Firestone's Unhappy 100th Birthday

(CBS)  Whether or not the current recall of Firestone tires will be expanded remains to be seen.

But CBS News Business Correspondent Anthony Mason reports a wider recall would be an even bigger disaster for a firm whose future some say is already in jeopardy.

"Right now I think that brand is fighting for its life," says Keith Crain, publisher of Automotive News.

It's not much of a party for Firestone as it celebrates its 100th birthday. The milestone has been marred by the reported problems with the firm's tires that are blamed so far in 62 deaths now under federal investigation.

And industry analysts appear to agree on how Firestone has handled this crisis.

"In a word: badly," says George Whalin of Retail Management Consultants. " First they've tried to shift blame and soften this thing by blaming the consumer, blaming Ford, blaming everybody they can.…"

So now the company is playing damage control. But Whalin says the brand has been badly hurt.

"A brand is really the most sacrosanct thing you have. It really is your relationship with the consumer. And when you damage that, it takes a long time, and sometimes you're never able to repair it."

Firestone should have learned that lesson back in 1978 when, after fighting a recall, the company was forced to call back 14 million steel belted radials -- still the largest recall ever.

And Crain says in the way Firestone has handled the current crisis, it has hurt more than just the firm's relationship with consumers.

"I think it jeopardizes the relationship between Firestone and every car manufacturer in the United States."

And now Honda, citing sliding consumer confidence, is reportedly considering removing Firestone tires from its new cars. Suddenly Firestone seems desperate.

"You know it's difficult for them when they're telling you, 'Go anywhere, buy any tire and we'll pay for it.' You know they're feeling the heat," says Crain.

The Firestone brand is, of course, owned by Bridgestone, a Japanese company. For Honda, another Japanese company, to even be considering such a move is the clearest sign of how deeply damaged Firestone may be.