US ends review of Steeltex tires, no defects found

WASHINGTON, Sept 29 (Reuters) - U.S. auto regulators again denied a request on Wednesday to investigate heavy duty Firestone Steeltex tires, finding no evidence of defects and unremarkable failure rates when compared to other brands.
It was the third time in two years the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration rejected assertions that millions of Steeltex tires on the road today may be defective.

The latest case covered two petitions filed in May by a California attorney who had previously sought government intervention over Steeltex and has sued Firestone.

The claims alleged that Steeltex tires manufactured since 1995 were defective and singled out those used on ambulances as an "unacceptable safety risk."

But the agency said a preliminary review of the claims and other information found no evidence of defects. In addition, NHTSA said Steeltex failure rates did not stand out when compared with other brands.

Firestone, a unit of Japan's Bridgestone Corp. (5108.T: Quote, Profile, Research) , has manufactured more than 40 million Steeltex tires since 1990. Steeltex radials are found as standard equipment on dozens of vehicle models, including the largest passenger vans, sport utility vehicles and pickups. They are also used on rescue vehicles and motor homes.

In February, Firestone voluntarily recalled nearly 300,000 LT265/75R16 Steeltex tires outfitted for 2000-2003 Ford Motor Co. (F.N: Quote, Profile, Research) Excursions. That action was taken after the government said it was planning to investigate that specific tire model in connection with a series of fatal crashes.

Excluding those recalled tires, NHTSA reports more than 1,400 complaints of Steeltex tire failures with more than 900 involving tread separation. There were 34 crashes linked to six deaths and 51 injuries.

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