Goodyear preliminary evaluation PE17009
Goodyear G159 275/70R22.5 Tire Failure. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this preliminary evaluation about the tread/belt. Opened Dec 28, 2017, closed Oct 3, 2022 after 4.8 years. It led to safety recall 22T009000. became a recall
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedAs the result of a court order authorizing the release of Goodyear records to NHTSA, the agency obtained claim and complaint data alleging that Goodyear G159 275/70R22.5 tires installed on Class-A motorhomes failed in service, causing deaths or personal injuries. The number of these claims suggests that the failures may stem from a safety related defect. Many of these claims were not required to be reported under 49 CFR Part 579 and the data produced in litigation was sealed under protective orders and confidential settlement agreements, precluding claimants from submitting it to NHTSA. The Office of Defects investigation has also received 10 consumer complaints alleging failures of Goodyear G159 275/70R22.5 tires on motorhomes. Two of these complaints allege a crash occurred as a result of the tire failures. Goodyear separately reported 9 claims under 49 CFR Part 579 alleging 1 death and 13 injuries. NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation to investigate allegations of tire failures and to request certain information. Analysis of the data provided by Goodyear showed high failure frequency when these tires used on motorhomes. The findings of ODI's investigation are further detailed in the agency's recall request letter sent to Goodyear, dated February 22, 2022, and available in the PE17-009 investigation file. In response to this investigation, Goodyear filed safety recall 22T-009 covering G159 275/70R22.5 tires manufactured between February 1, 1996, and January 31, 2003. This recall covers the entire period of production for these tires. These tires experienced tread separations and other failures when exposed to foreseeable conditions present in use on motorhomes, including overloading and underinflation. The recall action addresses the safety concern that led to the opening of this investigation. Therefore, this investigation is closed. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist in other model and size tires outside of the recall scope. The agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.
A Preliminary Evaluation is the first formal stage: NHTSA has decided the complaints and other information it screened are worth a closer look, and asks the manufacturer for its own data on the condition. The summary is the agency’s own text from its investigation file, unedited; the opening and closing resumes with the full reasoning are on NHTSA’s site under this number.
What this means for an owner
Source: and what happens nextAn investigation is not a finding that a defect exists, and it puts no duty on anyone. NHTSA opens a Preliminary Evaluation when complaints and other reports suggest a condition worth asking the manufacturer about; it upgrades to an Engineering Analysis when the answers warrant testing; it closes either when it recommends a recall, when the manufacturer recalls on its own, or when no defect trend is found. The agency’s own goals are about four months for a petition, eight for a Preliminary Evaluation or a Recall Query and eighteen for an Engineering Analysis; many run longer.
This one became a recall. The campaign page carries the manufacturer’s filed defect, risk and remedy, the build window and every model year covered; whether one specific vehicle is included is settled by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Model years it names
Source: as NHTSA filed themNHTSA filed this action against Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company without naming a model year — an equipment or manufacturer-level query.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects InvestigationIs PE17009 a recall?
No — it is the investigation that led to one. Recall 22T009000 is the campaign; its page carries the remedy.
Is PE17009 still open?
No. It closed on Oct 3, 2022 and led to recall 22T009000.
Which vehicles does PE17009 cover?
NHTSA filed it against Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company without naming a model year.