Notice2026-03616
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, Receipt of Petition for Decision of Inconsequential Noncompliance
Primary source
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Published
February 24, 2026
Issuing agencies
Transportation DepartmentNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Abstract
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company (Goodyear) has determined that certain Dean Back Country A/T2 light truck tires do not fully comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 119, New Pneumatic Tires for Motor Vehicles with a GVWR of More Than 4,536 Kilograms (10,000 Pounds), Specialty Tires, and Tires for Motorcycles. Goodyear filed a noncompliance report dated May 12, 2025, and subsequently petitioned NHTSA (the "Agency") on May 13, 2025, for a decision that the subject noncompliance is inconsequential as it relates to motor vehicle safety. This document announces receipt of Goodyear's petition.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 36 (Tuesday, February 24, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 36 (Tuesday, February 24, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8947-8948]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-03616]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
[Docket No. NHTSA-2025-0428; Notice 1]
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, Receipt of Petition for Decision
of Inconsequential Noncompliance
AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA),
Department of Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Receipt of petition.
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SUMMARY: Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company (Goodyear) has determined that
certain Dean Back Country A/T2 light truck tires do not fully comply
with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 119, New
Pneumatic Tires for Motor Vehicles with a GVWR of More Than 4,536
Kilograms (10,000 Pounds), Specialty Tires, and Tires for Motorcycles.
Goodyear filed a noncompliance report dated May 12, 2025, and
subsequently petitioned NHTSA (the ``Agency'') on May 13, 2025, for a
decision that the subject noncompliance is inconsequential as it
relates to motor vehicle safety. This document announces receipt of
Goodyear's petition.
DATES: Send comments on or before March 26, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written data,
views, and arguments on this petition. Comments must refer to the
docket and notice number cited in the title of this notice and may be
submitted by any of the following methods:
<bullet> Mail: Send comments by mail addressed to the U.S.
Department of Transportation, Docket Operations, M-30, West Building
Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC
20590.
<bullet> Hand Delivery: Deliver comments by hand to the U.S.
Department of Transportation, Docket Operations, M-30, West Building
Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC
20590. The Docket Section is open on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
except for Federal Holidays.
[[Page 8948]]
<bullet> Electronically: Submit comments electronically by logging
onto the Federal Docket Management System (FDMS) website at <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/">https://www.regulations.gov/</a>. Follow the online instructions for submitting
comments.
<bullet> Comments may also be faxed to (202) 493-2251.
Comments must be written in the English language, and be no greater
than 15 pages in length, although there is no limit to the length of
necessary attachments to the comments. If comments are submitted in
hard copy form, please ensure that two copies are provided. If you wish
to receive confirmation that comments you have submitted by mail were
received, please enclose a stamped, self-addressed postcard with the
comments. Note that all comments received will be posted without change
to <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>, including any personal information
provided.
All comments and supporting materials received before the close of
business on the closing date indicated above will be filed in the
docket and will be considered. All comments and supporting materials
received after the closing date will also be filed and will be
considered to the fullest extent possible.
When the petition is granted or denied, notice of the decision will
also be published in the Federal Register pursuant to the authority
indicated at the end of this notice.
All comments, background documentation, and supporting materials
submitted to the docket may be viewed by anyone at the address and
times given above. The documents may also be viewed on the internet at
<a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> by following the online instructions for
accessing the dockets. The docket ID number for this petition is shown
in the heading of this notice.
DOT's complete Privacy Act Statement is available for review in a
Federal Register notice published on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477-78).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jayton Lindley, General Engineer,
NHTSA, Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance, (325) 655-0547.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Overview: Goodyear determined that certain Dean Back Country A/
T2 light truck tires do not fully comply with paragraph S6.5(f) of
FMVSS No. 119, New Pneumatic Tires for Motor Vehicles with a GVWR of
More Than 4,536 Kilograms (10,000 Pounds), Specialty Tires, and Tires
for Motorcycles. (49 CFR 571.119).
