The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued a recall on 275/70R22.5 G159 tires with DOT date codes 046 through 0403 installed on motorhomes.
Tread separations and other failures can occur when these tires are underinflated or overloaded, NHTSA reported. The tread separation can cause loss of vehicle control and possibly cause a crash.
The NHTSA said it is unknown how many of these tires still exist as they were last produced in January 2003. The motorhome manufacturers who installed the recalled tires no longer are in business, NHTSA said. The recall is being issued in case some tires – manufactured from 1996-2003 – might still be in service.
The potential number of RVs affected is 173,237.
Dealers will replace the tires installed on RVs, free of charge, and provide a $60 voucher for the cost of professionally weighing an RV. Goodyear will offer a $500 refund for tires not installed on a vehicle.
NHTSA opened an investigation into the tires in 2017 after a lawsuit was filed against Goodyear claiming safety-related tire defects caused Type A motorhome crashes resulting in injuries and deaths.
As the result of a court order authorizing the release of Goodyear records to NHTSA, the agency obtained claim and complaint data. The number of these claims suggests failures may stem from a safety-related defect, the NHTSA report said.
Many claims were not required to be reported under 49 CFR Part 579 and the data produced in litigation was sealed under protective orders and confidential settlement agreements, precluding claimants from submitting it to NHTSA.
The Office of Defects investigation received 10 consumer complaints alleging failures of Goodyear G159 tires on motorhomes. Two complaints allege a crash occurred because of tire failures. Goodyear separately reported nine claims under 49 CFR Part 579 alleging one death and 13 injuries.
Because the motorhome manufacturers no longer are in business, and Goodyear does not have access to registration data for the tires, Goodyear will issue an information bulletin describing the recall. The bulletin will be published on certain Goodyear websites and issued to tire service centers and tire dealers.
