(Editor’s Note: This is a letter to the editor from Paul Kruder, president of tire registration product supplier CIMS)

Unfortunately all consumers, including tire purchasers, are beginning to question the safety and the quality of any product that is produced in China. With the recent dramatic increase of Chinese produced tires imported and sold in the U.S., the tire industry must change the perception that all tires produced in China are suspect, plus regain the safety and quality confidence of tires sold in the U.S.

The most realistic way to rebuild consumer trust is to ensure that tires purchased are registered. Tire registration will enable the tire purchaser to receive a direct and timely notification if their tires are involved in a safety-related recall. As a result, the tire purchaser will have their tires replaced, mounted and balanced free of charge, plus protect the safety of themselves and their family.

Anyone concerned with the future of the tire industry should be promoting tire registration so that every tire purchaser will be directly and timely notified in the event of a safety-related recall. Tire registration should be actively supported by not only the media, but also by tire manufacturers, tire dealers, tire industry associations, consumer safety advocate groups and anyone interested in consumer safety.

Recently FTS (brand owner/importer) issued a press release concerning the current recall of 255,000 Chinese produced tires. The number of tires returned by consumers was not only disappointing but unacceptable with only a total quantity of 282 tires sold returned out of one quarter of a million Chinese produced tires recalled. With only 282 tires sold returned, obviously there is no tire registration system or notification procedure in place.

The tire industry must realize how poorly this reflects on them as a whole, especially when a congressionally mandated tire registration regulation is already in place. The NHTSA tire registration regulation has been in place for over 30 years.

The NHTSA regulation requires tire manufacturers/brand owners and tire dealers to register tires and provide direct, timely notification to tire purchasers so their potentially unsafe tires will be removed from the highways in the event of a safety-related recall. Significant NHTSA fines and penalties may apply for non-compliance ($5,000 per tire – up to $16 million maximum). No new regulations are required! NHTSA needs to monitor actual compliance activity and the tire industry needs to implement tire registration to provide safety protection for the tire purchaser.

Tire registration protection is not an expensive service (pennies per tire). Any responsible tire manufacturer/brand owner and tire dealer knows the benefits of providing tire registration as a consumer safety protection. It is vital that the tire industry re-establish the trust of the tire purchaser by providing them the important safety protection of registering their tires so they will receive a direct, timely notification in the event of a recall.

Paul J. Kruder
President
CIMS
Akron, OH