Tire Recalls For Tread Separation Still Plague Automotive Sector

Firestone had to undertake a massive tire recall back in 2000 involving tires made for SUVs. Out of some 14 million sold, the approximately 6.5 million still on the road were recalled.

The story, highlighted by numerous rollover deaths, remained in the news for months, and had a severe impact on the manufacturer. Among other things, angry consumers often were told that replacement tires were not in stock. The recall did not go smoothly. Congressional investigations followed, and new tire safety legislation was enacted.

Reminiscent of those days are two recent tire recalls involving the same defect that prompted the 2000 recall, namely tread separation and high failure rates, risking dangerous blowouts. The danger is exacerbated in hot summer months.

Now, as if there are not enough woes with recalls of Chinese products, you can to the list of tire recalls some 450,000 tires imported from China. This recall is especially troublesome as will become evident from the story.

The current problem arises out of instances of tread separation of truck tires sold to U.S. distributors. The tires are light truck radials imported from the Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber...