Goodyear recalls 41,000 Wrangler Silent Armor tires

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co said Saturday it would recall about 41,000 of its Wrangler Silent Armor tires produced in 2009 over concerns that a small number could tear, leading to crashes.

Two people died in one 2011 rollover crash in Texas involving a vehicle equipped with the tires, Goodyear spokesman Scott Baughman said.

Baughman said about 27,000 of the tires were still believed to be in service. The tires are used on pickup trucks, vans and sport-utility vehicles, often at construction sites or for off-road applications, he said.

Goodyear said in a letter to federal safety regulators that it first saw an increase in warranty and property damage claims during a review in May 2010. The recall covers 40,915 tires produced in six sizes from March to May 2009.

"A small number of tires within this population may experience a partial tread area separation under certain severe usage conditions," Goodyear said in a February 22 letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. "Use of these tires in severe conditions could result in partial tread separation which could lead to vehicle damage or a motor vehicle crash."

Goodyear said it inspected in December the tire involved in last year's fatal crash in Texas and found it had sustained damage from external causes, the company said in the letter to NHTSA.

Still, based on an analysis of the warranty and damage claims, and discussion with safety regulators, Goodyear decided on February 16 to recall the tires, it said. It plans to send notices to customers by March 22.

"Statistics show the vast majority of tire issues are related to tires that are used while under-inflated, overloaded, in a poorly maintained condition or have suffered impact damage," Goodyear said in a statement.

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source: Reuters (Dobuzinskis, 2/25)

Fatal fire prompts $25M lawsuit

TEXAS CITY — Relatives of a woman who was severely burned in her senior living apartment filed a $25 million wrongful death lawsuit against the apartment complex and its management company.

Melody Fitzgerald Rivera, 52, was a resident of Colonial Park Apartments, a Texas City complex, when a fire erupted in her apartment on April 7, 2010, the lawsuit states.

Tuesday, attorney Trey Apffel III filed the lawsuit in Galveston County Probate Court on behalf of Rivera’s children, Clifford Ray Trapani and Wendy Gail Trapani Andersen. The lawsuit names as defendants H M Management Co., of Fayetteville, Tenn., and Texas City Limited Partnership, which was doing business as Colonial Park Apartments.

Firefighters responded to the 1:30 a.m. blaze in the 1100 block of 34th Street North and found the fire had quickly spread through an apartment and into a second-story unit, Texas City fire Chief Brud Gorman told The Daily News for a story published the following day.

The fire spread while Rivera was sleeping, the lawsuit claims. Firefighters pulled Rivera from the apartment, and an ambulance took her to the University of Texas Medical Branch.

Rivera suffered third-degree burns, the most serious of burns, to 65 percent of her body, and she was admitted into the university’s burn unit, the lawsuit claims.

Rivera’s first skin-grafting surgery took place the day of the fire, and she would endure three others through April 19, when she was in critical condition, the lawsuit claims.

Rivera’s wounds progressed to the point where she became septic. She died April 21, 2010.

“Her condition continued to deteriorate over this time until she developed acute respiratory failure,” the lawsuit claims. “She ultimately succumbed to her injuries.”

The cause of the fire was electrical in nature and started in a mechanical closet that housed the apartment’s heating and cooling unit, the lawsuit claims.

The closet’s configuration had the unit’s power cord routed over the top of the unit to reach the electricity plug, the lawsuit states.

“The source of the ignition for this fire stemmed from an electrical failure involving the HVAC line cord at the approximate location where the cord traversed and laid across the top edge of the north side for the air handler housing,” the lawsuit claims.

The cord’s insulation was compromised and the heating effects associated with micro arcing

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source: Galveston Daily News (Paschenko, 2/19)

Chrysler Recalls Charger Police Cars

Chrysler Group LLC is recalling certain Dodge Charger police vehicles from the 2011 and 2012 model year to fix electrical problems that could lead to failure of their low-beam headlights or the loss of anti-lock braking.

In a document filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the car maker said the possible headlight problem stems from overheating in the bulb harness connector. Overheating can also occur in a component called a power distribution module, which can result in the loss of anti-lock brake and electronic stability control functions.

Chrysler said it built the affected cars between July 5, 2010, and Dec. 20, 2011. The recall includes 9,688 vehicles. The company said it is not aware of any accidents or injuries resulting from the problems.

Under the recall Chrysler dealers will replace the headlamp jumper harnesses and relocate the anti-lock brake and electronic stability control fuse within the power distribution module. The service is free of charge. The recall is expected to begin next month. Customers can contact Chrysler at 800-853-1403.

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source: Wall Street Journal Blog (Welsh, 2/13)