According to an Associated Press report out of North Carolina, the state’s retread contractor, White’s Tire Service based in Wilson, N.C., apparently stamped incorrect inflation information on the retreads, suggesting the tires could carry more weight than Goodyear advises.
Goodyear, according to the AP, said White’s Tire also mislabeled the retreads with an inflation recommendation that was too low for the application, which could reduce the tires’ weight capacity below their original rating.
Meanwhile, a separate report in the Greensboro News-Record said state officials knew about the mislabeled tires for more than two years, but failed to either recall the retreads or warn school district officials. According to the News-Record, the state also failed to verify White Tire’s alleged claims that the incorrect inflation information on the sidewalls was not considered a “serious problem.”
“We have received no complaints from school districts about the performance of these tires or the performance of White’s Tire Service under the state contract for recapped tires,” Derek Graham, chief of transportation services for the state Department of Public Instruction, was quoted as saying.
According to the News-Record story, Goodyear contacted state school officials saying it was concerned about the retreaded tires. ”Goodyear manufactured the ‘G series’ tires to carry a maximum of 5205 lbs. each,” the story said. “In a process not used by most retreaders, White’s Tire covered the sidewall with new rubber and a new label that said the tires could carry 6,045 lbs.”
Goodyear told the newspaper that the mislabeling did not pose an immediate safety threat, and White Tire claims it corrected the error by August 2004 and informed state officials of the issue. But an unknown number of the retreads are still in use, the report said.
