Tire Report-Tires 6 Years Or Older Are VERY Dangerous
Tire Report-Tires 6 Years Or Older Are VERY Dangerous and The U.S. tire industry is refusing to give American motorists the same warning given to car owners in Europe and Asia about the possible dangers of tires six years old or older. Why? Greed!
Sean Kane who leads a private Auto Safety Firm and consults with the Federal Government says that more than 100 deaths in the U.S. have been attributed to aged tires which dried out and lost their treads. Even though the tires look perfectly good, appear safe, with lots of tread on them…they could be time bombs of death.
Since our illustrious Federal Government and the tire industry is not going to give you fair warning what to do…BBAC will. Safety experts say the only way for consumers to protect themselves is to learn how to read the cryptic code embedded on your tire’s sidewall. It reveals the year and week a tire was manufactured.
Where Is That Code?
The code is at the end of a jumble of letters and numbers on the tire. Some may be on the inside of the tire…until recently, the codes were on the inward side of the tire requiring motorists to climb under the car to read the number. Is that sneaky or what…that should tell you a little bit about who you are dealing with.
Here Is How The Code Works:
Example One: The number 318 indicates the tire was manufactured in the 31st week of 1998 and is 10 years old.This tire should NOT be on the roads.
Example Two: The number 520 indicates the tire was manufactured in the 52st week of 2000 and is 8 years old.This tire should NOT be on the roads.
Example Three: The pic above is a British tire. The number 3103 indicates he tire was manufactured in the 31st week of 2003 and is over 5 1/2 years old.This tire is questionable if it should be on the roads. I wouldn’t buy it. It is too close to the expiration date of safety.
BBAC consumers, do you feel left in the dark on this issue? Has the tire companies and the federal government let you down?
A tire older than six years old, even if it’s never been driven a mile, “is like a ticking time bomb. You don’t know what’s going on inside. That’s what makes it so dangerous,” said Sean Kane in an interview for broadcast on “20/20.”
Members of the British Rubber Manufacturers Association, which include Goodyear, Firestone and Michelin, warned in 2001 that “unused tires should not be put into service if they are over 6 years old.” So I guess the American public is chopped liver…
The U.S. Tire Industry Association, representing many of the same companies, says it has no plans to issue a similar warning, here in the US. Why? Because the Federal government has not such standards. Do I smell payoffs?
“There’s no scientific information that can point to when a tire should be removed because of age,” said Dan Zielinksi, of the U.S. Rubber Manufacturers Association, who maintains that age is not the key factor in tire safety and performance. “You need to look at the totality of the tire’s service life or its storage conditions to make that decision.”
But safety experts say there is extensive research showing tires begin to deteriorate in “critical” ways even if they remain unused or unsold in store inventories.
Experts also state that in most cases, a visual inspection or check of tread depth will not reveal the problem. In other words…”the American public is screwed!” The tire companies don’t give a plugged nickel about your safety…just buy their tires.
I have never been a Ford Motor Company person…however…The Ford Motor Company has urged the federal government to adopt a six-year expiration date, citing “comprehensive research” and “defendable data driven by analysis.” A big thumbs up to the Ford Motor Company for sticking up for our safety.
BBAC hopes that this tire report has helped you understand that there are dangers on the highway. Ones that we do not suspect. If your tires are 6 years or older, get new ones and if you see tires on the rack on sale, check the dates. Your new tires could be rotten before they are ever put on your car. Do not listen to any sales person tell you any thing different. Drive safe Baby Boomers. Read the tires codes.
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Yes, I have heard this before and now am paying attention to the dates when I buy tires….however, I have found that since consumers have become aware of this; tire shops and Sam’s Club, Walmart, etc have started giving out information on their tires more freely than they used to.
You should never keep your tires for six years because of high temperatures and the so very low temperatures especially in these recent years of the weather being so bad.
The danger is when you go to buy “new” tires you as a consumer really doesn’t know the age of the tires unless you ask where you are buying them and many times you trust the person you are buying the tires from and that is a mistake but that is a fact.
The biggest problem is everything is MONEY and most but not all tire people are initerested in their bottom line and that is a fact.and not the safety of the people that are buying the tires.
The reason that I wanted to write this article was that I was outraged that the tire business was so callus with our lives.
Personally, I had a horrible blow out of a new tire on the Interstate going 70 miles per hour.
My van went all over the place. The tire went flying all over the place. There was a car behind me and beside me when this happened. Fortunately the van went to the inside of the highway, into the grass first before it went back onto the highway giving everyone around me time to deal with the situation.
I hate to think what would have happened it the van had not gone to the right and I was not a seasoned driver.
To make matters worse, it was in the middle of a deserted area and I was lucky that someone that knew me was coming up behind me going in the same direction and came back to help me after going to the next exit 15 miles away.Thank goodness they turned around and came back to check on me, as it had gotten dark then.
I was a fortunate person not to be hurt or hurt anyone when the “Goodyear” tire blew to pieces…no thanks to the tire company.
Our landfills are filled with tires and every time one burns it ruins the air. Tires are not ECO friendly and they should be made to last longer.
Tires over 6 years old should NOT be sold in the US.
The reason that larger companies are now being more honest about selling the public rotten tires is only because they do not want to be taken to court! As you notice this has been at the expense of many lives and for over a hundred years of getting away with this travesty.
Angered consumer,
Sharon
~The Baby Boomer Queen