Goodyear recalling certain Wrangler Silent Armor tires

Goodyear is voluntarily recalling 40,915 Wrangler Silent Armor light truck tires in the U.S. and Canada produced during a 14-week period in 2009 because of the potential for a partial tread area separation in those tires subjected to “certain severe usage conditions.”

The sizes being recalled—LT235/80R17 LRE; LT325/60R18 LRE; LT275/70R18 LRE; LT265/70R17 LRE; LT245/75R17 LRE; and LT285/70R17 LRD—were produced from the ninth week of 2009 through the 22nd week of 2009 (March 31-May 31) at Goodyear’s Fayetteville, N.C., plant, the company said. The tires being recalled are identified by the tire plant code PJ and the date codes 0909 through 2209. Goodyear estimates there might be as many as 27,000 of the target tires still in operation in the U.S. and Canada.

Goodyear said it intially observed slightly increased levels of warranty returns and property claims starting in May 2010 and continued to monitor early warning data for these tires and conducted inspections of several returned tires.

After receiving an injury claim involving one of the tires in the third quarter of 2011, Goodyear said its inspection of the tire revealed damage due to stone drilling and other external road-hazard damage. The company said it found no safety issues but determined in the interest of customer satisfaction to recall the tires identified above.

Goodyear said it will notify owners and replace the tires free of charge; the recall is expected to begin on or before March 22. Customers who previously may have received an adjustment on any of the recalled population of tires will be offered reimbursement on a pro-rated basis.

Owners may contact Goodyear at 800-592-3267 or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) at 888-327-4236 for more information.

Source: http://www.tirebusiness.com/


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Consensus needed on tire aging

Is a properly cared-for tire any more unsafe if it is 10 years old than if it is six years old? What about a well-cared for tire that’s three years old vs. one that is newly made?

That’s really the issue in the latest effort by a state legislature, this time in Maryland, to force tire manufacturers and distributors to affix a label on each tire they sell, giving the month and year of manufacture.

What makes this type of proposed legislation so vexing is that there is no agreement within the tire and auto industries on when a tire should be pulled from use. Some auto companies say six years, some tire companies say 10 years, and still others make no tire-age recommendations at all.

It’s no wonder legislators periodically come up with proposals to address this issue, especially after someone in their district, for example, has an accident that supposedly involved an older tire—even if that tire wasn’t properly maintained. Let’s face it: Tires are an easy target.

Until tire companies, auto makers and the tire industry as a whole come to some agreement on when, or even if, there is an age limit on tires, bills like the one in Maryland will continue to spring up. Then the tire industry will do whatever it can to make sure it doesn’t get passed, especially because it is an issue that doesn’t seem to be a problem.

The latest bill tackling tire age limits was introduced in the Mary¬land House a few weeks ago by Del¬egate Benjamin F. Kramer, D-19th District, who maintains that tires more than six-years old pose a safety hazard.

Speaking at a recent hearing on Maryland House Bill 729, Mr. Kramer expressed skepticism about testimony presented by tire industry representatives and played down the significance of studies performed by the Rubber Manufacturers Association that indicated the claims rate for tires does not increase with age.

The delegate chose, instead, to focus on internal studies undertaken by Ford Motor Co. that led the auto maker to recommend tire replacement after six years.

What’s at stake is more than simply slapping a label on a tire.

Even if there is no difference in the safety of a newer tire vs. an older one, most people, if given the chance, will opt for the newest model. That will prove to be an inventory nightmare for the manufacturers and distributors of tires.

Tire dealers, based on the proposed legislation, also would be required to provide consumers with the date-of-manufacture information on a receipt or invoice as well as written disclosures about the dangers of tire aging. They would have to give a copy to consumers and keep the originals for three years. Fines would be levied for those failing to follow the letter of the law.

All of this is over an issue of which there is no industry consensus, and where the data show that tire aging is a minimal public safety issue, at worst.

If the tire industry wants to quash future proposed legislation on this subject, it must decide whether there is an age limit for tires and if so, what that limit is or isn't.

Hopefully, that would end the debate once and for all.

Source: http://www.tirebusiness.com/


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