Ford Motor's Venezuelan subsidiary said yesterday the incidence of faults in Firestone tyres was nearly "1,000 times" higher in that country than in the US, where 62 deaths have been linked to failures of the tyres which have now been recalled.

Venezuela's government consumer protection agency, Indecu, has said it could recommend criminal action against Ford and Firestone, a unit of Japan's Bridgestone Corporation, for misleading consumers about their products with fatal consequences.

A court case in the South American nation would be a further blow for the firms amid a US government investigation into some 100 accidents and 62 deaths linked to Firestone tires, most on Ford's Explorer vehicle.