Firestone Initiates Voluntary Safety Recall of P205/55R16
Firehawk GTA-02 Tires
- Affected tires have no reported claims, accidents
or injuries related to them
Nashville, Tenn. (Feb. 20, 2001) ) - Firestone
announced today that it will voluntarily recall approximately 98,500
P205/55R16 Firehawk GTA-02 tires, the majority of which are fitted as
original equipment on the 2000 and 2001 Nissan Altima SE. The company
decided to initiate the recall after an analysis of tires returned for
adjustment showed a design-related issue that could result in surface
crack at the edge of the tread and shoulder. Firestone is not aware
of any claims, accidents or injuries relating to these tires and company
testing of the tires has not resulted in the development of tread belt
detachment.
"Our 'early warning system' and close partnership
with Nissan, allowed us to quickly identify the issue and make the decision
to recall these tires. Although there have been no claims or accidents
related to the affected tires, we decided to initiate this recall in
the interest of customer satisfaction and an abundance of caution,"
said John Lampe, president, chairman and CEO of Bridgestone/Firestone.
While an analysis of the company's current adjustment
data indicated that the tires, for the most part, were performing at
appropriate levels, a trend analysis performed by the Quality Assurance
department seems to show that the tires may exhibit increased adjustment
rates in the future. This information, combined with the other data
gathered by the company and Nissan, supported the company's decision
to act.
The company's analysis of the affected tires found
that the original belt width specification created too narrow a distance
between the steel belt edge inside the tire and the surface of the tire.
As a result, a crack could develop at the bottom of the circumferential
shoulder groove and progress to the edge of the steel belt, and in extreme
cases, eventually expose it. Analysis of similarly sized tires found
that the issue was limited to the design of the P205/55R16 Firehawk
GTA-02 tires. The necessary design change, which decreases the width
of the steel belts, has already been implemented.
Indoor and road testing of the tires shows that even
if a crack reaches to the belts, the tires continue to perform adequately
without any air leaks and without any visible failures. However, a driver
of a vehicle with an extreme case of cracking might experience uneven
wear, a vibration or a slow leakage of air from the affected tire, but
would be able to safely stop the vehicle.
"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 tire and is not obvious to the driver," Lampe said.
"It's not unusual for tires to experience some cosmetic cracking,
and that is what we initially saw in this situation. As it became apparent
that this was a unique circumstance, we decided a recall was the best
course of action. With the design specification change, we believe we
have taken the necessary steps to make sure this issue has been resolved."
These tires were primarily fitted as original equipment
on certain model year 2000 and 2001 Nissan Altima SE vehicles manufactured
in the United States and sold in the United States, Canada and Guam.
The remainder of the tires have been made available to the U.S., Canadian,
Puerto Rican and Trinidad replacement tire markets, with the majority
of these tires released to the U.S. market. In the replacement market,
these tires could be fitted on a variety of vehicles, typically sedans,
which can utilize a tire of the P205/55R16 size.
Firestone will mail notices to customers whose vehicles
may have been equipped with the recalled tires by March 12. Customers
who have purchased these tires in the replacement market, or those who
want to know if their tires have been recalled before receiving the
notice letter, can determine if their tires are subject to the recall
by checking the DOT identification number found on the sidewall of the
tire, near the wheel rim. The tires subject to the recall have one of
the following DOT numbers:
W2T2 VF3 289 through W2T2 VF3
529
W2T2 VF3 010 through W2T2 VF3 170
W2T2 VF3 1800 through W2T2 VF3 4500
The following photographs
can help you identify
which tires are affected by the voluntary recall
The company will replace the recalled tires at
no cost with new Firehawk GTA-02 tires in size P205/55R16. In order
to ensure an adequate supply of replacement tires, Firestone will also
make the following tires, which have been approved by Nissan for use
on the Altima SE, available as replacements:
Bridgestone Potenza RE92
Bridgestone Turanza EL41
Recalled tires will be replaced
at no cost to the customer at their local authorized participating Firestone
retailer.
