Report: Goodyear Has ‘Silent Recall’

LOS ANGELES--The Los Angeles Times has reported that Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. has been quietly conducting a “silent recall”--offering free replacements for tires deemed to be defective without declaring a recall or warning consumers.

Meanwhile, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration is expanding its inquiry into fatal accidents involving Goodyear’s light truck tires.

Goodyear denies the “silent recall” allegations, saying that it is actually providing “customer satisfaction” services by replacing suspect tires on a case-by-case basis, the newspaper reported.

Goodyear acknowledged last month that tread separation involving its 16-inch Load Range E light-truck tires has been linked to 120 injuries and 15 deaths. Company executives have maintained that a recall isn’t necessary because no defects have been found in the fatal tires.

The LA Times, citing unidentified sources, said Goodyear has received more than 3,000 damage claims since 1995 about the light truck tires. Most of those claims have been settled, with consumers receiving replacement tires and reimbursements for vehicle damage.

Goodyear said “those numbers can be very misleading and meaningless,” but the company declined to release updated figures.

Safety advocates and lawyers have said Goodyear is placing drivers and passengers at risk by not declaring a full public recall, according to the newspaper.

For more information, conact www.latimes.com and www.nhtsa.dot.gov.