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Consumer group petitions federal government for tire expiration dates
November 8, 2004
An auto safety research firm, SRS Inc., has petitioned the federal government to require easy to read dates on tires, citing 50 crashes resulting in 37 fatalities caused by older tires with very little wear and tear. According to the group, tires can begin to degrade after six years creating an "invisible hazard" that the industry is aware of. Part of the petition sent to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) includes analysis from crashes involving different makes of tires by most leading manufacturers, including Continental, Dunlop, Firestone, General, Goodyear, Goodrich, Kelley, Michelin, Pirelli and Uniroyal.
There are currently no set recommendations in the U.S. on how old a tire can be before it is no longer considered safe. In the UK, the Tyre Industry Council, a nonprofit organization funded by the tire industry and tire retailers to promote tire safety among consumers, warned in 2003 that motorists should replace tires more than 10 years of age regardless of wear. Because the tire components dry with age and can separate, the council said anti-aging chemicals in tires are active only when a tires is in use.
Focus on tires became much more of a priority after 271 people died and more than 700 were injured in 2000 when Firestone tires on Ford SUVs failed. After two Firestone tire recalls, federal officials advised consumers to pay closer attention to tire wear and maintenance. The Public Citizen consumer group head Joan Claybrook, and former NHTSA administrator, said Congress called for tougher tire aging improvements in the TREAD Act, which is the legislation that passed following the Firestone tire recall. Claybrook said it was clear tire materials degrade over long periods of time and that older tires should not be sold.
Seth Kane, president of SRS, urged the NHTSA administrator Jeffrey Runge to issue an advisory to consumers as the agency considers the petition. Kane faults the U.S. tire industry for not following up on research highlighting the aging tire issue. The NHTSA must reject or accept the safety group's petition within 120 days.
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