Staff Report
Published July 30, 2012

Greenville-based Michelin North America has voluntarily recalled 841,000 BFGoodrich and Uniroyal tires made for commercial light trucks and full-sized heavy duty vans.

The company said the tires’ tread can separate, causing rapid air loss. No deaths or injuries have been reported in connection with the recalled tires, Michelin said.

The recall, which has been reported to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, is being taken because there is an increase risk of a vehicle crash, Michelin said.

Michelin, which has tire plants in Lexington and in the Upstate, owns and operates the BFGoodrich and Uniroyal brands. Those brands are manufactured in Tuscaloosa, Ala., and Woodburn, Ind.

The customer return rate for tread and/or air loss was 0.017%, which equates to about 143 tires, Michelin said. The company added that any tire produced in the range of the recall could exhibit these conditions.

The recall affects BFGoodrich Commercial T/A and A/S tires, sizes LT 235/85 and LT245/75, and Uniroyal Laredo HD/H tires, sizes LT 235/85 and LT 245/75.

The affected tires were manufactured beginning in April 2010 and are no longer being produced. None of the recalled tires were fitted as original equipment on new vehicles and were sold only as new replacement tires, Michelin said.

Owners of the affected tires should take their vehicles to an authorized dealer where the tires will be replaced at no charge, Michelin said.

"We deeply apologize for the inconvenience to customers and dealers,” said Mike Wischhusen, technical director. “It's our responsibility to put safety first in this matter — as we do in every aspect of our business — and voluntarily recalling these tires is the right thing to do.”

About 799,900 of the tires were sold in the United States, Michelin said.

Recalled tires