WASHINGTON (Nov. 2, 2005) — Goodyear and Toyota Motor Corp. are the targets of class-action lawsuits filed in California and New York courts, alleging that the Goodyear-made, Dunlop-brand tires that are original equipment on some Toyota Sienna mini-vans are defective.
TV stations in San Francisco first ran stories about the tires, which consumers have complained allegedly fail or wear out after about 10,000 miles.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is looking into complaints about the tires, but has not begun a formal investigation.
Bridgestone Corp. also supplies run-flat tires for the Sienna, but the company wasn't named as a defendant in the lawsuits because a substantial majority of the vehicles have Dunlop tires, according to attorneys in both cases. Bridgestone may still be named, depending on the facts uncovered in the case, according to Roger Bernstein, a plaintiffs' attorney in the New York class action.
Spokespersons for Goodyear and Toyota couldn't immediately be reached for comment.