Goodyear’s G159 275/70 tire has been the source of consistent controversy as consumers have reported that the tire is defective and can fail after only a few thousand miles of use. If you own these tires, what should you do?

We posed that question to Rick Morrison, an attorney and a member of the Advocate Law Group network who specializes in tire defects and knows the dangers of this particular tire all too well. According to Morrison, “I would have them replaced. These RVs are expensive. I have clients who paid nearly $200,000.00 for theirs. If I had this particular tire on an RV, I’d take it right back to the dealership. I’d demand that it be replaced with another tire that’s more suitable. The Goodyear 670 for example or Michelin has some other models. They can even have it replaced with one that Goodyear has replaced.

I’d also ask the dealership if there have been any problems. If the dealership denies it, I’d contact an attorney who deals with these tires and see if you can’t get their help in getting the tire replaced, but I would definitely make sure I went to the dealership or through any and all channels to get the tire replaced.”

Goodyear blaming consumers

Goodyear hasn’t done very much in the way of recalls concerning this tire and has actually blamed consumers for using it incorrectly. Morrison explains, “There’s been a limited recall with some of the Fleetwood models. However, there has not been a total recall. In fact, Lawyers USA Weekly did a feature of my case and they even talked to Goodyear about it. Goodyear denied that there’s any problem with the tire at all and as of now, has no plans or intentions to do a recall. They have insisted that consumers were abusing the tires by running them in an under inflated condition and so there has not been a recall.”

Two things consumers should do

According to Morrison, consumers who have been in an accident should do two things at a minimum. “Number one - they shouldn’t get rid of the tire. Keep the tire. Keep the RV. Number two, be careful. I say that because I have seen horror stories dealing with SUVs and with vehicles where they actually contact some of the large auto manufacturers who have sent their investigators out and they’ve either tampered with the evidence or the vehicles have been destroyed.

So, if there’s a problem, you can notify the company. That’s one way. But if you’ve got a situation where you think you’re going to need an attorney, I would get an attorney right away to represent your rights immediately because the big corporations will already have that.”