John Lampe

Seeking to restore faith in its battered Firestone tire brand, Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. on Tuesday removed Chief Executive Masatoshi Ono and replaced him with John Lampe, its No. 2 executive. Lampe becomes the first American since 1991 to head the U.S. subsidiary of Japanese giant Bridgestone Corp.

Seeking to restore faith in its battered Firestone tire brand, Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. on Tuesday removed Chief Executive Masatoshi Ono and replaced him with John Lampe, its No. 2 executive. Lampe becomes the first American since 1991 to head the U.S. subsidiary of Japanese giant Bridgestone Corp.

Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. reorganized its divisions into a new holding company to cut costs in what some legal experts and plaintiffs' lawyers say may be intended to protect the tire maker from millions of product-liability claims. Bridgestone/Firestone Americas Holding Inc. will have four operating subsidiaries and will be headed by Chief Executive John Lampe, the company said.

Firestone, embroiled in the recall of tires linked to at least 119 deaths, said it had consolidated operations into four business units to speed decision making and boost accountability at the company. Bridgestone/Firestone Inc., the U.S.-based unit of Japan's Bridgestone Corp., said its operations will be consolidated immediately into units focusing on U.S. commercial tires, U.S. consumer tires, international tire operations, and manufacturing and technology, Chief Executive John Lampe, said.

Bridgestone/Firestone Inc., embroiled in the recall of 6.5 million tires linked to accidents that resulted in 101 deaths in the United States, said it will meet this week with attorneys general from 38 states to discuss the recall. Safety officials at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are investigating the tires, and since the recall more and more attorneys general have opened their own probes.

The heads of Ford Motor Co. and Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. agreed to testify at a congressional hearing next week, but the format may have to be changed so the feuding executives will not have to appear together. The House Commerce Committee scheduled hearings for Tuesday to examine the safety of Firestone tires and the Ford Explorer.

Illinois Gov. George Ryan will meet with Firestone Chief Executive John Lampe today to try to persuade Bridgestone Corp., Firestone's parent, not to close a plant that made many of the tires involved in a huge product recall that are allegedly linked to 203 deaths from traffic accidents. Ryan and Lampe will be joined by U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) at the meeting in the governor's Springfield office. Ryan is not optimistic that Firestone will alter plans to close the Decatur, Ill.

The next round in the brawl between Ford Motor Co. and Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. takes place in Congress on Tuesday. Chief executives of both companies, Ford's Jacques Nasser and Firestone's John Lampe, will testify to a House subcommittee, as will Robert Shelton, acting administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and other Transportation Department officials. Nasser and Lampe are not expected to appear together, undercutting the Capitol Hill theater.

The Planning Commission has endorsed an ordinance to prohibit parking on front-yard lawns. The commission's action last week sends the widely debated measure to the council, which will review the law and decide its fate. The proposed ordinance was drafted in February after several residents complained that parking on front-yard lawns hurts property values and detracts from the city's image.

A U.S. grand jury is conducting an investigation related to Bridgestone Corp. tires that are linked to deaths and injuries involving Ford Explorers, according to a subpoena obtained by Bloomberg News. Miriam F. Miquelon, a U.S. attorney in Illinois, subpoenaed documents from lawyers suing Bridgestone, the world's second- largest tire maker, and Ford Motor Co. on behalf of alleged victims, the subpoena shows.