Representatives with the Center for Auto Safety (CAS) have petitioned the Naitonal Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to order Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. to release previously sealed documents. They're hoping that by requesting that the records be made public, it will make it easier for victims affected by their allegedly defective tires to file lawsuits for damages in their products liability cases.
A spokesperson for the nonprofit watchdog group CAS contends that it's his organization's belief that the documents may contain infomration about just how unsafe Goodyear's G 159 tire is. The tire giant has repeatedly countered any request for a release of the records on the grounds that documents allegedly contain trade secrets of theirs.
It's believed that Goodyear's G 159 tire model's defects have resulted in as many as 600 accidents. So far at least 40 lawsuits, which have resulted in either motorist injuries or deaths, have been filed against the tire-manufacturing giant.
As for the specific model of tire in question, it's believed that as many as 160,000 were sold while it was being manufactured during just over a seven-year period between 1996 and 2003. A spokesperson for Goodyear previously denied that the motorhome tire has any defects that would have caused these crashes.
Goodyear has also expressed its intentions to continue cooperating with an NHTSA investigation into the matter.
One of the plaintiff's attorneys contends that Goodyear may have saved tens of millions of dollars by failing to turn over documents that might point to their liability in these cases. He notes that his own research shows that the G 159 tire has at least 15 times the likelihood of blowing out than other ones that have already been recalled.
As for the defective tires, although they were on the market for just under 10 years, many recreational vehicle (RV) owners still operate their mobile homes using them. They fear that other injuries or deaths may still have yet to occur.
If you suspect or know that your car's manufacturing or design flaw may have caused your permanent injuries, then a Nashville auto defects attorney can advise you of your rights in your case.
Source: The Republic, "Safety group wants records opened on Goodyear tire-linked deaths," Dennis Wagner, Jan. 10, 2018