Firestone Initiates Voluntary Safety Recall of P205/55R16 Firehawk GTA-02 Tires

    NASHVILLE, Tenn.--Feb. 20, 2001--Firestone announced today that it will voluntarily recall approximately 98,500 P205/55R16 Firehawk GTA-02 tires, the majority of which are fitted as original equipment on the 2000 and 2001 Nissan Altima SE.
    The company decided to initiate the recall after an analysis of tires returned for adjustment showed a design-related issue that could result in surface crack at the edge of the tread and shoulder. Firestone is not aware of any claims, accidents or injuries relating to these tires and company testing of the tires has not resulted in the development of tread belt detachment.
    "Our 'early warning system' and close partnership with Nissan, allowed us to quickly identify the issue and make the decision to recall these tires. Although there have been no claims or accidents related to the affected tires, we decided to initiate this recall in the interest of customer satisfaction and an abundance of caution," said John Lampe, president, chairman and CEO of Bridgestone/Firestone.
    While an analysis of the company's current adjustment data indicated that the tires, for the most part, were performing at appropriate levels, a trend analysis performed by the Quality Assurance department seems to show that the tires may exhibit increased adjustment rates in the future. This information, combined with the other data gathered by the company and Nissan, supported the company's decision to act.
    The company's analysis of the affected tires found that the original belt width specification created too narrow a distance between the steel belt edge inside the tire and the surface of the tire. As a result, a crack could develop at the bottom of the circumferential shoulder groove and progress to the edge of the steel belt, and in extreme cases, eventually expose it. Analysis of similarly sized tires found that the issue was limited to the design of the P205/55R16 Firehawk GTA-02 tires. The necessary design change, which decreases the width of the steel belts, has already been implemented.
    Indoor and road testing of the tires shows that even if a crack reaches to the belts, the tires continue to perform adequately without any air leaks and without any visible failures. However, a driver of a vehicle with an extreme case of cracking might experience uneven wear, a vibration or a slow leakage of air from the affected tire, but would be able to safely stop the vehicle.
    "Even though extensive testing shows these tires continue to perform adequately once the crack appears, we believe the safety recall is appropriate based on the frequency with which this cracking may occur and the fact that the crack starts on the inside shoulder of tire and is not obvious to the driver," Lampe said. "It's not unusual for tires to experience some cosmetic cracking, and that is what we initially saw in this situation. As it became apparent that this was a unique circumstance, we decided a recall was the best course of action. With the design specification change, we believe we have taken the necessary steps to make sure this issue has been resolved."
    These tires were primarily fitted as original equipment on certain model year 2000 and 2001 Nissan Altima SE vehicles manufactured in the United States and sold in the United States, Canada and Guam. The remainder of the tires have been made available to the U.S., Canadian, Puerto Rican and Trinidad replacement tire markets, with the majority of these tires released to the U.S. market. In the replacement market, these tires could be fitted on a variety of vehicles, typically sedans, which can utilize a tire of the P205/55R16 size.
    Firestone will mail notices to customers whose vehicles may have been equipped with the recalled tires by March 12. Customers who have purchased these tires in the replacement market, or those who want to know if their tires have been recalled before receiving the notice letter, can determine if their tires are subject to the recall by checking the DOT identification number found on the sidewall of the tire, near the wheel rim. The tires subject to the recall have one of the following DOT numbers:

    -- W2T2 VF3 289 through W2T2 VF3 529

    -- W2T2 VF3 010 through W2T2 VF3 170

    -- W2T2 VF3 1800 through W2T2 VF3 4500

    The company will replace the recalled tires at no cost with new Firehawk GTA-02 tires in size P205/55R16. In order to ensure an adequate supply of replacement tires, Firestone will also make the following tires, which have been approved by Nissan for use on the Altima SE, available as replacements:

    -- Bridgestone Potenza RE92

    -- Bridgestone Turanza EL41

    Recalled tires will be replaced at no cost to the customer at their local authorized participating Firestone retailer. For the location of the nearest authorized participating Firestone retailer, customers can call toll-free, 1-800/465-1904.