http://www.yourlawyer.com/topics/overview/firestone_steeltex_tires Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:45:12 -0800 pixel-app en http://www.yourlawyer.com/articles/read/12883 Thu, 28 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.yourlawyer.com/articles/read/12883 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) ordered 450,000 tires recalled after Foreign Tire Sales, the New Jersey company that imported the tires, disclosed that they had been manufactured without a gum strip meant to keep the tread from separating.  The tires, manufactured by Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber, have been blamed for at least two accidents, one of which was fatal.  The tires were sold under at least four brand names:  Westlake, Compass, Telluride and YKS.  The tires are just the latest in an array of Chinese products that have been found to pose a hazard to consumers.   Others have included wheat gluten tainted with melamine that was used in pet food, contaminated toothpaste, defective Graco infant swings, and Thomas the Tank Engine toys made with lead paint.  According to a recent New York Times report, Chinese imports have accounted for more than 60-percent of all product recalls this year.

In the case of the defective Chinese tires, it appears that Foreign Tire Sales knew about the safety issues for up to two years before it alerted the NHTSA.  According to the letter the company sent the agency, it first suspected the problems in October 2005.  Yet it wasn’t until September 2006 that Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber admitted to leaving out the gum strip.   Still, Foreign Tire Service only brought the defective tires to the NHTSA’s attention on June 11.  The company claims it had no real proof of the manufacturing problems until May, and that it did not want to arouse concerns based on “mere suspicion.”

This incident is reminiscent of the Firestone and Bridgestone Tire Recall in 2000, which involved 6.5 million tires.  The defective Firestone/Bridgestone tires also had tread separation problems and were tied to 148 deaths and 500 injuries.  It was the largest and deadliest tire recall in US history.

No one can guess how big this new tire recall might actually be, because Foreign Tire Sales says it doesn’t really know how many defective tires are on the road.  Hangzhou is refusing to tell the importer exactly when it started omitting the gum strip.  Foreign Tire Sales filed suit against Hangzhou in Federal Court on May 31, seeking both monetary damages and an injunction preventing the tire maker from importing any more products to the U.S.

Foreign Tire Sales is also asking the NHTSA for help with the recall, claiming that costs of such an undertaking will push the company into bankruptcy.  Foreign Tire Sales has only seven employees, and does not manufacture tires itself.  Rather, it imports tires and has them sent directly to distributors.  According to the company, it cannot replace the defective tires as it does not have a ready stock of new ones available.   The NHTSA has refused to help, saying that it is the sole responsibility of Foreign Tire Sales to conduct the recall.

]]> http://www.yourlawyer.com/articles/read/7682 Fri, 27 Feb 2004 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.yourlawyer.com/articles/read/7682
The move heads off an in-depth investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration into the Steeltex Radial A/T LT265/75R16 Load Range D tires, which have been linked to six crashes, three of which involved fatalities.

The tires manufactured in Joliette, Quebec were made for use on Ford Excursions from 2000 to 2002 and some early 2003 models.

A current lawsuit accuses the tire manufacturer of using substandard materials to make several Steeltex models. A hearing is scheduled next month to determine whether the suit should become a class-action case.

]]> http://www.yourlawyer.com/articles/read/7667 Thu, 26 Feb 2004 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.yourlawyer.com/articles/read/7667
The Nashville-based company, the U.S. unit of Japan's Bridgestone Corp., is preparing to announce the recall of tires mounted on the Ford Excursion, following three fatal crashes that claimed five lives, people familiar with the matter said. The tires, which are called Steeltex Radial AT, LT-265/75R16-Load Range D, were made between March 1999 and December 2002, according to one person familiar with the matter. About 300,000 are believed to be still in use, according to another person.

A spokesman for Firestone declined to comment, but said a 1 p.m. EST announcement was being planned.

Ford spokesmen couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

Officials at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration became aware of the accidents after Firestone in December submitted claims and warranty data to the agency, according people familiar with the matter. The submission was in keeping with a provision of a federal auto-safety law passed in the wake of the 2000 Firestone recall of 6.5 million tires that took effect late last year. The new regulation requires manufacturers to submit volumes of additional information about their products to NHTSA officials.]]> http://www.yourlawyer.com/articles/read/7671 Thu, 26 Feb 2004 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.yourlawyer.com/articles/read/7671
About 297,000 of the Steeltex LT265/75R16 Load Range D tires are on the road in the United States and 20,000 more internationally, the company said.

The tiremaker said it learned two months ago that there were 14 crashes involving SUVs with Steeltex tires. It said it reported the information to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, as required, and announced the voluntary recall.

The tires were made for use on Ford Excursions from 2000 to 2002 and some early 2003 models.

The recall comes 3 years after the company began a recall of 17 million ATX, ATX II and Wilderness AT tires. More than 200 people were reported killed and hundreds more injured in rollover crashes after the tread on those tires separated. The company has spent an estimated $1.5 billion on that recall, including the settlement of dozens of lawsuits.

A current lawsuit accuses the tire manufacturer of using substandard materials to make a Steeltex model not covered by the recall. A hearing is scheduled next month to determine whether the suit should become a class-action case. The lawsuit seeks at least $1 billion in reimbursement for motorists and a recall of Steeltex R4S, R4SII and A/T tires.

About 41 million Steeltex tires of various models have been produced and are standard equipment on 71 types of vehicles, including pickup trucks, SUVs and recreational and emergency vehicles.]]> http://www.yourlawyer.com/topics/overview/firestone_steeltex_tires Thu, 26 Feb 2004 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.yourlawyer.com/topics/overview/firestone_steeltex_tires Firestone Steeltex Tires Three and a half years after a massive recall of its tires linked to deadly highway rollover accidents involving Ford Explorer sport-utility vehicles, Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire LLC. is preparing to announce another, though much smaller, recall of tires mounted on Ford Motor Co. SUVs.

The Nashville-based company, the U.S. unit of Japan's Bridgestone Corp., is preparing to announce the recall of tires mounted on the Ford Excursion, following three fatal crashes that claimed five lives, people familiar with the matter said. The tires, which are called Steeltex Radial AT, LT-265/75R16-Load Range D, were made between March 1999 and December 2002, according to one person familiar with the matter. About 300,000 are believed to be still in use.

Officials at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration became aware of the accidents after Firestone in December submitted claims and warranty data to the agency, according people familiar with the matter. The submission was in keeping with a provision of a federal auto-safety law passed in the wake of the 2000 Firestone recall of 6.5 million tires that took effect late last year. The new regulation requires manufacturers to submit volumes of additional information about their products to NHTSA officials.

If you or a loved suffered injuries from a defective Firestone Steeltex tire, please fill out the form at the right for a free case evaluation by a qualified product liability attorney.]]>