A defective tire can catastrophically fail with no warning, causing you to lose control of your vehicle, flip, run off the road, or collide with another car. This could leave you and your passengers at serious risk of injury or death.
How Do Tire Defects Occur?
As defective tire lawsuit lawyers, we can get a good idea what type of defect a tire has based on the circumstances of your crash and an examination of the tire. Some of the most common types of tire defects and failures include:
- Defective design;
- Poor manufacturing standards;
- Quality control issues;
- Tread separation;
- Sudden loss of pressure;
- Bead failures and tire de-beading;
- Tire chunking or shredding;
- Wheel failures;
- Sidewall perforations;
- Sidewall zipper failures; and
- Problems with tire adhesion.
Are There Any Current Recalls on Goodyear Tires?
Goodyear has three active recalls, one from 2015 and two from 2016.
In 2015, Goodyear issued the recall of certain P255/65R18 Fortera HL tires, focusing on those manufactured at its Napanee, ON, plant. The recall affects tires manufactured between November 10, 2014 and January 10, 2015. These tires did not meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 139. During testing, the tire showed cracking in the treads. This could cause issues such as vibration, tread chunking, and an increased risk of a tire failure.
Affected tires include Department of Transportation (DOT) numbers 4BXMARDR4814 through 4BXMARDR0115.
The following year, 2016, Goodyear issued two recalls:
- One for Goodyear 295/75R22.5 G399A LHS LR G tires, due to concerns of tread separation. The recall affects 1,650 tires manufactured between January 24, 2016 and May 28, 2016.
- One for Dunlop SP50 P205/70R15 tires, which showed evidence of tread chunking. The tire failed to meet FMVSS 139. Affected tires include DOT numbers M6M0LTER4912 through M6M0LTER0314. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), affected tires were manufactured between December 2, 2012 and February 1, 2014.
These recalls were not the only issues with tire defects Goodyear has faced. Goodyear’s load range “E” tires have been the center of controversy and media attention. While there have been lawsuits filed based on these tires, Goodyear has not yet issued a recall. Goodyear manufactures these tires, but retailers sell them under many different brand names. A formal recall has the potential to affect tire brands across the country.
In addition, the NHTSA is currently investigating 40,000 Goodyear G159 tires manufactured between 1996 and 2003. NHTSA began investigating in December 2017 after a court order released records showing many complaints of tire failure on motor homes.
What Should I Do If My Tire Is Under Recall?
To determine whether your tires might be dangerous, you can check the brand name and tire size on SaferCar.gov. According to Goodyear, the tiremaker will notify owners of the recall. If you find your tire on a recall list but have not received a notice, call Goodyear at 1-800-592-3267 to determine where to go to have your new tires installed for free.
Holding Goodyear Liable for Injuries
The key to winning a products liability case against Goodyear is to prove the tire had a defect. The first thing we do in these cases is investigate the tire and how it caused the crash. Tiremakers can manufacture defective tires in many ways, including:
- Defective product design;
- Faulty rubber or other defective components;
- Poor manufacturing standards;
- Inadequate product testing; and
- Other negligent actions.
In product liability cases, we do not have to show Goodyear acted negligently in the manufacture of the tire. We only need to show the company made the tire and it had a defect. Courts accept this under the theory of strict liability. Producers of consumer goods — including tire companies — must test all products to ensure they meet applicable safety standards before they ever hit the market. There is no reason for a defective tire to make it out of the warehouse if the manufacturer conducts rigorous testing.
Because of a massive defective Firestone tire recall in 2000, all tire manufacturers now must report any potential defects to distributors as well as the NHTSA. The NHTSA enforces this under the Transportation Recall Enhancement, Accountability, and Documentation (TREAD) Act.
However, there are problems with this system. Primarily:
- Manufacturers do not discover every defect;
- A tire company may not always report all defects; and
- Not all defects lead to a formal product recall.
This means many people drive on potentially defective tires and have no idea. When one of these defective tires fails and causes a crash, serious injuries can result.