Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. is recalling possibly defective tires, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Cooper is recalling 7,769 Cooper Discoverer H/T and Discoverer LSX tires, size 245/70R17, manufactured between Nov. 15 and Dec. 19 at its Texarkana, Ark., plant.
The tires, Cooper said, may develop tread chunking or cracking in the tread shoulder area, leading to loss of control during operation or damage to the vehicle as the chunks fly off the casing.
In addition to Cooper-brand tires, some marketers that carry Cooper-manufactured private labels have issued recalls. Hercules Tire & Rubber Co. is recalling 1,119 Hercules Terra Trac SUV tires, size 245/70R17, manufactured between Nov. 15 and Dec. 12.
Hercules notified NHTSA that Cooper Tire, which manufactured the tires for Hercules, determined the tires may develop chunking or cracking in the tread shoulder area. In some cases tread chunks may fall away completely from the casing, causing damage to the vehicle or loss of control during driving, Hercules said.
Owners of the tires may call Hercules at 419-425-6400 for information about free tire replacement.
TBC Corp. and Pep Boys—Manny, Moe & Jack have announced recalls of sport-utility vehicle tires, all size 245/70R17, which apparently came from the same batch that Cooper and Hercules recalled.
TBC is recalling 546 Cyclone Radial SUV tires manufactured between Nov. 29 and Dec. 19, 2009.
The tires, TBC told NHTSA, may develop tread chunking or cracking in the tread shoulder area.
Cooper discovered the anomaly in the tires from this batch on Dec. 14, TBC said.
Pep Boys, meanwhile, is recalling 424 Pep Boys Definity Dakota H/T tires for the same tread chunking and cracking problems. The Pep Boys tires were made between Nov. 15 and Nov. 28.
In both recalls, customers may call Cooper customer relations toll-free at 800-854-6288. Owners of the Cyclone tires may call TBC at 800-739-7698, and owners of the Definity Dakota tires may call Pep Boys at 800-737-2697.
Del-Nat Tire Corp. and American Car Care Centers Inc. (ACCC) also are recalling SUV tires in size 245/70R17.
Del-Nat notified NHTSA that it is recalling 629 Delta A/S Sierradial tires manufactured between Nov. 22 and Dec. 5, 2009. The tires may develop tread chunking or cracking in the tread shoulder area, leading either to loss of control or vehicle damage when tread chunks fly off the casing.
ACCC told NHTSA it would recall 286 American Prospector SUV tires produced between Nov. 15 and Nov. 21, 2009, for the same safety problem.
Del-Nat said it would begin notifying purchasers of the tires March 10, while ACCC said it would start notifying customers March 11.
Owners of either tire may contact the Cooper Customer Relations toll-free number at 800-854-6288.
Owners of the Del-Nat tires may call 901-775-5002, and owners of the ACCC tires may call 901-680-9927.
Copyright 2010 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved.