Michelin Recalls 841,000 Tires For Safety Issues

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Posted on 7th September 2012 by gjohnson in Uncategorized

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Michelin North America is voluntarily recalling about 841,000 of its BFGoodrich and Uniroyal tires for safety issues, following reports that some of them were deflating because of tread-belt separation problems.

http://www.bfgoodrichtires.com/bfg-nation/article-detail.page?DCRName=2007-07-26_Press_Release_Voluntary_Safety_Recall

The tires involved are  BFGoodrich Commercial T/A A/S and Uniroyal Laredo HD/H tires in the United States, Canada and Mexico, according to a press release from BFGoodrich.  Two sizes of each tire are affected and they are typically found on commercial light trucks and full-sized heavy duty vans. About 799,900 of these tires were sold domestically.

No deaths or injuries have been reported in connection with the recalled tires.

“This recall, which has been reported to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), is being taken because there is a risk to safety,” the press release said. “A small number of the tires being recalled have experienced tread loss and/or rapid air loss, resulting from tread belt separation. This condition may increase the risk of a vehicle crash.”

The customer return rate for tread and/or air loss was 0.017 percent, which equates to about 143 tires. However, any tire produced in the range of the recall could exhibit these conditions.

“We deeply apologize for the inconvenience to customers and dealers,” Mike Wischhusen, technical director, said in a statement. “It’s our responsibility to put safety first in this matter — as we do in every aspect of our business — and voluntarily recalling these tires is the right thing to do.”

The affected tires were manufactured beginning in April 2010 and are no longer being produced.  None of the recalled tires were fitted as original equipment on new vehicles and were sold only as new replacement tires.

Owners of the affected tires should take their vehicles to an authorized dealer where the tires will be replaced at no charge, according to Michelin.

BFGoodrich sent a letter to registered owners of the tires.

http://www.bfgoodrichtires.com/assets/bfg/content/document/BFGoodrich%20Tire%20Owner%20Letter.pdf

“You are receiving this letter because our records indicate that you may have purchased one or more of the recalled tires,” the missive said. “It is possible that any one of the tires being recalled may experience tread loss and/or rapid air loss resulting from tread belt separation. This condition may increase the risk of a vehicle crash.”

 

Toyo Tires Recalls 69,000 Tires Due To Sidewall Defect

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Posted on 30th January 2012 by gjohnson in Uncategorized

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Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp. has recalled 69,000 tires because of a defect in the sidewalls that may make them crack.

http://toyotires.com/recall-campaign

The tire model is the Toyo Extensa A/S, which was manufactured in the company’s plant in Georgia from 2009 to 2010.  

The tires can be identified on the sidewall by the “Made in U.S.A.” mark and the last four digits of the Tire Identification Number (TIN) ranging from 3809 to 4410. The TIN can be found after the letters “DOT” on the tire sidewall.

Toyo Tires made before or after this period aren’t being recalled, nor are tires with the “Made in Japan” or “Made in China” mark.

According to Toyo’s website, “Some of these recalled tires may have been produced with a kink in the bead area. Under certain circumstances, the kink may eventually lead to a crack in the bead area, which is near the rim. If a crack develops and is left undetected, the tire may fail, potentially causing loss of vehicle control and a crash, which could result in injury or death.”

Toyo told consumers that if they own a recalled tire, they should contact the dealer they bought it from, or an authorized Toyo dealer, to schedule an appointment to replace it. The recalled tire will be replaced for free, including the mounting, balancing and taxes, as long as it is returned by May 31.

Toyo has also set up a consumer hotline, 800-442-8696, for questions on the recalled tire.

Consumers were also told that if Toyo can’t get them the necessary replacement free of charge within a reasonable time, they should contact Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE, Washington, D.C., 20590.

According to The New York Times, Toyo received its first complaint about a cracked sidewall in July 2010. Toyo checked into the matter, but found that the tires were “within specifications.”

http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/27/agency-upgrades-investigation-of-387000-liberty-s-u-v-s-for-inadvertent-air-bag-deployments/

But Toyo had a number of warranty claims last year, The Times reported, and started another probe. Toyo found that some of the tires had a thinner sidewall that was permitted by its production standards, and issued a recall.