrutiny and public opinion. Firestone's erstwhile public relations firm, Fleishman-Hillard, apparently sees danger ahead; they dropped Firestone from their client list Tuesday. Meanwhile, the tire giant is calling in a crisis-management company in an attempt to douse their considerable woes...