Goodyear Issues Recall On G159
In 1996, Goodyear introduced the G159, a tire that was marketed for urban delivery vehicles. Looking for a larger market, Goodyear decided to also market the tire to RV owners. The tire, when used on RVs, showed an extremely high failure rate, and as of 2018, was linked to 12 deaths and 95 injuries. The tire was still being used on RVs as Goodyear has fought efforts to issue a recall. Now, 26 years after the introduction of the tire into the American market, Goodyear has finally issued a recall.
What caused the failure of the G159?
There has never been an official finding. However, speculation is that the G159 had an issue with overheating. With urban delivery vehicles, the tire seldom had a problem. However, RVs generally travel long distances for extended periods of time increasing the risk that the tire would overheat and subsequently cause a tire blowout.
Several lawsuits were filed against Goodyear with plaintiffs winning settlements and jury awards. However, Goodyear never admitted liability and the NHTSA never forced Goodyear to issue a recall.
As of June 7, 2022, the NHTSA is advising anyone with an RV to check their tires and ensure they are not G159s. While it is illegal to sell recalled tires under federal law, not all resellers will check their inventory every time the NHTSA issues a recall.
Too little, too late?
The failure of the G159 was related to tread separation of the tire from the casing. If the tread separates while the vehicle is in motion, the vehicle begins immediately pulling toward the blowout side. A driver’s natural instinct will be to overcorrect by turning against the pull and this results in a rollover accident. At highway speeds with a large vehicle, injuries and fatalities are likely.
Goodyear did know about the issue because several personal injury lawsuits were filed against them. However, they denied the plaintiff’s claims or quickly moved to settle and then seal the terms of the lawsuit. While there has been no evidence that Goodyear hid data from the U.S. Government, personal injury lawyers are accusing Goodyear of acting in bad faith against the regulatory process. Had the tires been recalled two decades ago, perhaps half of these plaintiffs would not have been added to the lawsuit.
Goodyear stands accused but not convicted of hiding crash data until they were forced to turn it over by the courts, settling lawsuits and then getting the records sealed, and avoiding a recall that could have saved lives.
Talk to a Florida Tire Defect Attorney Today
Halpern, Santos & Pinkert represent the interests of Florida plaintiffs injured in tire blowout accidents. Call our Florida personal injury lawyers today to schedule a free consultation and learn more about how we can help.
Source:
pennlive.com/life/2022/06/goodyear-motor-home-tires-recalled-after-defect-causes-crashes-injuries-one-death.html#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThe%20Office%20of%20Defects%20investigation,1%20death%20and%2013%20injuries.
