No Recall For Cooper

In the USA, Cooper Tire says it is “outraged” at reports that the National Highways Safety Traffic Administration is considering mounting an investigation into the company. A report in the New York Times quoted Dr. Sue Bailey of the NHTSA as saying that she had received reports of tread separations.

In fact, Cooper confirmed with Dr. Bailey that there is no investigation planned, nor even a preliminary evaluation of the company and its products. Said Dr.

Bailey: “In light of the Firestone recall, the complaint loads have risen for all tyre makers. However, Cooper doesn’t have a higher proportion of complaints than other tyre makers. We have gotten information on everyone and that includes Cooper, but at this time there’s been no decision to open an investigation.

” Cooper says that it would welcome any review of its records by the NHTSA and it would be pleased to furnish data if required. Any such review, says Cooper, would confirm that the tyres are safe. To date, Cooper has not been contacted by the NHTSA.

Regarding claims about premature tread separation, the US manufacturer says that these are “absolutely not true” and points out that tread separations can occur in any tyre due to a number of causes, such as underinflation, impact and punctures. Cooper says it made over 250 million tyres in the 90s with very few complaints and that it has a long history of customer satisfaction. Like any manufacturer of a consumer product, Cooper has lawsuits filed against it for a number of reasons.

However, “careful and thorough” analysis has shown no correlation between these and any type of vehicle such as SUVs, minivans or light trucks. Neither has the company had any lawsuits involving Cooper tyres on Ford Explorers. A re-examination of data from 1994 to the present shows no common factor in product claims such as tyre type, brand, size, date or location of production that would suggest a safety issue.