A WSJ.COM News Roundup

                    WASHINGTON -- Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. has been named in a
                    class-action lawsuit by consumers claiming that some of its tires are
                    defective.

                                         The lawsuit, against Goodyear and its
                                         Kelly-Springfield Tire Co. unit, claims models of
                                         their Load Range E, Load Range D, light-truck
                                         and recreational-vehicle tires are defective and
                                         "not fit for their intended use." The plaintiffs are
                                         represented by Carey & Danis and Cohen
                                         Milstein Hausfeld & Toll.

                                         Filed Nov. 16 in the Circuit Court of the Third
                                         Judicial Circuit of Madison County, Ill., the suit
                                         claims Goodyear has left "millions of tires on the
                                         road in which the defect has not been
                                         addressed or corrected."

                                         On Tuesday, the National Highway Traffic Safety
                                         Administration informed Goodyear, Akron, Ohio,
                                         that it was beginning an investigation into the
                                         tires. The company responded by claiming the
                                         tires have excellent durability and performance.

                                         The agency plans to examine 21 million tires
                                         manufactured between 1991 and 1999 after
                                         receiving 37 complaints about tread separations
                                         on Goodyear's Load Range E tires, including
                                         reports of 31 crashes involving 15 deaths and
                                         129 injuries.

                    The investigation comes three months after a mass recall of Firestone
                    tires that were linked to traffic deaths and other accidents.
                    Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. has said it had replaced more than five
                    million tires, or about 80% of those recalled.

                    Goodyear started investigating the Load Range E tires at least four
                    years ago. But changes, including adding an extra nylon layer, took
                    three years to be implemented on all tires in the series.

                    Since becoming aware of the problems, Goodyear made changes to the
                    tires but denied that it held a "silent recall,'' where repairs are made
                    during regular check-ups, sometimes without the customer's
                    knowledge, if a defect doesn't pose a danger to a car's passengers.

                    Goodyear received more than 3,000 claims since 1995 about its
                    light-truck tires, according to a report published Tuesday in the Los
                    Angeles Times. The company said it had provided "customer
                    satisfaction" replacements on a case-by-case basis.

                    Goodyear says it has received claims involving injuries or fatalities
                    arising from 30 accidents since 1994, leading to 25 lawsuits, five of
                    which have been settled.