I-Team: Old Tires Have Drivers Riding Dangerously
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
Shoney Dutton recently lost her sister in a tragic car crash after the tread on one of her van's tires separated and caused the van to flip and catch fire.
Dutton says "I just hope people will look at their tires because it means everything."
The tires on the van were already used when they were purchased. But after investigating the accident, police blamed the crash on the tire's age. They were six years old.
Sean Kane is a tire safety expert who's studied 159 cases in which aging tires separated and caused accidents involving serious injuries or deaths.
Kane warns, "even if they've never been used, as they age the material inside them degrades over time."
But manufacturers argue strongly that tire age is not a factor.
Industry insiders say what does affect a tire's performance condition are its service life, how it's used, whether or not it's been maintained and how it's been stored.
Many car manuals warn drivers that tires "should be replaced after six years, "regardless of remaining tread"...or risk "serious injury or death."
But CBS4 News tried checking out tires around South Florida to see how old they were, it turns out it's not very easy at all.
Lt. Alex Annunziato of the Florida Highway Patrol pointed out that while tires are supposed to carry manufacturing dates that are branded into them, it's sometimes still very difficult to find them, as he checked out tires with CBS4 Chief Consumer Investigator Al Sunshine.
Annunziato said, " It's not easy. It supposed to be here or the other side. You'd have to be someone who's in the industry or works on tires to tell that."
Service Manager David Perez says you have to know exactly where to look.
He spotted a small box on the side of the tire with a 4-Digit DOT Code.
Perez advises "most of the time it's right here. It's this 1409 DOT number showing this tire was made the 14th week of 2009."
Perez said he sees bad tires every day around South Florida, improperly cared for or rotting from old age.
The problem?
Perez says too many people are putting off buying new tires because of the bad economy, and in many cases, cash-strapped consumers are buying old, used tires.
But it turns out re-selling old tires is not even regulated in Florida or most other parts of the country.
And that worries local driver John Carney who said, "They should have some kind of rules. People could be riding on bad tires, not even know it, and end up getting into a bad accident."
Traffic safety investigators worry more and more financially-strapped drivers may be putting themselves at risk riding on aging tires without knowing how potentially dangerous they can be.
Trooper Alex Annunziato warned, "Certainly having bad tires greatly increases your risk of having a serious accident resulting in something tragic."
For years, auto safety advocates pushed for manufacturing or expiration dates to be clearly marked on tires so everyone can find them.
But tire makers say that would be too confusing and expensive.
In the meantime, CBS4 Chief Consumer Investigator Al Sunshine recommends checking your tires for cracks or other problems and replacing before they fail and cause a serious accident.
More Tire Safety Information:
SaferCar.gov
NHTSA
