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Goodyear Responds to Set Record Straight on Misleading Reports

26 October 2000

Goodyear Responds to Set Record Straight on Misleading Reports

        The Following Comments Can Be Attributed To:  Joseph M. Gingo
         Senior Vice President, Technology & Global Products Planning

    AKRON, Ohio, Oct. 25 There have been misleading media
reports in print and on air regarding Goodyear light commercial tire
applications, and their alleged role in accidents across the country that have
resulted in either serious injury or fatalities.
    Anytime there are circumstances where tires are alleged to be contributors
in accidents that result in injury or death, we take nothing more seriously.
As a company Goodyear has built its reputation over the past 102 years on
making safe, dependable tires consumers can count on.  Goodyear is a
responsible company with a history of always doing the right thing for
consumers, and being very proactive and professional in doing it.
    Here are the facts:

    1) We are not talking about passenger tires. The tires being referred to
in media reports are light commercial applications used on a wide variety of
vehicles.

    2) All tires can separate.  Tread separations do not necessarily indicate
a defect in a tire. After examining two tires involved in damage claims (no
injuries) back in late 1994, we proactively put together a group of engineers
to closely examine the cause of these separations. The charge to that group of
engineers was to find out why the treads were separating.  The group went
through exhaustive analysis of the tires, the manufacturing process, the
materials and the design.  In addition, on three subsequent occasions we put
the tires through extreme performance testing and research analysis with the
same conclusion.
    The conclusion of the analyses of the processes, materials and design,
along with the dynamic testing, confirmed there were no material, design or
manufacturing process issues with these tires.

    3) What we did notice during this process was the start of an evolution of
a new breed of larger vehicles, pickups, vans and towed vehicles, and trends
in modifications to those vehicles that might lead to overloading the tires.
Due to the increased tendency for overloading, we started putting nylon
overlays on these types of tires in 1996 to make them more robust.  We have
converted all of these type tires to the more robust construction.  The nylon
overlay does not prevent tread separations.

    4) Whenever we face situations like those referenced in the media
coverage, the very first thing we do is physically examine the tires to make
certain there is nothing that would indicate a potential manufacturing defect.
In the 30 total accidents we have encountered resulting in either injury or
fatalities, every single tire we have had the opportunity to examine has shown
indication of impact damage, puncture damage or overloading and under-
inflation.  A tread separation, today the most common form of failure for a
commercial tire, is normally the end result of something else that happens to
a tire (a factor external to the tire, such as hitting a rock or other debris
on the road).

    5) While this is not a tire manufacturing, material or design issue, in
this day and age of heightened awareness of tires, there are those who might
benefit from bringing these types of cases to the attention of the public.
And you have a media more attuned to tires as subject matter.
    People need to understand that tires are not indestructible, nor
unfortunately can they be made that way.  It is our responsibility to make
them durable, reliable and safe.  We take that responsibility very personally
and very seriously.  We take nothing more seriously.
    This is not a Firestone tire recall situation.
    Tire companies have been making evolutionary and revolutionary
enhancements to their products for more than 100 years.  Just in the past 10
years we've seen the mileage you can expect from a tire double.  You can stop
quicker in wet and dry conditions and even run flat on extended mobility tires
for more than 50 miles at 55 mph.  All of these enhancements have been done
with the consumer and consumer safety in mind.
    Goodyear will continue to take tire technology to unprecedented levels of
safety, through further development of materials, processes, inflation warning
systems and education for dealers and consumers to take their tires and tire
care equally seriously.