390,000 Continental Contitrac tires for light trucks recalled

More than 390,000 Continental tires for light trucks are being recalled, say the company and the  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). About 330,000 of the tires were installed as original equipment on 2008 and 2009 Ford F-250 and F-350 trucks.

According to the recall notice, the tires may experience uneven road wear or vibrations. If the tires are underinflated or overloaded in high temperature environments, the belt edges may separate. That may lead to tread belt separation and increase the risk of a crash, says NHTSA.

In a Dow Jones newswire report, the company claims the tires met all federal safety standards, but not its own performance standards. And although the official NHTSA safety recall does not list any incidents tied to the tires, the Associated Press reports the company claims one fatal accident in January has been tied to the tires.

The Continental tires were manufactured between May 6, 2007 and Sept. 20, 2008 and sold as replacement tires in addition to being used on the Ford trucks. The exact tire models and sizes affected by this recall are:

• Continental Contitrac LT275/70R18 125/122S (outline white letters, black sidewall)
• Continental Contitrac TR BSW LT275/70R18 125/122S (black sidewall)
• Continental Contitrac TR OWL LT275/70R18 125/122S

Continental Tires will be sending notices to customers and replace the affected tires free of charge. For more information, owners can call Continental customer service (888-799-2168), NHTSA's vehicle safety hotline (888-327-4236, TTY:800-424-9153) or visit NHTSA's Safer Car website: www.safercar.gov.

Check our Tire care tips to keep your vehicle's tires safe and in top gas-saving performance. And if you're shopping to replace worn tires, read our tire buying advice and search our Ratings of tires online.

--Paul Eng

Recall notice: Continental tires (NHTSA campaign # 11T002000) [NHTSA]
Continental Tire Recalls 390K Truck Tires Mostly On F-250, F-350s [Dow Jones wire via Wall St. Journal]
Continental recalling tires used on Ford trucks [Associated Press via Google News]
Safer Car website [NHTSA]

—Paul Eng