NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Preliminary Evaluation PE17-009: Goodyear G159 275/70R22.5 Tire Failure
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE17-009 on December 28, 2017 and closed it on October 3, 2022. NHTSA's investigations file lists the Goodyear G159 for it and links recall 22T-009 to it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- PE17-009 (also written PE17009)
- Investigation type
- Preliminary Evaluation The first stage of most defect investigations: NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation gathers basic information about a possible safety defect, including from the manufacturer.
- Status
- Closed October 3, 2022
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
- Component
- Tires — Tread/Belt
- Recall linked by NHTSA
- 22T-009 (NHTSA record)
- Vehicles and equipment
- Goodyear G159
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Preliminary Evaluation PE17-009.
As the result of a court order authorizing the release of Goodyear records to NHTSA, the agency obtained claim and complaint data alleging that Goodyear G159 275/70R22.5 tires installed on Class-A motorhomes failed in service, causing deaths or personal injuries. The number of these claims suggests that the failures may stem from a safety related defect. Many of these claims were not required to be reported under 49 CFR Part 579 and the data produced in litigation was sealed under protective orders and confidential settlement agreements, precluding claimants from submitting it to NHTSA.The Office of Defects investigation has also received 10 consumer complaints alleging failures of Goodyear G159 275/70R22.5 tires on motorhomes. Two of these complaints allege a crash occurred as a result of the tire failures. Goodyear separately reported 9 claims under 49 CFR Part 579 alleging 1 death and 13 injuries.
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation to investigate allegations of tire failures and to request certain information. Analysis of the data provided by Goodyear showed high failure frequency when these tires used on motorhomes. The findings of ODI's investigation are further detailed in the agency's recall request letter sent to Goodyear, dated February 22, 2022, and available in the PE17-009 investigation file. In response to this investigation, Goodyear filed safety recall 22T-009 covering G159 275/70R22.5 tires manufactured between February 1, 1996, and January 31, 2003. This recall covers the entire period of production for these tires. These tires experienced tread separations and other failures when exposed to foreseeable conditions present in use on motorhomes, including overloading and underinflation.
The recall action addresses the safety concern that led to the opening of this investigation. Therefore, this investigation is closed. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist in other model and size tires outside of the recall scope.
The agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE17-009. A listed model year means only that an investigation names it; it says nothing about any particular vehicle. Model years with a try.vin recall page link to that page's NHTSA investigations section.
Goodyear
Goodyear G159
- model year not given
What an NHTSA investigation is
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) looks into possible safety defects in vehicles and equipment, often after owner complaints. An investigation usually starts as a Preliminary Evaluation, or as a Recall Query when it concerns whether an existing recall covers the right vehicles or fixes the problem, and ODI can upgrade it to a more detailed Engineering Analysis. A Defect Petition asks NHTSA to open an investigation, and Audit and Equipment Queries are administrative investigations into whether companies complied with federal vehicle safety requirements, such as reporting, recall and certification rules.
An open investigation is not a finding that a safety defect exists, and NHTSA can close one without a recall.
To see whether a specific vehicle has an open recall, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Free VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.
Sources
NHTSA's investigation record for PE17-009
Investigation details come from NHTSA's investigations file, which try.vin imports once a day. The investigation types are described from the U.S. Department of Transportation Inspector General's May 2023 report on NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation, NHTSA's petition rules (49 CFR Parts 552 and 557) and NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation procedures. How try.vin reads NHTSA investigations.