FORT MILLS, S.C. — Continental Tire the Americas has issued a recall for certain HDL2 DL+ drive-axle position truck tires for a possible separation issue.
The recall impacts up to 522 truck replacement tires in the U.S., Canada and Mexico markets. Conti believes up to 138 of those tires are defective.
Conti said it is not aware of any reports of property damage, accidents, injuries or deaths related to the affected tires.
The HDL2 DL+ tires in question (size 11R24.5) were built the week of Oct. 22, 2023, at the company's Bolton, Miss., production plant.
Conti determined that a number of tires were manufactured with an "incorrect rubber compound" in the shoulder area that may cause the tire's steel-belt edge to separate from the shoulder, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) report. Tire shoulder separation could extend into the sidewall, causing a sudden loss of tire air pressure and a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash, the report stated.
Affected tires may exhibit localized wear on the tread shoulder rib and may develop a bulge or crack, the company said.
During a routine dealer meeting in late June, the company was made aware of five tires with shoulder issues — all built the week of Oct. 22, 2023. Conti shipped the tires to its warranty center for testing. It also conducted a quality check at its production plant "and did not identify any anomalies for that DOT week," it reported.
But around the same times as receiving the impacted tires at the company's warranty center, the same dealer reported two additional returned tires from the same DOT week.
A cross section was cut from one of the tires and revealed anomalies in the shoulder pad area, and the plant was immediately contacted for a more detailed investigation that was conducted July 26-Aug. 7.
The plant's investigation determined that inconsistent material usage occurred in the shoulder pad extrusion process on Oct. 22, 2023. Through further analysis, Conti determined that, at most, 138 tires were built with this incorrect compound.
On Aug. 8, Conti was approached by a second customer with three complaints of tires built the same week and decided to issue a recall and replace those tires.
All tires that are the subject of the recall program will be replaced free, Conti said. Notification will be mailed to dealers Sept. 9-13 and to customers Sept. 23-27.
