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Compiled from Times wires
© St. Petersburg Times, published May 21, 2001
WASHINGTON -- Ford Motor Co. is recalling 50,000 brand new Explorers because an assembly line conveyor belt that was too narrow for the wider 2002 model may have cut the tire tread.
It's the second recall of a 3-month-old redesigned model that was scrutinized to prevent such problems after last year's Firestone tire recall.
The recall includes 50,000 four-door Explorers built at Ford's plant in Louisville, Ky. When the sport utility vehicles were loaded too far to the right on the conveyor belt, it left cuts 5 to 9 inches long and half-an-inch deep in one or both of the right tire treads.
A Ford official, speaking on a condition of anonymity, Sunday described the cuts as cosmetic and said they do not affect tire performance, the Associated Press reported. The company has no reports of accidents or injuries because of the problem, the official said.
Ford plans to send a letter to all owners by the end of May and will check and replace damage tires for free at its dealerships. The tires are Goodyear and Michelin brands.