Steel Cords may be Exposed/FMVSS 119 – Bridgestone & Firestone

NHTSA Campaign Number: 18T011
Manufacturer Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations,LLC
Components TIRES
Potential Number of Units Affected 2,707

 

Steel Cords may be Exposed/FMVSS 119

Rapid air loss can increase the risk of a crash.

 

Summary

Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC (BATO) is recalling certain Firestone FS818 tires with date codes 2318-2418, Bridgestone M854 tires with date codes 2418-2518, Bridgestone M860A tires with date code 2518, and Bridgestone M864 tires with date codes 2318-2418, all of size 425/65R22.5. The sidewall steel body cords may be exposed, which can cause unexpected rapid air loss during use. As such, these tires may fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 119, “New Pneumatic Tires – Other than Passenger Cars.”

 

Remedy

BATO will notify owners, and replace the tires with a comparable replacement, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule. Owners may contact BATO customer service at 1-800-847-3272.

 

Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

 

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Bridgestone Issues Voluntary Noncompliance Recall for  Certain Commercial Truck Tires

 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (September 5, 2018) – Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations and Bridgestone Canada (Bridgestone) collectively are issuing a voluntary noncompliance recall of approximately 2,700 certain all position, wide base radial commercial truck tires in size 425/65R22.5. The recall includes the following tires:

• Firestone FS818 tires in size 425/65R22.5 with Department of Transportation (DOT) date codes 2318 and 2418;
• Bridgestone M854 tires in size 425/65R22.5 with DOT date codes 2418 and 2518;
• Bridgestone M860A tires in size 425/65R22.5 with DOT date code 2518;
• Bridgestone M864 tires in size 425/65R22.5 with DOT date codes 2318 and 2418.

 

All tires covered under this recall were manufactured on specific dates between June 10, 2018 and June 30, 2018, and sold in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Firestone FS818, Bridgestone M854, Bridgestone M860A and Bridgestone M864 commercial truck tires manufactured outside the affected production range meet regulatory requirements and are not part of the recall.

The affected tires may not comply with a specific endurance test requirement as prescribed under the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and similar applicable laws and regulations in Canada and Mexico. In affected tires, there may be a risk of exposure of steel body cords in the sidewall to the environment, which could lead to deterioration of the cords in that area. If a rapid air loss occurs due to that condition while the vehicle is operating, there may be an increased risk of a crash. This is a voluntary noncompliance recall and there are no known accidents or injuries.

Bridgestone is notifying regulatory agencies in affected regions in accordance with local laws. Bridgestone also is notifying potentially affected commercial original equipment manufacturers, national account fleets, authorized dealers, company-owned stores and end-user customers to recover and replace any tires that are included in the recall. Bridgestone will replace all eligible recalled tires with a comparable Bridgestone or Firestone all position, wide base radial commercial truck tire in size 425/65R22.5 manufactured outside the affected production range, or with a suitable replacement tire. These tires will be replaced at no charge to customers.

Consistent with the company’s longstanding commitment to safety, customer satisfaction and service, owners of tires subject to this recall are urged to contact their authorized Bridgestone tire dealer or company-owned service center to arrange verification and replacement.

To find an authorized Bridgestone dealer, visit the Bridgestone commercial tire website: https://commercial.bridgestone.com/en–us/index. Customers in the U.S. and Mexico with questions about the voluntary noncompliance recall may contact

Bridgestone Technical Service at 1-800-847-3272. Customers in Canada may call Bridgestone Canada Technical Service at 1-800-267-1318; select option 7.

 

About Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations:

Nashville, Tenn.-based Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations (BATO) is a business unit of Bridgestone Americas, Inc., whose parent company, Bridgestone Corporation, is the world’s largest tire and rubber company. Reporting into the BATO business unit are the company’s Latin American tire operations; the U.S. and Canadian consumer and commercial tire businesses; and Bridgestone Retail Operations, LLC, which operates the largest network of company-owned automotive service providers in the world. BATO develops, manufactures and markets Bridgestone, Firestone and associate brand tires. The commercial tire division is focused on retail, wholesale and original equipment markets, supplying tires to passenger, light truck, commercial vehicle, off road, motorcycle, agricultural and retread markets.

