Are Used Tires A Safety Risk?

Author: Mike Bartley

Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, a world leader intire manufacturing, earlier instructed retail stores to stopselling them - safety advocate urges the industry to tightentheir standards. Amid growing safety concerns, the company hasdecided to stop selling used tires at company-owned stores.
Bridgestone told its 2,200 retail stores to stop selling usedtires. Meanwhile, the Rubber Manufacturers Association for thefirst time sent a service bulletin warning that "used passengerand light truck tires that have an uncertain or unknown historypose a potential risk."
Sean Kane, the president of Safety Research and Strategies, aconsumer group, has urged tiremakers to adopt strict standardsbefore selling used tires. "Tire manufacturers have a lot atstake if something goes wrong with a used tire at the end of theday," Kane said. "If their name is on the side of the tire, theyhave to clean up the mess. I think there is a sea change andselling used tires is yesterday's thing."
In December, Kane submitted details about 108 accidents linkedto tread separation of tires more than six years old to theNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Thoseaccidents resulted in 85 deaths. Nationwide statistics are notavailable.
Bridgestone said last Friday that its chief operating officer,Bill Perdew, had told its outlets to stop selling used tiresimmediately. Perdew told the stores to stop selling used tiresin a previously unreported March 29 letter."
It was really a small percentage of our business," said DanMacDonald, a Bridgestone spokesman. "Our strength is to sell newtires, and from a profit standpoint it is a much better market."But MacDonald noted that many independent dealers sell usedBridgestone tires and said that the company was not urgingothers not to sell used tires. "It may make sense for some tireshops," MacDonald said.
MacDonald stressed that when Bridgestone sells used tires, theydo a very thorough inspection. "We wouldn't sell anything thatwasn't safe," he said. "But taking the time to inspect usedtires: Is that a good use of our time?" He added that theprohibition on used tires does not apply to switching summer andwinter tires or for tires with less than 500 miles "that areessentially out of the box."
On May 29, the Rubber Manufacturers Association issued abulletin on used tires. It offered a number of criteria thatindicate used tires are unsafe for resale, including theevidence of tread separation, use in "run-flat" mode or adefaced tire identification number. "
Any previously recalled tire should not be used, nor tiresfilled with temporary sealants. Used tires may have been exposedto improper service, maintenance or storage conditions and mayhave been damaged, which could eventually lead to tire failure,"the bulletin said.
Other situations that make used tires unsafe include punctures,penetrations, inner liner or bead damage, wear, cuts, cracks,scrapes, bulges, ozone cracking or weather checking, impactdamage, punctures, splits, snags, and a history of continuousinflation pressure loss.
Wal-Mart, one of the nation's biggest tire sellers, does notsell used tires at its stores, while some other major outletsdo. Jim Davis, a Goodyear Tire & Rubber spokesman, said that thecompany sells a small number of used tires at its 750company-owned stores. "The bulk of our business is new tires,"Davis said, saying used tires are inspected before being sold.
Used tires have been the subject of intensifying concern byautomakers and safety advocates. In addition, automakers havebacked guidelines that tires should only be in service for sixyears. To promote safety and convenience, it is best to useproven auto parts like the Exedy

About the author:Mike Bartley, 49, is a professional automotive journalistdomiciled in Irvine, CA. He travels from one state to another tocover the hottest auto shows, racing events and automotiverevelations. His penned compositions cover press releases,reviews, and suggestions. Where the auto action is, that'sexactly where you can find Mike.