The was founded by
Harvey Firestone in the late 19th century to supply pneumatic tires for wagons, buggies, and other forms of wheeled transportation common in the era. Firestone soon saw the huge potential for marketing tires for
Automobiles and befriended
Henry Ford , the first industrialist to produce them using the techniques of mass production. Firestone used this relationship to become the original equipment supplier of
Ford Motor Company automobiles, and was also active in the replacement market.
Firestone was originally based in
Akron, Ohio , also the hometown of its archrival,
Goodyear Tire And Rubber Company . Together, the two companies were the largest suppliers of automotive tires in North America for over three-quarters of a century. The family had decided in 1984 to look for a purchaser and began liquidating assets at that time.
The company was purchased off the stock market by the Japanese tire manufacturer
Bridgestone in
1988 .
Bridgestone was started by Firestone, but had been bought out by Japanese owners and was therefore a separate entity. The combined Bridgestone/Firestone North American operations are now based in
Nashville, Tennessee .
After the merger, allegations of defective tire designs continued, especially in 2000, when an abnormally high failure rate in their Wilderness AT, Firestone ATX, and ATX II tires resulted in multiple lawsuits, as well as an eventual mandatory recall. Ford has since stopped equipping its pickup trucks, SUVs and full-sized vans with Firestone tires. However, passenger cars such as the Ford Focus and Mercury Cougar bore Firestone tires as original equipment.
For 35 years, the company sponsored the radio and television show ''
The Voice Of Firestone ''.
