Goodyear Faces Legal Scrutiny Over Fatal Tire Defects in France
Legal representatives of Goodyear entities to appear in court amid ongoing investigations linked to deadly accidents involving their tires.
Goodyear is currently under investigation in France, with legal representatives from two of its entities, SAS Goodyear France and SAS Goodyear Operations, scheduled to appear before Judge Marc Monnier.
This follows allegations of involuntary manslaughter, deception regarding the substantial qualities of goods, and misleading commercial practices, as outlined by prosecutor Étienne Manteaux.
The investigation centers on three fatal collisions involving heavy trucks fitted with Goodyear tires, which occurred in the Somme, Doubs, and Yvelines departments between 2014 and 2016, resulting in four fatalities.
These incidents prompted searches at Goodyear's facilities in France, Luxembourg, and its European headquarters in Brussels in May 2024.
According to preliminary findings, the accidents were caused by the blowout of the left front tire of the trucks, leading to a loss of vehicle control.
Experts determined that the blowouts of Goodyear Marathon LHS II or Marathon LHS II+ tires were not due to external factors but were instead attributed to manufacturing defects.
Goodyear is accused of being aware of these defects in the aforementioned models but failed to inform its customers.
Since 2013, the company has implemented voluntary exchange programs, retrieving approximately 50% of the affected tires.
However, it did not conduct a mandatory recall of the compromised tires, which, according to the prosecutor, remain available for sale on second-hand platforms in Eastern Europe.
Prosecutor Manteaux criticized what he described as a systemic practice of concealment aimed at preventing a loss of consumer confidence.
He suggested that the accidents might have been avoided had the company initiated a recall program.
In addition to the cases currently being investigated, four other similar collisions that occurred between 2011 and 2014 in the Hérault, Indre, and Isère regions, which resulted in three additional deaths, have also been included in the inquiry for information purposes, although those cases are now time-barred.
The issue is not confined to France alone; Manteaux noted that there have been accidents reported across Europe related to the same tire models.
He expressed an intention to share the findings of the investigation with other European countries.
The inquiry was initiated in 2016 in Besançon following a complaint filed by Sophie Rollet, the widow of Jean-Paul Rollet, a truck driver who died in a July 2014 accident on the A36 highway in Doubs.
Determined to seek justice and unwilling to accept the initial classification of the case as a fatality, Rollet conducted her own online investigation to compile records of heavy truck accidents, aiming to demonstrate Goodyear's liability.
This follows allegations of involuntary manslaughter, deception regarding the substantial qualities of goods, and misleading commercial practices, as outlined by prosecutor Étienne Manteaux.
The investigation centers on three fatal collisions involving heavy trucks fitted with Goodyear tires, which occurred in the Somme, Doubs, and Yvelines departments between 2014 and 2016, resulting in four fatalities.
These incidents prompted searches at Goodyear's facilities in France, Luxembourg, and its European headquarters in Brussels in May 2024.
According to preliminary findings, the accidents were caused by the blowout of the left front tire of the trucks, leading to a loss of vehicle control.
Experts determined that the blowouts of Goodyear Marathon LHS II or Marathon LHS II+ tires were not due to external factors but were instead attributed to manufacturing defects.
Goodyear is accused of being aware of these defects in the aforementioned models but failed to inform its customers.
Since 2013, the company has implemented voluntary exchange programs, retrieving approximately 50% of the affected tires.
However, it did not conduct a mandatory recall of the compromised tires, which, according to the prosecutor, remain available for sale on second-hand platforms in Eastern Europe.
Prosecutor Manteaux criticized what he described as a systemic practice of concealment aimed at preventing a loss of consumer confidence.
He suggested that the accidents might have been avoided had the company initiated a recall program.
In addition to the cases currently being investigated, four other similar collisions that occurred between 2011 and 2014 in the Hérault, Indre, and Isère regions, which resulted in three additional deaths, have also been included in the inquiry for information purposes, although those cases are now time-barred.
The issue is not confined to France alone; Manteaux noted that there have been accidents reported across Europe related to the same tire models.
He expressed an intention to share the findings of the investigation with other European countries.
The inquiry was initiated in 2016 in Besançon following a complaint filed by Sophie Rollet, the widow of Jean-Paul Rollet, a truck driver who died in a July 2014 accident on the A36 highway in Doubs.
Determined to seek justice and unwilling to accept the initial classification of the case as a fatality, Rollet conducted her own online investigation to compile records of heavy truck accidents, aiming to demonstrate Goodyear's liability.
