Goodyear recall 2022: Tire size revealed amid car crash fears

Goodyear has recalled over 173,000 out-of-production, consumer-ready tires, following complaints and lawsuits indicating that they have led to crashes and even fatalities at times. Federal transportation officers made this known on Tuesday, June 7, ahead of the recall.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Agency revealed that the said tires, which were purchased to be used on recreational vehicles (R.V.) and trucks, had a high rate of failure compared to the other tires in the same size range. The tires were last produced between 1996 and 2003.

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Why did Goodyear recall some of its out-of-production tires?

According to investigations done by the NHTSA, when the tires were attached to certain motorhomes, the impact could lead to “tread separation and other failures.” This inadvertently means that loss of vehicle control can occur due to tread separation, leading to fatalities.

The safety agency, which is part of the Department of Transportation, noted that its actions were in response to claims and complaints gathered from private litigation. The issues revolved around the G159 tires that were fitted into the Class A vehicles, resulting in “personal injuries and deaths.”

In a statement issued on Tuesday, June 7, the safety organization addressed consumers, particularly owners of R.V.s, asking them to take proper note of their trucks with 22.5-inch rims. This was in a bid to ensure that the recalled tires were not in use. The statement also revealed that the recalled tires were the G159 sizes 275/70R22.5. These tires are commonly found in recreational vehicles.

A challenging aspect of the recall exercise is that the tires were discontinued about two decades ago, which makes it difficult to ascertain the number of G159 tires still in circulation. NHTSA, however, warned that some R.V. owners might have those tires as spare.

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Where does Goodyear stand in regard to the recall?

The long-running tire-manufacturing company shared a statement on their website after the recall was initiated. They referred to the action as a voluntary recall, while affirming that there were no “safety defects” in the tires. The company shared in the statement:

“Goodyear – in cooperation with NHTSA – is initiating a voluntary recall of the tire to address the risks shown to occur when the tire was used in an underinflated or overloaded condition on Class A Motorhomes.”

The enterprise also claimed that the tires consistently met their “demanding safety standards.” They went on to assert that Goodyear had not received feedback regarding injuries or fatalities caused by the tires being used on class A motorhomes for more than 14 years.

The company opined that the R.V. manufacturers who installed these tires were responsible for properly informing their customers on the appropriate load standards. They also suggested that the R.V. designers who would have “normally been responsible for vehicle-specific safety communications” were no longer operating.

With all these details outlined, the organization promised to conduct a free tire replacement campaign to replace tires of the recalled line that might still be in use, as mentioned earlier. The extensive outreach efforts include offering $500 in exchange for the G159 tires yet to be used on an R.V.