Toyo recalls 14,000-plus tires from Serbia factory

WASHINGTON—Toyo Tire Holdings of Americas Inc. has recalled nearly 14,200 tires due to potential defects that could result in the tread or tire sidewall detaching.

The recall includes various sizes of the Open Country A/T III, Open Country H/T II, Open Country Q/T and Extensa A/S II tires sold in the U.S.

In a statement provided to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Toyo said the recall followed "detailed analysis" of production records for all tires from its Serbia factory.

The analysis, the Japan-based tire maker said, identified 101 instances where a green tire was cured in the wrong mold. Overall, Toyo said there were 20 models of suspect tires manufactured during different times of the year, between January and April.

"A small number of tires are suspected of having been cured into the wrong mold, potentially resulting in incorrect component dimensions, compounds, and cord tension," Toyo said in a Nov. 4 recall notice.

If the condition remains undetected, Toyo added, "we cannot rule out the possibility that, due to this production error, sections of the tread or sidewall may become detached, which could lead to a loss of inflation pressure, and an increased risk of a vehicle crash."

The recall campaign will expire June 15, 2024.

The company said there was a period of time when the curing presses were being manually loaded at the plant. At that stage, the factory control software did not prohibit press function if an incorrect green tire barcode was scanned.

This allowed a small number of incorrectly loaded tires to proceed through the curing process undetected, the tire maker said, noting that software to prevent this from occurring had since been implemented.