Goodyear is recalling more than 40,000 Wrangler Silent Armor tires because of tread separation. One injury has been reported, which resulted in the tire recall.
The recall comes from the so-called early warning system established after the Ford Firestone tread separation fiasco of a more than a decade ago. Goodyear said there was an elevated level of returns and property damage claims for the tires, including stone drilling and other external damage to the tires.
In a required filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Goodyear said that the tires might experience a partial tread area separation under severe usage conditions. Partial tread separation could lead to vehicle damage when the separated tread strikes the vehicle.
A tread separation could also cause a tire failure that could result in crash. Goodyear will notify owners and replace the tires free of charge as is required by NHTSA regulations. Sizes LT235/80R17 LRE, LT325/60R18 LRE, LT275/70R18 LRE, LT265/70R17 LRE, LT245/75R17 LRE, and LT285/70R17 LRD, produced during 2009 are affected by the potential safety defect. The tire safety recall is expected to begin on or before March 22, 2012. Owners may contact Goodyear at 1-800-592-3267.
Last year Continental Tire recalled almost 391,000 tires installed on Ford F-250 and F-350 heavy-duty pickup trucks in the U.S. About 65,000 trucks were affected by a tread separation defect – the same problem as the infamous Firestone tire recall on the Ford Explorer. These Continental Contitrac TR tires were also sold in the aftermarket in sizes LT275/70R18 125/122S and LT275/70R18 125/122S.
Some of the Continental tires may experience uneven wear and vibration. Of particular concern are overloading or under inflation in high ambient temperature use, leading to separation between the belt edges – a rerun of the Firestone episode. Model year 2008 and 2009 trucks are affected.
