Cooper itself has issued no public information about the recall.

Of the approximately 288,000 tires Cooper is recalling, some 183,000 were produced between February 2004 and Jan. 21, 2005. These tires – predominately designed for light truck/SUV applications – were being recalled due a slow leak that may be caused by a “contaminant in the upper sidewall,” according to an Associated Press report.

This group of recalled tires includes the Cooper Discoverer S/T, Dean Mud Terrain Radial SXT, Durango Radial XTR, Mastercraft Courser C/T, Dick Cepek Radial F-C II, Mesa C/T, Pro Comp Xtreme A/T and Tempra Trailcutter Radial RT, according to reports.

Another 101,000 tires – passenger units sold under the Dean Alpha 365 A/S, Mastercraft A/S, Starfire Flite-line IV and Trendsetter SE names – were being recalled due to cracking that occurred under testing. These tires, according to NHTSA, were produced from November 2004 to July 2005.

Some 3000 of Cooper’s latest UHP line – the Cooper Zeon 2Xs and the Mastercraft Avenger ZHP – were also recalled due to sidewall cracking concerns. No dates were given for their manufacturing.

Cooper told the Associated Press that it has a “very vigorous inspection for tires, and we never take any chances.”

According to NHTSA, Cooper plans to notify all of the owners and replace the tires for free. Specific DOT numbers or lots for the tires were not available.