The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has forced Goodyear to recall a tire that was last produced nearly 20 years ago, alleging that the tires were not fit to support RVs.
NHTSA found in its investigation that 275 / 70R22.5 Goodyear G159 tires installed in motorhomes had experienced trade separation and other failures. Goodyear claims in a statement today that there are no safety flaws and that failures only occur when tires are inflated or overloaded. The safety regulator, however, argued that these are conditions that should be expected in the RV market segment.
The Associated Press reports that in the tire-related case, advocates allege that the tires were designed for delivery trucks, not for motorhomes that can travel most of their time on highway speeds. Those same advocates allege that Goodyear settled the cases and kept the tire issues secret for years, asking judges to seal the record.
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Produced between 1996 and 2003, NHTSA has received 10 consumer complaints about tire failure at motorhomes, two claiming a crash. Reuters reports that Goodyear, individually, made nine claims alleging one death and 13 injuries. The AP, meanwhile, reported that between 1998 and 2018, the company had 95 tire-related death or injury claims, citing an information request letter.
NHTSA documents reveal that it launched an investigation into the tires in 2017 and asked Goodyear to initiate a recall in March 2022, which the company refused. Although it has changed its mind and in the unique circumstances and context of the use of RVs, it has agreed to withdraw to address concerns that some of these tires may still be on the market.
Although the exact number of vehicles using tires is not yet known, the NHTSA reports that more than 170,000 have been parked on the road since 1996. If you have an RV with 275 / 70R22.5 Goodyear G159 tires, Goodyear will replace them with new 275 / 70R22.5 Goodyear G670 tires free. It will also give owners a 60 voucher to weigh the RV professionally. Also, anyone can return unmounted tires to Goodyear for $ 500 from the company.
