Toyo Tire Holdings of Americas Inc., the parent company of both Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp. and Nitto Tire U.S.A. Inc., has announced a safety recall campaign on a limited number of Toyo and Nitto brand tires.
The company has determined that select Toyo Versado CUV, Toyo Versado LX II, Toyo Open Country A/T, Toyo Tourevo LS II and Nitto Terra Grappler tires were distributed to retailers across the United States with a rubber chemical mixture that does not meet the company’s specification.
As a consequence, sections of the tread may become detached, potentially causing loss of vehicle control and a crash, which could result in death or injury.
Approximately 4,891 tires are subject to this recall, of which approximately 588 were produced using the out-of-spec rubber.
The recalled tires were manufactured at the Toyo Tire & Rubber Co. Ltd. plant in Sendai, Japan, during a two-week period in September of 2010.
They can be identified by the "Made in Japan" stamp and the numbers "3810 or 3910" at the end of the Department of Transportation (DOT) serial number, both located on the tire sidewall.
Tires manufactured before and after this period are not involved. Tires with the “Made in U.S.A” stamp on the sidewall also are not being recalled.
Ther following P-metric and metric sizes are included in this safety recall campaign, depending on the DOT Serial number.
Toyo Versado CUV: P245/55R19 103T, P235/55R20 102T, 235/55R18 100V, P255/65R18 109S.
Toyo Versado LX II: 215/60R16 95V.
Toyo Open Country A/T: LT285/70R17 121S.
Toyo Tourevo LS II: 245/45R18 96V.
Nitto Terra Grappler: 255/55R18 109S.
To check to see if the tire line and size is on the recall list, click on Tire Recall Campaign.
Consumers who have purchased Toyo Versado CUV, Toyo Versado LX II, Toyo Open Country A/T, Toyo Tourevo LS II and Nitto Terra Grappler tires since September 2010 are encouraged to inspect their tires. If a consumer is unable to determine if they have a recalled tire, they should visit an authorized Toyo Tire or Nitto dealer for a free inspection.
Lists of authorized Toyo Tires and Nitto dealers are available on www.toyotires.com or www.nittotire.com.
The following steps have been taken to assist Toyo and Nitto customers during this campaign.
1. Free Replacement. Affected consumers will have their recalled tires replaced at no charge.
2. Web site. Dedicated pages at both www.toyotires.com and www.nittotire.com provide information on this safety recall campaign including photos to assist in identifying recalled tires and instructions on how to return recalled tires. Consumers should visit the web site of the tire brand that they own.
3. Toll-free hotlines. A consumer relations staff is available at Toyo and Nitto to answer questions such as how to identify and replace recalled tires. Consumers should call the hotline for the tire brand that they own.:
Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp., 800-442-8696 (6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. PST);
Nitto Tire U.S.A. Inc., 888-529-8200 (8 a.m. to 5 p.m. PST).
4. Notification letter. Consumers who have registered the recalled tires with Toyo or Nitto will receive a letter that includes photos and instructions to assist in identifying and returning the recalled tires.
The recall campaign expires on May 31, 2011.
