The affected tires were sold under the Westlake, Compass, Telluride and YKS brand names in the following sizes: LT235/75R-15; LT225/75R-16; LT235/85R-16; LT245/75R-16; LT265/75R-16; and LT3X10.5-15.
NHTSA has given the company until Monday to respond. An attorney for FTS claimed the company could only afford about 10% of the approximately $80 million in costs associated with a recall. FTS said it does not have the financial resources for a full recall and would be forced to file for bankruptcy if required to conduct one.
The company sent NHTSA a letter earlier this month that said up to 450,000 light truck tires imported from China-based Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber Co. could suffer tread separation because they were missing a safety feature.
FTS also said it was served with complaints alleging that the tread of a Hangzhou tire separated, causing a van to roll over. The accident reportedly caused in two deaths and a significant brain injury. The cases – Joao Paulo DaSilva v. General Motors Corp. and Robert McCulley v. General Motors Corp. – were filed in the Court of Common Pleas in Philadelphia.
Hangzhou Zhongce has denied that it supplied faulty products and accused FTS of making the claim to bolster a lawsuit it filed against Hangzhou Zhongce in U.S. District Court last month. In that case, FTS says its tests found that the tires could fail, and it is seeking unspecified monetary damages and an injunction that would bar Hangzhou products from being imported.
According to Hangzhou Zhongce officials, the Chinese company signed deals last year to supply or team up with Goodyear, Yokohama and Cooper.
