The Ones for Justice: Tires Display 'Birth Dates' But Industry Opposes Expiration Dates
NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) - It's the threat any driver faces on a road trip: Can you trust your tires?
On every tire in America, you'll find a code that denotes the week and month a tire was manufactured.
What you won't find is an expiration date.
"The industry has been unwilling to deal with this issue and the result of that has been many lost lives," said Sean Kane, the president of Safety Research & Strategies, an organization that advocates for vehicle and product safety.
Kane has railed against the tire industry for years.
"The lack of an expiration date, the lack of information available to consumer that's easily readable and discernible on a tire, leads to crashes," Kane said.
He said too few customers know the tire's "birth date" exists, let alone, where to find it.
Federal safety regulators suggest replacing tires after six years, regardless of use.
TxDOT logged more than 4,200 tire-related crashes on North Texas roadways since 2010, according to data provided to The Ones for Justice.
The data excludes crashes that involved slick road conditions.
Danielle Escalante survived one of those wrecks.
"The whole time I was hoping to just live," said Danielle Escalante.
Escalante said she thought her used Jeep came with new tires.
But in June 2017, the back tire blew out on the President George Bush Turnpike, according to an incident report. Escalante said she never hit any debris.
"Maybe those tires weren't even new, maybe they were sitting there," said Escalanate, who has no idea how old her tires were.
But technically, no laws stop stores from selling aging tires.
The National Transportation Safety Board deemed aging tires a safety concern in a report released in 2015.
But the National Highway Safety Traffic Administration has stopped short of requiring the industry to print an expiration date.
The Ones for Justice repeatedly asked NHSTA why no government agency has mandated the industry to print an expiration date.
"We do not have a comment for your story," said spokesman Derrell Lyles, opting instead to send a list of tire safety tips released by NHSTA.
Tire makers have also rejected the idea.
In a statement, the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association argues the life of a tire cannot be predicted by age alone.
"Accurately predicting the actual serviceable life of any specific tire based on calendar age alone is not possible. Service and storage conditions vary widely, and proper maintenance and periodic inspections by a tire professional are essential for optimum performance and service life.
Consumers play a primary role in the regular care and maintenance of their tires. USTMA recommends that people inspect – regularly – all tires installed on your vehicle, including spares. During monthly maintenance inspections, focus on proper inflation pressure, tread wear and tire damage (cuts, cracks, bulges). This inspection is important even if your vehicle has a tire pressure monitoring system. When you are driving, it's also important to be aware of any change in performance such as increased air loss, noise or vibration. In these cases, we recommend consumers immediately consult a tire service professional to inspect the tire and determine if it needs to be removed for replacement or safe repair."
Depending on the company, some tire manufacturers say the lifespan of a tire can be anywhere between six and 10 years. But some tire dealers won't even a service a tire that's older than 10 years.
To see if your tires have been recalled, click here.
Drivers should also regularly check their tire pressure. A label on the vehicle's driver side indicates the recommended PSI for your tire.
