Report: Goodyear tire deaths mirror Firestone's troubles

LOS ANGELES - Tread separation problems similar to those that have plagued Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. have contributed to eight deaths linked to light-truck tires manufactured by the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., the Los Angeles Times reported yesterday.

Goodyear became aware of design problems with its 16-inch Load Range E tires five years ago and made a design change to strengthen them, the newspaper said. The company did not recall the tires, and millions of them remain on the road, including the popular Goodyear Wrangler AT and HT.

The Akron-based tire maker said it found no defects with the tires. Goodyear settled several lawsuits resulting from crashes, but settlement amounts and company documents have been kept secret.

The lawsuits blamed tread separation, which is virtually identical to the problems experienced by Bridgestone/Firestone.

In August, Bridgeston/Firestone voluntarily recalled 6.5 million ATX, ATX II and Wilderness AT tires, most of which were standard equipment on the Ford Explorer. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating 3,500 complaints and 119 traffic deaths in connection with the tires.

The NHTSA told the Times that it has received 59 reports of tire failures during the last three years, including one fatality, involving Goodyear light-truck tires.

Goodyear acknowledged receiving a large number of complaints as early as 1995 and conducted extensive tests. The company did not tell safety regulators because tests indicated the tires were not flawed.