From Tire Review
Bridgestone Corp. announced a voluntary safety recall campaign addressing a possible slow air leak in various truck and bus tires manufactured at its plant in Tochigi, Japan.
The recall notice – related to a possible abnormality in the tire inner liner – has been issued for roughly 1.2 million truck and bus tires manufactured at the plant between January 2012 and August 2013, according to a report in the Global Times.
According to Bridgestone, "this was caused by intermittent irregularities in the manufacturing process at Bridgestone’s Tochigi plant following a production change, which could result in decreased adhesion levels at the splice in a small number of tires. In these instances, there is a possibility that decreased adhesion of the splice could lead to cracking and a slow air leak into the tire sidewall. An accumulation of air could result in a bulge and eventually, in a worst case, cause a slow air leak rendering the tire inoperable."
The Times said that to date, 14 complaints regarding the flawed tires have been registered, but the faults have not led to any accidents.
The recall marks the largest the company has faced since the system of recalling tires was introduced in Japan in 2004, according to the Global Times report.
According to a statement from Bridgestone Americas, “Each Bridgestone Group company in other regions of the world including the Americas (United States, Canada, Mexico, Central and South America) is evaluating and determining the need for any action in their markets based upon local laws, regulations and performance data.
“BSA believes there is no significant impact in the Americas as a result of this recall because there were only a small number of tires imported into the Americas and there has been no indication of performance problems,” the company continued. “There have been no field complaints or adjustments in the Americas with respect to these tires. There also has not been any report of property damage, accidents, injuries, or deaths. As local data is further analyzed, BSA will appropriately share relevant information consistent with regulatory guidelines.
“BSA is committed to safety as a highest priority and will take all appropriate actions to ensure Bridgestone products meet or exceed the satisfaction of customers.”
