NHTSA ends investigation of Goodyear RV tires

WASHINGTON—The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has ended its investigation into Goodyear G159 medium truck tires tied to a series of accidents involving recreational vehicles (RVs) that resulted in injuries or deaths.

The Department of Transportation's Office of the Inspector General (OIG) opened its investigation of the G159 in 2018 after an increasing number of complaints about the tire in connection with its use on Class A motor homes.

In June this year, Goodyear agreed to recall 173,279 Goodyear G159 tires in size 275/70R22.5, produced between 1996 and 2003, that have been linked to dozens of accidents involving recreational vehicles.

In a ODI Resume dated Oct. 3, NHTSA states: "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."

The ODI Resume does not provide information as to how many tires Goodyear recovered in the recall.

The ODI Resume shows the government examined data from 10 complaints, which showed data on nine "incidents" that resulted in one fatality and 13 injuries.