They might make very public and clear what suppliers they use for not only tires, but other parts that are perhaps volatile or potential problems, and disassociate themselves with dispatch and urgency from any supplier brands that may harm the Ford brand reputation.

They should also be cautious about the design similarities now occuring in the brands which Ford takes over (i.e.- Jaguars looking like Taurus/Sable, Volvos looking like Crown Victorias...) This may not hurt the Ford brand directly, but will certainly dilute the cache of these other brands (despite the improvements in service, reliability, etc...) and ultimately create some dead wood on the family tree.