WAYNE, N.J. (Dec. 23, 2010)—Hankook Tire America Corp. is voluntarily recalling 17,729 Dynapro AS P-metric radials, size P265/70R17 113S RH03, because of sidewall performance issues that could result in premature wear and/or blowout.
Hankook said it will replace the recalled tires—produced at its Daejeon, South Korea, plant over a period from early 2009 through the fourth quarter of 2010—free of charge. The recall is expected to start in January.
Hankook said testing conducted by its parent Hankook Tire Co. Ltd. showed certain tires of these production runs satisfied U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards but did not fully meet Hankook internal performance criteria, as some appeared to show less-than-expected sidewall performance when placed under extreme conditions of use or abuse of tire.
The result of this noncompliance could be premature ending of tire service life under extreme conditions of use or abuse of tires. To this date, however, Hankook said there have been no returns, complaints or claims suggesting or relating to this defect.
The tires being recalled have the DOT plant code of T7 and production codes of: 0909 to 2709, 3409 to 3709, 0810 to 0910, 1110 to 1210, 1910 to 2010, 3410, 3810-4110 and 4510-4810.
Hankook plans to notify all identified purchasers of the affected tires by mail. Users will be offered a full replacement at no charge for up to six months. Thereafter, users will be offered a pro-rata credit toward the cost of replacing the tires based on the remaining tread depth on the affected tires.