Ford Motor Co. is halting production at three truck plants in order to use more than 70,000 tires slated for new units as replacements for some of the 6.5 million recalled Firestone tires. The three plants, in Minnesota, New Jersey, and Missouri, will send their 15-inch tires, used in the production of the Ford Explorer, Mercury Mountaineer, and Ford Ranger, to Ford and Lincoln/Mercury dealers to replace the recalled tires.
The plant shutdown will reduce Ford’s production by approximately 10,000 Rangers and 15,000 Explorers/Mountaineers. Employees of the three plants will still be paid. A Ford spokesman said that earnings would be affected, but did not reveal by how much.