Bridgestone Americas and Bridgestone Canada have issued a voluntary recall to recover eight passenger tires that may have sustained a small pinhole in the outward-facing sidewall during manufacturing. The company says the affected tires were manufactured at its passenger tire plant in Aiken, South Carolina, between July 11 and July 17 and include the following tire products/brands:
- Firestone Destination LE3 tires in size 225/65R17 with DOT Tire Identification Number (TIN) Code 17X 2Y LE32 2821;
- Bridgestone Dueler H/L 422 Ecopia tires in size P245/60R18 with DOT TIN Code 7X VD 423 2821;
- Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza tires in size 275/55R20 with DOT TIN Code 7X Y1 DH7 2821;
- Bridgestone Turanza EL440 tires in size 235/60R18 with DOT TIN Code 7X 45 JB2 2821; and
- Bridgestone Ecopia H/L 422 Plus tires in size 235/55R20 with DOT TIN Code 7X 8A EC1 2821.
There are no known accidents or injuries involving tires subject to this recall, Bridgestone says. However, tires included in this recall may not comply with U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard and/or Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standard performance requirements.
The pinhole in affected tires is visible in the tire’s outward-facing sidewall near the first digit of the TIN Date Code. Should the pinhole penetrate the tire’s inner liner, a slow air loss may occur. If left unaddressed, this slow leak could affect tire performance and, depending upon the particular vehicle and other circumstances, increase the risk of a crash, Bridgestone says.
Bridgestone says there are only eight affected tires in the market, but the company has extended the scope of the voluntary recall to include 21,513 tires manufactured on impacted equipment at the Aiken passenger tire plant within the compromised DOT Date Code week.
Tires included in this recall were sold to Bridgestone’s company-owned retail stores in the U.S., as well as to original equipment manufacturers, tire retailers, dealers and distributors in the U.S. and Canada. The company says it has notified regulatory agencies in the U.S. and Canada in accordance with applicable laws.
All known customers, distributors and dealers will receive notification of the recall, Bridgestone says. Owners may take their vehicle to a Bridgestone company-owned retail store or a Bridgestone/Firestone authorized retail location for inspection to determine whether a pinhole is present in the outward-facing sidewall near the first digit of the TIN Date Code. Bridgestone says it will replace affected tires with a comparable Bridgestone or Firestone brand tire or other suitable replacement at no charge to customers.