Goodyear filed a noncompliance report dated May 12, 2025, pursuant
to 49 CFR part 573, Defect and Noncompliance Responsibility and
Reports. Goodyear petitioned NHTSA on May 13, 2025, for an exemption
from the notification and remedy requirements of 49 U.S.C. Chapter 301
on the basis that this noncompliance is inconsequential as it relates
to motor vehicle safety, pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 30118(d) and 30120(h)
and 49 CFR part 556, Exemption for Inconsequential Defect or
Noncompliance.
This notice of receipt of Goodyear's petition is published under 49
U.S.C. 30118 and 30120 and does not represent any agency decision or
another exercise of judgment concerning the merits of the petition.
II. Tires Involved: Approximately 8,639 Dean Back Country A/T2 size
35x12.50R18LT light truck tires, manufactured between August 21, 2022,
and August 31, 2024, were reported by the manufacturer.
III. Rule Requirements: Paragraph S6.5(f) of FMVSS No. 119 includes
the requirements relevant to this petition. Paragraph S6.5(f) requires
each tire to be marked on each sidewall with the actual number of plies
and the composition of the ply cord material in the sidewall and, if
different, in the tread area.
IV. Noncompliance: Goodyear explains that the noncompliant tires
were manufactured with 2-nylon plies in the tread area, but were cured
in a mold that labeled them as only having 1-nylon ply.
V. Summary of Goodyear's Petition: The following views and
arguments presented in this section, ``V. Summary of Goodyear's
Petition,'' are the views and arguments provided by Goodyear. They have
not been evaluated by the Agency and do not reflect the views of the
Agency. Goodyear describes the subject noncompliance and contends that
the noncompliance is inconsequential as it relates to motor vehicle
safety.
Goodyear states that, although the noncompliant tires were labeled
as having 1 ply despite actually having 2 plies of nylon in the tread
area, all other sidewall markings required by FMVSS No. 119 relating to
tire service are correct and that the tires meet or exceed all
applicable safety standards relating to performance. Goodyear further
states that all tires of this type will be correctly labeled as having
2-nylon plies. Goodyear believes that the mislabeling of the subject
tires does not pose a risk to safety, nor does it impact the use,
repair, or recycling of the tires and is therefore inconsequential to
motor vehicle safety.
Goodyear lists seven petitions for inconsequential noncompliance
that were granted by NHTSA that it believes are similar to this
petition:
<bullet> Specialty Tires of America, Inc., 87 FR 61431 (Oct. 11, 2022)
<bullet> Michelin North America, Inc., 87 FR 6942 (Feb. 7, 2022)
<bullet> Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd., 83 FR 13002 (March 26, 2018)
<bullet> Continental Tire the Americas, LLC, 83 FR 36668 (July 30,
2018)
<bullet> Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, 82 FR 17075 (April 7, 2017)
<bullet> Hankook Tire America Corp.,79 FR 30688 (May 28, 2014)
<bullet> Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC, 78 FR 47049 (Aug.
2, 2013).
Goodyear concludes by stating its belief that the subject
noncompliance is inconsequential as it relates to motor vehicle safety
and its petition to be exempted from providing notification of the
noncompliance, as required by 49 U.S.C. 30118, and a remedy for the
noncompliance, as required by 49 U.S.C. 30120, should be granted.
NHTSA notes that the statutory provisions (49 U.S.C. 30118(d) and
30120(h)) that permit manufacturers to file petitions for a
determination of inconsequentiality allow NHTSA to exempt manufacturers
only from the duties found in sections 30118 and 30120, respectively,
to notify owners, purchasers, and dealers of a defect or noncompliance
and to remedy the defect or noncompliance. Therefore, any decision on
this petition only applies to the subject tires that Goodyear no longer
controlled at the time it determined that the noncompliance existed.
However, any decision on this petition does not relieve tire
distributors and dealers of the prohibitions on the sale, offer for
sale, or introduction or delivery for introduction into interstate
commerce of the noncompliant tires under their control after Goodyear
notified them that the subject noncompliance existed.
(Authority: 49 U.S.C. 30118, 30120: delegations of authority at 49
CFR 1.95 and 501.8)
Otto G. Matheke III,
Director, Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance.
[FR Doc. 2026-03616 Filed 2-23-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on February 24, 2026.
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