Michelin North America Inc. and the NHTSA have announced the voluntary recall of about 841,000 BT Goodrich and Uniroyal tires manufactured as replacement tires for light trucks and heavy-duty vans between April 2010 and earlier in 2012. Our Houston tread separation lawyers specify that the recall relates to particular BF Goodrich Commercial T/A A/S LRE and Uniroyal Laredo HD/H LRE tires, sizes LT235/85R16 120 Q and LT245/75R16 120 Q.

Michelin, based in Greenville, S.C. says that this voluntary recall is a result of tire tread separation issues noticed by its own internal quality systems. Reportedly, Michelin’s quality control workers began noticing an increase in reported tread separation problems with the recalled tires earlier this year. Apparently, Michelin saw the tire tread separation issue in fewer than 150 tires, but decided to take the wise precaution of issuing a recall to protect customer safety.

Announcements of the recall say that no deaths or injuries have been reported from the tread separation defect. Our Houston tread separation lawyers mention that Michelin says its internal quality testing has indicated that the defect is no longer present in tires manufactured recently. Michelin has said that it will replace tires affected by the recall free of charge. Concerned customers with questions about their Michelin tires can reach the company at 800-637-5527.

Our Houston tread separation lawyers have described before how modern tires are formed from layer upon layer of complex polymers and metal alloys. Each individual tire design is geared to fill a specific niche in the tire market and fit certain types of vehicles for their intended uses.

During the intricate and highly technical process of tire manufacture, many opportunities exist for things to go wrong, from a slight deviation in the intended chemical composition of a polymer to a miniscule displacement of a metal belt in the tire. Sometimes conditions interfere with the intended bonding between the metal belts and the rubber and polymer layers sandwiching them.

Announcements of the Michelin recall lacked details regarding the precise cause of the tread separation defect. But the affected Michelin tires could develop a separation at the edge between the tire’s polymer tread and the metal belt. A separation at the tread – belt edge that occurs while your vehicle is in motion could result in a blowout or rapid air loss.

The sudden failure of your tire could lead to a catastrophic crash with injuries or fatalities. Crashes caused by tire failure are particularly prone to result in rollovers. And if you’re no properly seat belted in at the time of a rollover crash, the danger is that you could be ejected from your vehicle and suffer deadly head injuries and bodily trauma. Learn more about the dangers of tire tread separation and what you could do after a rollover crash in this article by our Houston tread separation lawyers.

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