Firestone voluntarily recalled nearly
100,000 tires on Tuesday because of a design flaw that causes the
tires to crack, its third recall in the last six months.
Most of the 98,500 recalled P205/55R16 Firehawk GTA-02 tires are
fitted on the 2000 and 2001 models of the Nissan Altima SE.
Firestone said it was not aware of any accidents, injuries or
lawsuits related to the tires.
A company analysis of tires consumers brought back for
adjustments determined that overly wide steel belts could lead to
cracking on their surface.
While Firestone said its tests did not cause tread belts to
detach, the company concluded that more adjustments may be needed.
"Even though extensive testing shows these tires continue to
perform adequately once the crack appears, we believe the safety
recall is appropriate based on the frequency with which this
cracking may occur and the fact that the crack starts on the inside
shoulder of the tire and is not obvious to the driver," said John
Lampe, president, chairman and CEO of Bridgestone/Firestone.
The company said it will mail notices to customers by March 12
and will replace the tires at no cost with new Firehawk GTA-02
tires in which the design problem has been corrected. To ensure an
adequate supply of replacements, Firestone also will make available
its Bridgestone Potenza RE92 and Turanza EL41 tires, which have
been approved by Nissan.
It was Bridgestone's third recall since last August, when the
tiremaker recalled 6.5 million ATX, ATX II and Wilderness AT tires
linked to dozens of fatal wrecks. A second recall announced Jan. 2
was for 8,000 P265/70R16 Wilderness LE tires to ensure recovery of
about 150 tires made last April 24 at Firestone's plant in
Cuernavaca, Mexico. The company said those truck tires were built
with contaminated rubber.
Firestone spokeswoman Christine Karbowiak said the company hopes
the latest recall sends "a very strong message that we are
absolutely committed to customer safety and customer
satisfaction."
"We know we have a long way to go to develop that level of
trust from the consumer again," she said.
The recalled Firehawk tires were made at Firestone's plant in
Wilson, N.C., and fitted on an estimated 22,000 Altima SEs sold in
the United States, Canada and Guam. The remainder were sold as
replacement tires in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and
Trinidad. The company said the replacements could be fitted on a
variety of vehicles, typically sedans.
The cracking prompted the company to change its design to make
the belt narrower beginning last November.
"It's not unusual for tires to experience some cosmetic
cracking, and that is what we initially saw in this situation,"
said Lampe, who ordered Tuesday's recall.
As Firestone continued to analyze tires brought back for
adjustments, it found that extended use eventually could expose the
steel belt, officials said.
The latest recall came one day after the company announced
another round of management changes.
John McQuade, who manages Bridgestone's plant in Wilson, N.C.,
will become the corporation's new vice president of manufacturing
operations, replacing the retiring Barry Kadechuk.
Two new plant managers also were named. The Wilson operation
will be headed by Harry McMillan, the manager of Firestone's
Decatur, Ill., plant. The Decatur job will be filled by Dennis
Ringgenberg, the plant's production manager.
