Philadelphia Injury Attorney Blog

Light truck tires from Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. and PT. Multistrada Arah Sarana are being recalled according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Light trucks are vehicles such as pickups, SUVs, and multi-passenger vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight of less than 10,000 pounds. Tires for light trucks are generally designed for cargo duty making them durable and long lasting.

Cooper Tire is recalling 1,084 Discoverer H/T tires, size LT245/75R16, manufactured from Feb. 12, 2012, through March 10, 2012. NHTSA reports that some of the discoverer H/T tires may have been produced with an incorrect load range, maximum permissible inflation pressure, and maximum load molded onto the intended inner sidewall. Thus, the discoverer H/T tires fail to conform to the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 139. This standard specifies tire dimensions, test requirements, labeling requirements, and defines tire load ratings.

PT. Multistrada Arah Sarana is recalling two lines comprising 36,592 tires. The recall covers the Achilles Desert Hawk A/P light truck tires, sizes LT215/85R16 115/112L 10PR, LT235/85R16 120/116L 10PR and LT225/75R16 115/112L 10PR, produced between January 2010 and November 2011; and Radar Radial RLT-9 light truck radial tires produced from Dec. 30, 2009, through Jan. 31, 2011.

The Achilles tires were produced with a narrow bead design, which can cause blistering on the lower sidewall. The Radar tires have a defective sidewall design, which may lead to tire tread separation. Because of these problems, the Achilles and Radar tires also do not conform to the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 139.

Defective tires can cause tread separation, tire blowout, rim or sidewall explosion, and bead failures often lead to loss of control over a vehicle, and vehicle rollovers, resulting in catastrophic injury and wrongful death. Tread separation occurs when the steel belt in a radial tire fails to properly adhere to the rubber tread or other tire components. Poor adhesion may be caused by manufacturers using old and expired adhesives, unclean facilities, and improper or incorrect temperatures to cure the adhesive.

Tires are critically important in handling and controlling vehicles. Defective tires affect steering, braking, traction, and control. When a tire fails, explodes, or quickly deflates, driver safety is immediately compromised and catastrophic injury and wrongful death are likely consequences.

If you or a loved one has been involved in an accident caused by a defective tire, it is important to preserve the tire and contact an attorney experienced in tire defect cases. The experienced tire defect lawyers of Reiff and Bily have over three decades of experience representing those catastrophically injured or wrongfully killed due to tire manufacturer defects. We always offer a free confidential, no obligation consultation. For more information, contact us toll free at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.

When a company or manufacturer observes a high rate of warranty and property damage claims and receives notice of catastrophic injuries and deaths caused by a product failure, it should be incumbent upon the manufacturer to recall the allegedly dangerous product to avoid countless other injuries and wrongful death.

As a tire defect lawyer in Philadelphia with years of experience, I recently learned of a recall by Goodyear Tire who notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that it is recalling 40,915 Wrangler Silent Armor flagship tires more than a year after the company observed a high rate of warranty and property damage claims. Goodyear Tire was also notified of the death of two college students who died due to a tire failure that precipitated a rollover crash.

According to news sources, as a result of a de-tread of a Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armor tire on a 2008 Ford F-150 pickup, the vehicle occupied by a driver and passenger went into a skid and rollover whereupon the driver was fatally ejected and the restrained passenger sustained fatal injuries. Almost a half a year went by before Goodyear filed with the NHTSA on February 22, 2012 claiming that it first noticed elevated property damage and warranty claims for the same Wrangler Silent Armor tire during its May 2010 early warning data.

Since the initial notice to the NHTSA, sources indicate that the company would continue to see high levels of warranty and property damage claims specifically for six sizes of tires produced at its Fayetteville manufacturing plant, but Goodyear still resisted a product recall and passed off the uptick in claims as isolated cases caused by “stone drilling damage and other external damage to the tires”.

The specific tire was advertised as a big beefy tire tough enough to stand up to the rigors of off-roading and their marketing materials read, “Are you looking for an on and off road alternative tire? Do you want tires that are going to fit all of your versatile needs? Are you only interested in buying tires that are safe, durable, and provide you with the most comfortable ride possible? If so, you should consider purchasing Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armor tires.” … “These tires will really take you anywhere and you never have to worry about your safety or the durability of the tires!” Curiously, after the accident had resulted in twin fatalities, Goodyear reported to the NHTSA in its defect report as “one injury claim”.

Interestingly enough, on March 30, 2010 narcotics agents raided Goodyear’s Fayetteville plant where the tires were manufactured and arrested 15 workers and among the 69 charges it was alleged that suspects were operating a full service drug store trafficking cocaine, marijuana, Ecstasy, and other prescription drugs.

David Bright, a highly respected attorney in the field of automotive product liability, is representing one of the victims in the Ford F-150 rollover caused by the tire de-treading and was quoted as saying, “I think Goodyear is getting a lot of warranty claims. Let’s see what happens.” Then Goodyear waited another 12 months and decided to hang on, wait a while longer, and three months later, the two victims were killed.

Obviously a heavy price has been paid by the victims and their families due to a delayed recall from an allegedly defective tire where the manufacturer had sufficient warning that problems existed with their product.

If you, a loved one, or anyone you know sustained a catastrophic injury or was killed in a crash caused by the de-lamination or de-treading of a Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armor tire, please let us know as we are currently working with a group of committed auto defect and tire defect lawyers throughout the United States to assemble another similar incident base. In the event you experienced tire failure that did not result in a tragic consequence, any information that can be shared documenting the failure of the Wrangler Silent Armor tires is of critical importance to assist other consumers and victims, as well as NHTSA, to understand the scope and magnitude of this problem.

How many times have you been driving down the highway and seen treads, shredded tires, or torn pieces of tires sitting on the side of the road on the shoulder. The sale of used tires and retreaded tires is booming. While a significant number of vehicle crashes are caused as a result of tire failures, and even though the purchaser believed they were getting safe tires based upon the visual conditions, many times the bargain leads to a catastrophic accident. Many times tires possess defects that cannot be easily detected visually. Oxidation or micro-cracks in tires can lead to a catastrophic tread or belt separation. However, unfortunately, the age of a tire does not prevent it from being sold at a cheap price on the used tire market or the retread market.

We recently successfully resolved a case where a tire experienced a belt separation causing the vehicle to lose control. The tire manufacturer claimed there was no defect on the tire. Most times, the tire installer or customer does not possess the ability to spot loose cords or belt separation in a tire, and unfortunately used tires are not subject to any federal standards. The road fitness of a tire is governed only under state tread depth laws.

Every year thousands of people will die and even more will be catastrophically injured due to the use of defective retread tires on vehicles. Environmentalists claim that retreading tires saves huge amounts of natural resources as opposed to replacing worn tires. However, safety should always take priority over profitability. Simply put, retread tires are second hand tires that have just been recoated with a tread veneer creating a potentially volatile situation.

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