NHTSA Investigating Goodyear Tires

WASHINGTON--The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened an official investigation into Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. light truck tires allegedly connected to at least 15 U.S. traffic deaths.

NHTSA has received 37 complaints about about tread separations on Goodyear’s Load Range E tires. Twenty-five lawsuits have been filed against Goodyear charging assorted tire failures such as tread separations.

The 31 crashes cited by NHTSA have involved light trucks, passenger vans and small buses, according to the agency, which cited information from Goodyear and court records of the lawsuits. The tires under investigation have been used as original equipment on large trucks made by Ford Motor Co. and Daimler-Chrysler, including the Dodge Ram 4250 and 350 series trucks. Some of these trucks have been modified for commercial applications. About 27.5 million of the tires have been produced under various brand names and sizes.

NHTSA said it will develop a complete list during its investigation.

NHTSA opens safety investigations with a preliminary inquiry where government regulators and the manufacturer exchange documents including any complaints.

An investigation could lead to a recall, yet it can also be concluded without a recall being ordered.

Goodyear told the Washington Post that began installing nylon overlays on the tires in 1996 to improve their strength, but the company noted that the overlays do not prevent tread separations.

According to the Post, of the 30 wrecks involving injuries or deaths, Goodyear said each tire it had been able to study that was involved showed signs of impact damage, a puncture, overloading or under-inflation.

Last month Goodyear denied media reports about tire failures leading to deadly crashes, saying it had not notified authorities or called for a recall because it had not found design or manufacturing defects with the tires.

Chris Spagnoli, a California-based lawyer representing clients suing Goodyear, told the Reuters news service that Goodyear knew there was a problem with its tires and redesigned them five years ago, but failed to recall other tires that had been sold earlier.

She compared the scope of the problem to the Firestone recall. “I think that it’ a big problem and I’m disappointed that Goodyear has chosen not to be responsible,” Spagnoli told Reuters. “I firmly believe there is a problem with these tires and the sooner people know the better,” she said.

A Goodyear spokesman told Reuters that NHTSA’s investigation is not needed. “We’ve said all along that we're very confident in the integrity of the tires. There is not any issue with the quality of the tires. There was no reason to take any action as far as I’m concerned.” He said NHTSA investigators asked Goodyear for information on its Wrangler tires two weeks ago.

The Washington Post quoted unidentified sources as saying that NHTSA was still reviewing data about Wranglers made for commercial pickup trucks and vans by Goodyear.

A timetable has not been set for resolving the situation.

11/21/00