Goodyear faces criminal investigation over RV tire recall

Goodyear is under criminal investigation over its handling of an RV tire recall campaign initiated in 2022. The campaign targeted the Goodyear G159, a tire originally produced between 1996 and 2003, after an investigation revealed multiple instances of tread separation that lead to crashes, some of which were fatal. Per the Associated Press, it's not yet clear why the grand jury is collecting evidence, but it is likely an attempt to ascertain whether Goodyear acted in good faith regarding the defect — the company asserts it did — when it first learned of the issue, allegedly as far back as 2002. 

NHTSA's initial investigation into the Goodyear G159 began in 2017 when a lawsuit was filed alleging safety defects had led to motorhome crashes that resulted in deaths and injuries to their occupants. Goodyear began cooperating with NHTSA's investigation in 2018, but ultimately declined to conduct a recall. Bringing to mind the infamous Firestone campaign of the 1990s, Goodyear insisted that the tires were not defective, but were being used outside of their prescribed operating conditions, citing examples of customers overloading and/or underinflating their tires. Goodyear says the motorhome manufacturers also failed to specify proper reserve loads. 

In its statement to AP, Goodyear said the G159 consistently met the company's "demanding" safety standards. Compounding the issue, the tire had been out of production for nearly two decades; virtually eliminating the possibility that one could be encountered in a retail setting. But after further pressure, Goodyear agreed to initiate a recall campaign to address any tires that may have slipped through the cracks. 

Certain size 275/70R22.5 G159 tires installed on motorhomes experienced tread separations and other failures when exposed to "conditions present in that market segment, including overloading and underinflation," Goodyear's Defect Notice said. "The estimated population of these tires is undetermined. Production of the subject tire ended in January 2003. This Part 573 Report is being submitted to address concerns that some of these size 275/70R22.5 G159 tires may still remain in service."

NHTSA claims that Goodyear was aware of the issue before the tire went out of production, which would have been grounds for initiating a recall campaign way back in 2002. Goodyear says it was not made aware of higher-than-usual failure rates until presented with claims from the 2017 lawsuit. 

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