Nineteen years after the last one was made, Goodyear has agreed to recall more than 173,000 recreational vehicle tires that the US government says may have failed and killed or injured 95 people since 1998.
Goodyear’s G159 tires have been tested by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration since December 2017. On Tuesday, the agency posted documents on its website saying it had pressured the company to recall.
The documents say the tire tread can separate from the body, causing drivers to lose control and increasing the risk of a crash.
The agency began investigating tires nearly five years ago after a judge ordered the release of Goodyear data that had been sealed under court orders and settlement agreements.
Lawsuits and safety advocates allege that the tires were designed for delivery trucks, not recreational vehicles that travel at highway speeds. They allege that Goodyear kept the problems a secret for years by settling the cases and getting the judges to seal the records.
Tires were made from 1996 to 2003. The number of deaths and injuries was disclosed in a 2018 information request letter to the Akron, Ohio, company. The agency did not say how many people died in accidents involving tires.
Goodyear Tire & Rubber, based in Akron, Ohio, denied that the tires had a safety flaw and said Tuesday that few, if any, are still on the road. The company said it is recalling to address risks that occur when tires are underpowered or overloaded at motorhomes.
“This tire has not been manufactured since 2003, it consistently meets Goodyear’s demanding safety standards, and we have not received an injury claim related to the use of the tire on a Class A motorhome,” Goodyear said in a prepared statement. ,
Documents show that the government security agency sent a letter to Goodyear requesting a recall of 22.5-inch diameter tires on February 22 of this year, and the company denied the request on March 8. But Goodyear later agreed to the recall “to address concerns.” Maybe some of these tires are still in the market or in use.”
NHTSA must hold a public hearing and then go to court to force a company to recall.
Goodyear will replace the tires with a new model at no cost to RV owners. Owners of tires used on other vehicles can replace them for $500.
Goodyear said in government documents that RV manufacturers that used the tires are no longer in business, so they don’t have access to registration data for RVs with faulty tires.
NHTSA issued a statement urging anyone who owns, rents or uses an RV or truck with 22.5-inch rims to ensure that G159 tires are not on vehicles. “If their vehicle has these tires, they should complete this recall as soon as possible,” the statement said.
