I just watched a pretty disturbing video. It’s about tires. And what is happening is people are unknowingly buying old tires thinking they are new. And these tires are killing people. And no one is stopping it.
These aren’t retreads; they have never been in use. The problem is that rubber dries out over time; so older tires that have sat on the shelf for years become a time bomb for the unfortunate consumer who thinks they have safe, new tires.
They look to be in excellent condition; the treads are perfect in appearance. You can’t "see" the degradation. What happens is these old tires, when put to the punishment of pulling several hunder pounds of metal (and people) simply fall apart; strips of tread are off in a second and the vehicle usually crashes.
Great Britain has strongly warned consumers not to use tires over 6 years old. Even in the USA, Ford Motors has publicly implored companies not to sell old tires. They recommend that tires have expiration dates.
But they are being sold, in big companies like Wal Mart and Sears, which gets rid of old tires with "Managers’ Specials"!
How can you tell if you have an old tire? Each tire has code on it that contains the date is was made; that information comes last in a string of letters and numbers. The week, then the year of the date is displayed. For example, "0202" is the 2nd week of 2004; "501"is the 50th week of 1991.
At least now you can find the code. It used to be on the inside rim and you had to crawl under the vehicle to see it. It was only changed last year!
This is not a marketing article, but it is about being safe, and everyone needs to know about this dangerous practice. Watch the video; one business continued to sell old tires even after settling a lawsuit.
Here is what others have to say:
How safe are your tires - check this out!
Apparently there are some companies out there selling new tires that are 7+ yrs old and supposedly unsafe when they have been sitting around for that long…. ABC News.
Buying new tires? Check this out.
There are suggestions that a tire becomes unsafe to begin using it as “new” after 6 years of shelf life. It probably makes a difference as to whether it has been stored outside in the weather or in a dark storeroom, etc. …
NHTSA Consumer Advisory: Old Tires Can Be Just As Dangerous As …
This tire has never been used. It easily passes the "coin test". Yet it could be unsafe; it was manufactured 14 years prior, and is being sold as "new". We are all aware of the hazards of bald tires; most of us know about the "coin …
Aged Tires: Lawsuits Needed To Stop Corporate Wrongfull Acts
Below is an intersting video link from ABC news about the growing threat of old tires. http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=4826897. Manufacturers are ultimately legally responsible if their products are unsafe. …
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Weird. I took a flashlight and looked at the DOT code.
3 tires are 6 years old and the 4th one is 7 years old.
I hope people check this.