Federal investigators say Goodyear knew that some of its recreational vehicle tires could fail and cause severe crashes, yet it failed to recall them for as long as 20 years.
Goodyear wouldn't do a recall even though investigators found that their failure caused crashes that killed eight people and injured 69 others from 1998 through 2009. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration made the allegations against Akron, Ohio-based Goodyear in a Feb. 22 letter sent to the tire maker seeking a recall of the 22.5-inch G159 tires.
Goodyear refused a recall in a letter March 8, but later agreed to do one. The company maintains that the tires were fully tested and are not defective.
