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.
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.”
