U.S. auto security company closes probe into Goodyear tires

The U.S. auto security company mentioned Friday it was closing an investigation it opened in 2017 into the protection of some Goodyear tires used on motor houses that haven’t been produced in almost twenty years.

Goodyear Tire & Rubber in June mentioned it could recall 173,000 G159 tires dimension 275/70R22.5 tires used on leisure automobiles due to the potential for catastrophic tread separations.

The Nationwide Freeway Visitors Security Administration (NHTSA) had sought the recall in February, arguing G159 tires had increased failure charges that “occurred comparatively early within the service life.”

Goodyear mentioned earlier it didn’t consider its tires had been faulty and questioned if any of these tires had been nonetheless in use, noting they haven’t been produced since 2003.

NHTSA mentioned in February that G159 tire defects had been “on the middle of 41 lawsuits involving 98 deaths and accidents filed between 1999 and 2016.”

Goodyear mentioned the NHTSA “inaccurately” overstated the variety of incidents alleged.

“The recall motion addresses the protection concern that led to the opening of this investigation,” NHTSA mentioned in its closing resume, including that call “doesn’t represent a discovering by NHTSA {that a} safety-related defect doesn’t exist in different mannequin and dimension tires exterior of the recall scope.”

The NHTSA in February mentioned it appeared Goodyear was conscious of a security defect “as early 2002 whereas the tires had been in manufacturing however didn’t file a recall.”

Goodyear mentioned it was “not true” these tires failed sooner than others and NHTSA’s letter mirrored a misunderstanding of underlying information.

Goodyear argued RV producers have the “main function” in “recalling their automobiles to account for proprietor misuse.”

NHTSA mentioned Goodyear routinely obtained court docket orders forbidding launch of tire data found in lawsuits. Goodyear mentioned the company “can’t fairly declare it was unaware” of incidents involving the tire earlier than 2017 citing deadly incident experiences in a NHTSA database.