Firestone Recalls 98,500 Tires That Are Prone to Crack
Moving swiftly to demonstrate that it has learned from its mistakes, Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. on Tuesday said it is recalling 98,500 tires sold on Nissan Altima sedans because of cracks that developed on the edge of the tread and shoulder.
Most of the 16-inch Firehawk GTA-02 tires were fitted on 22,000 Nissan Altima SE sedans in the 2000 and 2001 model years. Some were sold on the replacement market.
An analysis of the tires showed that some cracks had developed, but there is no record of any claim, accident, injury or death involving the tires, Firestone’s vice president for public affairs, Christine Karbowiak, told reporters.
The cracks were discovered during analysis of tires “returned for adjustment,” which means tires returned for any reason, from cracking to excessive vibration, she said.
“We made a commitment to the American people, to Congress and to the NHTSA [National Highway Traffic Safety Administration] that we would change the way we do business,” Karbowiak said. “We are absolutely committed to customer safety and customer satisfaction.”
Bridgestone/Firestone was strongly criticized for dragging its feet in issuing its recall last August of 6.5 million 15-inch ATX tires made at several factories, and Wilderness AT tires made at its Decatur, Ill., plant. Those tires have been linked to accidents that left at least 174 dead and hundreds injured.
Scores of lawsuits are pending against the tire maker over the tires, some of which lost their treads at high speed, causing drivers to lose control of their vehicles.
Tests on the Firehawk tires showed that the cracks could spread, in some cases exposing the steel belt. Engineers never saw cases of belt separation, Karbowiak said. The cracking was caused by steel belts that were too wide, putting pressure on the tires’ shoulder, she said.
The tire maker said it will replace the recalled tires at no cost with redesigned Firehawk GTA-02s. To ensure that customers will be able to obtain tires, Firestone and Nissan Motor Co. have agreed that two Bridgestone brands, the Potenza RE92 and Turanza EL41, will also be made available as replacements.
Some safety advocates who have long urged Bridgestone/Firestone to expand its recall of ATX and Wilderness tires were skeptical of Tuesday’s announcement.
“It’s an improvement in that they did this without any deaths or injuries occurring,” said Sean Kane, a partner in the safety research and analysis firm Strategic Safety. “But it could be a double-edged sword for Firestone because it puts into question their ability to produce a quality tire.”
Ralph Hoar, director of Safetyforum.com, another product safety research organization, was more blunt. “Why would they recall tires that have no history of failure when they have so many out there that do have a history of failure?” he said.
Safetyforum.com and other groups maintain that 15-inch Wilderness AT tires made at plants besides Decatur and all 16-inch ATX and Wilderness AT tires show a similar tendency to lose their treads and should be recalled.
