BFS to replace 297 000 Steeltex tyres

From Rubber & Plastics News

Nashville, Tennessee-Bridgestone/Firestone is replacing 297 000 Firestone Steeltex Radial A/T tyres in what it calls a voluntary safety campaign.

The tyres-all size LT265/75R16, Load Range D and original equipment on 2000-2002 and some 2003 Ford Excursions-were manufactured in Joliette, Quebec, between March 1999 and December 2002. A BFS spokesman said the company produced 490 000 of the tyres but estimates only 297 000 still are on the road.

Preliminary data BFS reviewed as part of its early warning system suggested that the tires were performing below expectations, the company said in a press release. A company spokesman said that although the Joliette Load Range D tyres performed well in the field when properly inflated and not overloaded, there were reports of impact damage in underinflated, overloaded tyres that were over and above what the company expected in those conditions.

BFS no longer makes the Steeltex Radial A/T tyres in Load Range D, so Ford Motor Co. and BFS will replace them free of charge with the same model in Load Range E, or with the Steeltex R4SII LR E; the Bridgestone Duravis M773II LR E; the Pirelli Scorpion AT and Scorpion STR; and the BFGoodrich Rugged Trail TA.

BFS faces a 17 March court hearing in the California Superior Court at Indio, where plaintiffs' attorneys seek certification of his class-action lawsuit seeking the court-ordered recall of some 30 million Steeltex tyres. The BFS spokesman said that, if anything, the voluntary campaign bolsters the company's argument that the tyres are safe.

“This is proof that we're committed to safety,” he said. “We'll identify and review the data on our tyres, and if we find any irregularities, we'll replace the tyres before they become a problem.” He pointed out that the campaign involves just one of 103 Steeltex models made to more than 300 individual specifications. “The data show clearly that all the tyres are performing well,” he said.

“The lid's off the box,” said Joseph Lisoni, a Pasadena, Calif. Plaintiffs' attorney, about the Steeltex safety campaign. Lisoni leads the efforts to obtain certification for the Steeltex class action lawsuit.