Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. has been facing scrutiny over failure of the G159 tires, which were manufactured between 1996 and 2003, and could face a $105 million fine if it failed to properly report crashes to federal regulators that involve an RV tire linked to nearly 100 injuries and deaths, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s interim chief, Heidi King, told Congress last month. The tire has had failures in as many as one-in-10 motorhomes – a failure rate that surpasses the infamous Firestone tires of the 1990s.
At least 41 lawsuits have been filed over crashes involving the tire, alleging the G159 was prone to heat-induced failure when used at highway speeds. Goodyear increased the G159’s speed rating from 65 to 75 mph in the late 1990s, even though its own tests showed it wouldn’t have satisfied internal standards for qualifying at that speed. Following the change in 1998, failure claims increased rapidly, records show.
Goodyear has disclosed in court that it received several hundred property damage claims related to G159 failure claims, along with 98 injury and death claims. No recall has ever been issued, and the company denies the safety defect allegations.
Read the entire report on the allegations against Goodyear as reported by Jalopnik.
