Goodyear G159 Back In News Amid DOJ Probe

Halpern, Santos, & Pinkert recently settled a case involving Goodyear’s notorious G159 tire. The tire was initially designed for box trucks but in order to increase the market share, it was marketed for use with RVs where it proved disastrous. Box trucks and delivery vehicles generally operate in urban areas where they make several stops and do not sustain voyages for hours on end. RVs on the other hand, are required to maintain the vehicle in motion and require tires that can tolerate long journeys in rotation.

Unfortunately for several RV owners, the G159 tire was not capable of sustaining long voyages and had a propensity for blowing out once it overheated. Press surrounding the problematic tire has been pointing out the problem for over a decade now but Goodyear was never required to issue a recall.

Now, however, the Department of Justice is investigating Goodyear for its handling of the G159. Goodyear settled several lawsuits under seal, but refused to admit any form of liability which prevented the tire from being recalled earlier. This created a situation where the defective tire continued to cause injury and death when it could have been stopped several years ago. While the DOJ may want to throw Goodyear under the bus, they had an opportunity to hold the company to task a decade ago and never did. While Takata may have been destroyed by similar allegations, the American government does not want to destroy an American company and so American companies can get away with things that Japanese companies cannot. The situation would likely be similar for Goodyear in Japan.

Analyzing the probe 

Cynically speaking, it’s unlikely that the probe will result in real consequences for Goodyear that they won’t be able to pay their way out of. However, the probe is looking into company records concerning when they knew about the defective nature of the tire. Goodyear will claim they never knew about the defective tire because they still insist that the tire is safe for RVs and the only problem it has is drivers who don’t inflate the tire properly.

What’s clear, however, is that the tire is unsafe for RVs and we’re just in a situation where Goodyear is insisting otherwise. Because of protectionist policies toward American corporations, the tire has remained in circulation, more or less, on RVs without a broadscale warning about the tire’s dangers.

Today, it is known that the G159 is still safe for box trucks and RVs that do not sustain voyages long enough to overheat the tire. However, the public doesn’t know any better and RVs do need to be able to travel long highways or at least RV owners would expect that their vehicle could do that if required. So, ostensibly, there are still dozens of RVs out there with G159 tires and the first recall was only initiated in June of 2022 after decades of reported injuries and deaths.

Talk to a Florida Defective Tire Lawyer Today 

Halpern, Santos & Pinkert represent the interests of those who have suffered injury due to a defective tire. We have decades of experience trying and settling these cases and can ensure that you can get a fair settlement that compensates you for all of your injuries. Call our Florida personal injury lawyers today to learn more!