Photo: Firestone
Founded in August 1900 in Akron, the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company was extremely successful for a long time. Be that as it may, the Ohio-based tire manufacturer was hemorrhaging money left and right in the later 1970s. Even after Japanese multinational Bridgestone Corporation acquired Firestone in 1988, the company was involved in many scandals.
The Ford Explorer and Firestone tire controversy is probably the best-known scandal of the lot due to the abnormally high failure rate of the Wilderness AT, ATX, and ATX II rubber shoes. The company still hasn’t worked out its quality control woes based on the latest recall, which involves 10,380 tires with DOT codes ending in 1821 (that means the 18th week of 2021).
On July 1st last year, the Joliette plant in Quebec identified a potential misidentification and mixing issue involving certain compounds mixed in the month of May. To the point, the 18th week ran from May 3rd to the 9th.
An inventory freeze was initiated, and parent company Bridgestone immediately started tracing the rubber boots made with the affected compounds. From July through September 2021, engineers recreated and tested the incorrect inner liner compound in the lab. Extended testing on assembled and aged tires followed suit, and the Bridgestone quality committee was presented with a damning report. More specifically, the incorrect compound may lead to increased permeability and cracking, which translates to belt edge separations later in the tire’s life. Belt detachments pose big safety risks, especially when driving at high speed.
The Japanese tire company from Kyobashi highlights that no accidents, injuries, or consumer complaints have been related to this condition thus far. All the recalled tires, namely 10,380 units for the U.S. market, will be replaced at no cost to the customer with comparable tires from the Firestone or Bridgestone brands. Replacements don’t contain the subject condition.
Documents filed with the NHTSA reveal that Stellantis purchased these recalled tires as original equipment for installation on the 2021 to 2022 Ram 2500 and Ram 3500. The subject tires come in the guise of the Firestone Transforce HT LT275/70R18 and Firestone Transforce AT LT275/70R18.
On July 1st last year, the Joliette plant in Quebec identified a potential misidentification and mixing issue involving certain compounds mixed in the month of May. To the point, the 18th week ran from May 3rd to the 9th.
An inventory freeze was initiated, and parent company Bridgestone immediately started tracing the rubber boots made with the affected compounds. From July through September 2021, engineers recreated and tested the incorrect inner liner compound in the lab. Extended testing on assembled and aged tires followed suit, and the Bridgestone quality committee was presented with a damning report. More specifically, the incorrect compound may lead to increased permeability and cracking, which translates to belt edge separations later in the tire’s life. Belt detachments pose big safety risks, especially when driving at high speed.
The Japanese tire company from Kyobashi highlights that no accidents, injuries, or consumer complaints have been related to this condition thus far. All the recalled tires, namely 10,380 units for the U.S. market, will be replaced at no cost to the customer with comparable tires from the Firestone or Bridgestone brands. Replacements don’t contain the subject condition.
Documents filed with the NHTSA reveal that Stellantis purchased these recalled tires as original equipment for installation on the 2021 to 2022 Ram 2500 and Ram 3500. The subject tires come in the guise of the Firestone Transforce HT LT275/70R18 and Firestone Transforce AT LT275/70R18.
Google News