Hankook’s recall is part of the post Toyota trend at a newly vigilant NHTSA.
Hankook Tire America Corporation (HTAC) is recalling imported P256/70R17S replacement tires because they failed Hankook tests for sidewall wear, which can lead to blowouts.
In a series of lawyer-written filings to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Korean tire maker said even though the imported Dynapro AS tires conformed with U.S. Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, Hankook considers the tires’ failure of internal standards, which were set higher, a safety related defect. As a result, Hankook will conduct a safety recall, according to Dae-Ki Min, HTAC’s lawyer.
Hankook’s recall is the latest example of what are, arguably, the beneficial effects of the controversies surrounding Toyota’s unintended acceleration and floor mat cover-ups, as well as NHTSA’s failure as a safety agency to enforce U.S. law in these deadly matters.
After generic clonazepam embarrassing U.S. Congressional hearings, where NHTSA was characterized as the lapdog of the auto industry, NHTSA imposed record fines against Toyota.
The auto industry is clearly aware that it is now better to recall sooner rather than later.
Earlier this week NHTSA announced that Toyota Motor Corp. will pay $32.425 million in civil penalties as the result of two investigations into safety defects. The penalties are on top of a previous fine of more than $16 million for how the Japanese company handled safety recalls after initially denying that safety defects existed.
All of the three Toyota fines are the maximum amounts permitted under law. Critics and safety advocates want the law changed since the fines are too low to deter multinational corporations with billions in profits.
However, a case can be made after Toyota’s public “pillorying” that the negative reputational consequences are sufficient deterrents.
