— A Goodyear G159 tire recall and the circumstances surrounding the recall is under investigation by the U.S. Justice Department, the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles.
The brouhaha is over the actions of the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. regarding the G159 tire typically used on recreational vehicles (motorhomes) and delivery vehicles.
Those tires have been the focus of lawsuits, investigations and recalls for a tire that hasn't been manufactured since 2003.
Goodyear had been accused of concealing the dangers of the G159 tires through confidential court settlements under the argument the records had to remain sealed to protect trade secrets.
By sealing the documents and lawsuit settlements, Goodyear had convinced courts that unsealing the documents would place the company at a disadvantage against its competitors.
But in 2018 a judge finally ruled the public and safety investigators had a right to know what was said in wrongful death lawsuits about the G159 tires.
Even the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said safety regulators had no clue about the Goodyear G159 tire dangers until a court ordered Goodyear to release those documents.
Those papers showed G159 tire blowouts had caused deaths and injuries which convinced NHTSA to open a federal investigation in 2018.
The government concluded Goodyear should have recalled the G159 tires in 2002, but it wasn't until 20 years later in June 2022 that an official recall was announced.
Read more below about the problems with Goodyear G159 tires.
