News 8. Firestone Severs Ties With Ford.

News 8. Firestone Severs Ties With Ford. Good evening, everyone. We're going to begin this evening with the end of a classic American partnership that has left the question of partnership that has left the question of safety on the road hanging in the air. The Ford Motor Co. and Firestone, known formally as Birdgestone-Firestone, had had a nasty falling-out. Firestone said today it will not sell tires to Ford anymore. ABCNEWS has learned that Ford is one the verge of replacing 10 million tires currently on its vehicles, whether Firestone likes it or not. ABC's Lisa Stark is in Washington. Lisa. Peter, the partnership began to unravel in August when Firestone recalled 6.5 million tires, most of them on Ford Explorers. One hundred seventy-four deaths have now been linked to those tires, and the division between the two companies only grew as the deaths and the lawsuits mounted. The final break in this 95-year-old relationship came after reports last week that Ford had evidence of continued safety problems with the 10 million Firestone Wilderness AT tires that the automaker is now expected to replace. The news outraged Firestone's CEO who had not been consulted. Today he told Ford the company was severing its ties with the automaker. "We simply cannot, we simply wil not do business that way." It only got nastier. CEO John Lampe then accused Ford of focusing on the tires to divert attention from safety issues with the Ford Explores. "Most of the deaths and injuries involved were Ford Explores." Ford shot back with a statement touting the Explorers' safety record and with a video news release. "We're disappointed that Firestone has decided not to work together for the safety of our shared customers." About 5 percent of Firestone's North and South American business depends on Ford. Some 300 million dollars a year in sale. Industry analysts believe both companies can weather the break-up. Still, this is a remarkable corporate battle.