About Bridgestone Canada Inc.:

Bridgestone Canada Inc. (BSCA) is a member of Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations (BATO) and a direct subsidiary of Bridgestone Americas, Inc. (BSAM), whose parent company, Bridgestone Corporation, is the world’s largest tire and rubber company. BSCA and BATO develop, manufacture and market Bridgestone, Firestone and associate brand tires. They are focused on retail, wholesale and original equipment markets, supplying passenger, light truck, commercial vehicle, off road, agricultural and other tires to their customers in Canada and the United States, respectively. In addition, through its Bridgestone Bandag Tire Solutions Canada unit, retreading customers have access to industry-leading research and development, manufacturing, marketing and sales expertise, providing them with a total tire solution.

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September 5, 2018

 

IMPORTANT SAFETY RECALL

 

Dear Bridgestone/Firestone Authorized Dealer:

This notice is sent to you in accordance with the requirements of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act.

Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC (“BATO”) has decided that a defect which relates to motor vehicle safety exists in certain all position, wide base radial commercial truck tires used in severe service applications.  BATO has initiated a voluntary recall of these tires. These tires were sold in the replacement market beginning in June 2018.

 

You are receiving this letter because BATO records indicate that you have purchased tires that may be the subject of this safety recall.  Further, BATO is required to advise you of certain tire dealer obligations, which are detailed on pages 2 through 4 of this notice.

 

I. REASON FOR THE RECALL

The subject tires may not comply with the endurance test requirements as prescribed under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.

In affected tires, there may be a risk of exposure of steel body cords in the sidewall to the environment, which could lead to deterioration of the cords in that area. If a rapid air loss occurs due to that condition while the vehicle is operating, there may be an increased risk of a crash. Affected tires may exhibit a bulge in a sidewall blister location. Affected tires already in use may exhibit exposed steel body ply cords and/or rubber cracking in a blister location.

 

II. TIRE REPLACEMENT PROGRAM

Consistent with the company’s longstanding commitment to safety, customer satisfaction and service, owners of any affected tires that match the exact article number, description of the pattern, size and Department of Transportation (“DOT”) serial number and production period range in the following table are urged to contact an authorized Bridgestone dealer to arrange verification and replacement at no charge through March 4, 2019.

TIRE SIZE	DESCRIPTION	DOT CODE			DOT Week/Year
					START	END
245/65R22.5	BRIDGESTON M864	2C	A2	3NU	2318	2418
245/65R22.5	BRIDGESTON M860A	2C	A2	3VT	2518	2518
245/65R22.5	BRIDGESTON M854	2C	A2	3NR	2418	2518
245/65R22.5	FIRESTONE FS818	4D	A2	9HR	2318	2418

 

Any tire that is the subject of this recall will be replaced with a comparable Bridgestone or Firestone tire. Replacement tires are available as of September 5, 2018. In the event that a Bridgestone brand or Firestone brand tire is not currently available, a suitable competitive product may be used as a replacement tire.

 

III. ACTIONS REQUIRED BY DEALERS

As a result of this safety recall and federal law, you are required to take the following actions:

 

1) Returning Inventory (New/Never Mounted) Recalled Tires.

Examine your tire inventory.  Any tires that meet the above description and match the article number listed in the table above are subject to this recall and cannot be sold. To determine if you have received tires that are included in this recall, please check the DOT serial information found on the sidewall of the tire as explained in Appendix A.

If you have tires that meet the above description, immediately stop the sale.  Immediately count your inventory of affected tires and record specific DOT identification numbers.  Provide this information to BATO Commercial Customer Service Department at 1-855389-3459 for an RGA (Return Goods Authorization) and to schedule the return.

Promptly return all recalled tires from your inventory to BATO as per company directions.  You will be compensated for all recalled (new) tires that you return from inventory.  Please do NOT alter the DOT identification number in any way as we will be checking the DOT identification number to validate that the returned tire meets the recall criteria.

 

2) Provide BATO the List of Owners of Recalled Tires

Please check your sales records to determine if you have sold or leased any of the voluntary safety recall tires listed in the table above.  If you find that you have sold or leased any of the voluntary safety recall tires, please send the following information for each customer to BATO so that the customer can be added to the voluntary safety recall mailing list:

 

Customer Name:
Address
(street, city, state zip code):
Telephone:
Date of Sale/Mounting:
Quantity Sold/Mounted:

 

Please send the customer information by:
Email: Cust-Info@bfusa.com (Preferred Method)
Subject Line should read: 2018 Commercial Tire Safety Recall

or Mail:

Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC
2018 Commercial Tire Safety Recall
Attention: Mr. Stephen Swiech
200 4^th Avenue South
Nashville, TN 37201 USA

 

Customers who are identified as potential purchasers of the affected tires will be issued a letter requesting that the owner check all tires fitting the description above to determine if they are subject to the voluntary safety recall.  If the customer is unable to determine whether the tires are part of this recall, the customer will be instructed to contact their authorized Bridgestone Firestone dealer or call BATO Technical Service 1-800-8473272.

