Bridgestone recalls 10,000-plus tires in U.S., Canada

NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Bridgestone Americas Inc. and Bridgestone Canada are voluntarily recalling 10,380 Firestone Transforce HT and AT light truck tires in size LT275/70R18 because of a manufacturing anomoly that could result in tread separations.

The tires, which were manufactured between May 2-8, 2021, at Bridgestone's plant in Joliette, Quebec, were not made according to specification and could cause a potential safety risk, Bridgestone said.

Some of the tires were supplied to Stellantis N.V. as original equipment fitments on 2021-2022 Ram 2500 and Ram 3500 pickup trucks and were sold in the replacement market in the U.S. and Canada, including Bridgestone's company-owned retail stores in the U.S., as well as authorized Bridgestone tire retailers, dealers and distributors in the U.S. and Canada.

The tires being recalled are:

• Firestone Transforce HT, size LT275/70R18, DOT Tire Identification Number VN 15 TH7 1821;
• Firestone Transforce AT, size LT275/70R18, DOT Tire Identification Number VN 15 TR9 1821.

Bridgestone said it will replace affected tires with comparable Bridgestone or Firestone tires or other suitable replacement at no charge to customers.

Bridgestone said there are no known accidents or injuries involving these tires. The tire maker has notified regulatory agencies in the U.S. and Canada in accordance with applicable laws.

The tires in the recall may have been manufactured with an incorrect inner liner rubber compound, which could result in increased air permeability and/or inner liner cracking.

Increased permeability or cracking, Bridgestone said, could allow air and moisture to migrate through the inner liner, into the tire's carcass and eventually to the belt edges, which could lead to belt edge separations later in the tires' service life.

If left alone, the belt edge separations could progress to belt detachments, potentially leading to loss of vehicle control and an increased risk of a crash.

According to Bridgestone, approximately 5 percent of all recalled tires have the affected condition. However, the tire maker said it has extended the scope of the recall to include all potentially affected tires within the compromised DOT date code ranges, "out of an abundance of caution."

Bridgestone said all customers, distributors and dealers will receive notification of the recall. Consumers may take their vehicle to a Bridgestone company-owned retail store or a Bridgestone or Firestone authorized retail location for inspection to determine if they have a tire in this recall.