The AP reports that Peterbilt has “volunteered to recall more than 2,000 semis because they can travel at speeds greater than their tires can safely handle.” Peterbilt said in documents posted by the NHTSA that, “a premature tire failure may occur on the front or steer axle” and could cause a crash. “Dealers will reprogram the trucks’ computers so they can’t go faster than 65 mph,” the article reports. Following Peterbilt’s announcement, the NHTSA has called on other truck manufacturers with “similar risks” to address the issue, but the agency has not launched a formal investigation, spokesman Gordon Trowbridge said. “NHTSA investigators also blamed the tire failures on some states raising the speed limit for trucks above 75 mph — the maximum speed rating most truck tires can handle,” the article adds. The agency “has proposed a regulation limiting top speeds of big rigs nationwide to below 75 mph,” according to the AP.
From the news release of the American Association for Justice.