 

3) Replacement of Mounted Recalled Tires

Customers who visit an authorized Bridgestone/Firestone dealer in connection with this recall must have all tires inspected in order to determine whether the DOT serial numbers are an exact match as indicated above.  Please make sure to check each tire closely.  If the DOT serial numbers do not exactly match the description above, the tire is not part of the recall.

Any tire with DOT serial numbers exactly matching the DOT code range described above is part of this recall and must be replaced immediately without charge (including mounting and balancing) to the customer.  Use the normal Bridgestone/Firestone tire warranty adjustment procedures to replace tires under this voluntary safety recall.  The tires will be processed as a no charge tire adjustment. Select “OTHER-RECALL” option on the ENTIRENET warranty adjustment screen as the reason for removal.  Retailers who provide services to remove and replace the voluntary safety recall tires will be reimbursed at published Standard Service and Labor rates in effect at the time of replacement.  Please do NOT alter the DOT identification number in any way as we will be checking the DOT identification number to validate that the returned tire meets the recall criteria.

Dealers must secure the recalled tires and notify BATO for instructions.  All tires removed from service under this recall must be presented to BATO intact to allow BATO to complete the recall process in accordance with the tire warranty adjustment procedure and BATO to permanently disable the tires. If you have any questions, please contact BATO Technical Service 1-800-847-3272.

 

4) Disposition of Safety Recall Tires

BATO is required to advise you of the following information:

 

IT IS A VIOLATION OF FEDERAL LAW FOR A DEALER TO SELL, LEASE, REUSE, OR RESELL A RECALLED TIRE.

 

If a dealer knowingly sells or leases new or used recalled tires; the sale must be reported to the Associate Administrator for Safety Assurance, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, S.E. Washington, DC 20590 or call the tollfree Auto Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153); or go to www.safercar.gov within five working days of such a release to report the following information:

• A statement that a report is being submitted pursuant to 49 CFR 573.10(a);
• The name, address, and phone number of the person who purchased or leased the tire;
• The name of the manufacturer of the tire;
• The tire’s brand name, model name, and size;
• The tire DOT identification number;
• The date of the sale or lease; and
• The name, address, and telephone number of the seller or lessor.

 

These notifications and instructions must be communicated to all employees of this dealership who are involved in the inspection and removal of recalled tires.

 

III. BRIDGESTONE’S COMMITMENT

We are committed to safety, customer satisfaction, and service.  If you have any additional questions, please contact BATO Technical Service 1-800-847-3272 for further assistance.

We regret the inconvenience that this recall may cause you, but we are certain you will understand our commitment to the safety of your customers.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC

 

APPENDIX A 

DESCRIPTION OF TIRES COVERED AND HOW TO IDENTIFY THEM

If you believe you may have one of these tires, please examine the sidewalls of your tires to see if any of them meet all of the following conditions: 

The tire’s DOT serial number can be found on the sidewall just above the rim. In the visual example below, the DOT serial number ends with “2418”, which indicates that the tire was made in the 24^th week of 2018.   However, there are four tire patterns and several DOT serial numbers covered by this recall (see the chart below).

TIRE SIZE	DESCRIPTION	DOT CODE			DOT Week/Year
					START	END
245/65R22.5	BRIDGESTON M864	2C	A2	3NU	2318	2418
245/65R22.5	BRIDGESTON M860A	2C	A2	3VT	2518	2518
245/65R22.5	BRIDGESTON M854	2C	A2	3NR	2418	2518
245/65R22.5	FIRESTONE FS818	4D	A2	9HR	2318	2418

 

Any tires that meet the above descriptions are subject to this recall and should be replaced.

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Manufacturer Notice

September 5, 2018

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2018/RCMN-18T011-8375.pdf

 

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PRESS RELEASE

September 5, 2018

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2018/RMISC-18T011-4184.pdf

 

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Recall Acknowledgement

September 21, 2018

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2018/RCAK-18T011-7719.pdf

 

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