South Carolina Attorney Lawyer

Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. said Friday it is attempting to respond to customer concerns and recall 6.5 million tires as quickly as it can, but will not be able to replace all the tires immediately.

There just aren’t enough tires on hand, the company said.

Local Firestone dealers and the national toll-free hot line were inundated with callers, and many customers were turned away Friday or put on waiting lists to get tire replacements.

“It’s just going to take time to figure out what they are going to do,” said Rick Keller, an independent Firestone tire dealer on Peach Orchard Road. “Everything is almost gone.”

He estimated he’s gotten about 300 phone calls already.

The recalled tires — radial ATX s, radial ATX II s, and some Wilderness AT s — are under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Reports indicate the 15-inch truck and sport utility vehicle tires may be related to hundreds of automobile accidents, including 46 fatalities.

Bridgestone/Firestone has said the tires are safe, as long as they are properly inflated and maintained, and therefore, customers who do not get their tires replaced immediately are not in any danger.

The company also said it is doubling production of the Wilderness AT tires it deems safe. Only Wilderness AT made in Decatur, Ill., are being recalled. Some of the replacement Wilderness AT tires are manufactured in Aiken.

Bridgestone/Firestone is replacing the tires, which retail at about $80 each, at no charge. It also is offering free inspections. Customers who do not want Firestone tires or do not wish to wait for a Firestone replacement can opt for another brand, the company has said.

States with the most reported incidents involving the recalled tires — Arizona, California, Florida and Texas — are getting a higher priority than customers living in the rest of the nation. Replacement tires are going there first.

Georgia and six other southern states are next on the list. A third group, which includes South Carolina, is after that.

Many customers understand the company’s supply problems and are willing to wait until more tires can be located, tire dealers said. But many people also don’t want to take any chances.

At least two state attorney generals — South Carolina Attorney General Charlie Condon and New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer — are arguing that the priority recall is unfair and are considering legal action against the company.

Car rental companies also are concerned.

Enterprise Rent-A-Car on Walton Way sent its Ford Explorer to get inspected Friday. The company has about 5,000 vehicles that may need new tires, although company spokesman Patrick Farrell said he did not expect that to be a problem.

“It has not had a tremendous impact,” he said.

Ford dealerships are also replacing the tires, because most of their vehicles use them . Some dealers decided to change the tires on the automobiles on the lot first, while others decided to replace customers’ tires first.

“Oh my gosh,” Bobby Jones Ford service representative Lora Corbo said. “It’s been non stop for the last three days.”

The dealership is nearly out of replacement tires.

Wendy Stone, an employee at Yonce Ford-Mercury in Edgefield, laughed when she was asked whether the dealership had any of the recalled tire replacements on hand.