NHTSA denies Goodyear petition on 18 mis-labelled tyres

ERJ staff report (TB)

Washington DC -- Goodyear must formally recall 18 Goodyear Eagle RS-A passenger tyres, size P235/55R16 99V, after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) denied Goodyear's petition for inconsequential noncompliance.

The Eagle tyres were manufactured at Goodyear's Lawton, Oklahoma, plant during the week of Jan. 7, 2008, according to a NHTSA notice in the Federal Register. They were mismarked according to federal tyre labeling standards, containing the stamping “not for sale” on one sidewall instead of the correct “M60Y LNER” as part of the tyre identification number (TIN).

NHTSA disagreed with Goodyear's contention that the error didn't have a significant impact on the tyres' safety.

“The noncompliance here is the exact problem that plagued millions of Firestone tyre owners in 2000,” the agency said in its determination. “When the TIN is placed on one sidewall of a tyre and that sidewall is mounted on the inboard side of a wheel, it is very difficult and inconvenient for the consumer to locate and record the TIN.”

From Tire Business (A Crain publication)

Official statement from NHTSA via Federal Register