Recall of faulty tire valve stems expanded
The recall of millions of faulty tire valve stems from China we wrote about last week has been expanded.
The rubber replacement valve stems in question may crack prematurely and cause tires to lose air quickly. At high speeds such rapid deflation can cause a serious crash.
Tire accessory distributor Tech International of Johnstown, Ohio, originally recalled model TR-413, which was manufactured for Dill Air Control Products of Oxford, N.C. by Topseal Shanghai Auto-Parts Co. Ltd. in China. The company said at that time the recall involved as many as six million valve stems.
But Tech International has now expanded the recall to include five additional models—TR-413CH, TR-414, TR-415, TR-418 and TR-423—manufactured between August 2006 and November 2006. Tech Int'l did not say how many of those additional models of valve stems it has distributed. Dill said earlier that it had shipped as many as 30 million of the TR-413 valve stems in the North American market.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation of the valve stems on May 15.
Most consumers will have a have a hard time figuring out with any certainty if they have any of the defective valve stems on their tires, however. That's because once a valve stems is installed, the only way to check to see if it is one of the suspected models is to dismount the tire from the wheel and inspect if from the inside.
Eugene Petersen, program leader for tire testing at Consumer Reports, says motorists should conduct a visual inspection of their valve stems to check for cracks. To do this, he says, remove the hubcap (if there is one) and move the top of the stem around, checking for any sign of cracks in the base of the stem where it meets the wheel.
Dill has posted photos online of what consumers should look for when they inspect valve stems.
Previous
Posted by: Kevin | Nov 2, 2009 4:15:02 PM
I had one of my 2007 Expedition tires rapidly deflate on the freeway this July. Luckily the only damage was to the tire, which had to be replaced at my cost. Ford dealer found all 4 valves cracked, but wouldn't check the spare as Ford Motor Company wouldn't compensate them for it. Hmm, no Ford recall and customer pays for damage due to faulty made Chinese part when my car is still under a so-called bumper-to-bumper warranty. Is Ford Motor Company so hard off they're letting safety issues slide so they can save the $$$?
Posted by: Dan | Sep 25, 2009 10:39:56 PM
From personal experience these valves can rapidly fail while driving with out warning. Two valves that had no cracks rapidly cracked only part way on one side, leading to a sudden deflation. One tire failed while driving and the other sitting in the driveway. So, even if no cracks are evident, they still can rapidly fail!
Posted by: MLM | Sep 4, 2009 5:22:19 PM
Got a flat one night and had a blowout on the freeway the next morning, both caused by faulty valve stems. I filed complaints with the National Transportation Safety Board at http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/index.cfm, and I encourage you to do the same.
Posted by: Tim Thomas | Aug 31, 2009 4:48:31 PM
I have had two rapid deflations on the road due to chinese TRA413 cracked valve stems. I just had them all replaced. It is fairly easy to spot the cracked valve stem before it leaks. As mentioned above, bend the valve around looking for the crack at the base. It was pretty obvious in my case. I had no idea this was something that I needed to be looking at. My local tire shop replaced them all for free.
Posted by: MBARBARO | Aug 26, 2009 3:26:37 PM
If the valve stem assembly is made in JAPAN, is there anything to worry about or is it soley those made in China?
Posted by: JD in southeastern USA | Aug 14, 2009 11:03:24 AM
NEW SCHRADER VALVE Made in CHINA: says so right on it!
I'm preparing to have new tires mounted on a nearly 40 year old corvette with original steel wheels. I'm sensitive to tire and/or tire valve stem quality issues. I diligently shopped to find a proper tire that was also made in usa ... I have proper usa tires in hand from 3'rd party. The local big box chain installer agreed to install tires from 3'rd party & has done so for me before. I also sandblasted & repainted the old wheels ... think restoration. As I prep for install, I also checked with same local installer about tire valve issues: I showed him an "old" SCHRADER TR413 tire valve marked USA & asked if he had them just like it and if they were USA or Chinese etc. That tire tech brought me a Brand Spankin' New SCHRADER TR413 ... BUT it's marked CHINA on both stem body base and on plastic cap. I kept it & have it as I write. I inspected & compared both old USA & new China under good light. All markings I refer to were molded in during manufacturing.
Clearly, SCHRADER is making common TR413 tire valves in China now ... Clearly, do NOT assume it's USA simply because it's branded Schrader. I searched Schrader site but find no mention of China manufacturing; absolutely nothing denoting where Schrader valves are actually mfd. That new one on my shelf marked 'Schrader TR413 China' is rather telling.
Posted by: Ken | Jul 15, 2009 10:18:07 PM
At the moment that the supplier (Dill) notified its distributers of the defective units, and that the installation facility was made aware of the recall, should any of the recalled stems have been installed by said facility, the installation facility had a legal responsibility to notify all of its customers they may have installed the valve stem for, and replace them ALL at no cost to the customer.
I seems to me failure to do so makes the installation facility liable for damage and or injury and in some states criminally responsible.
Posted by: Monte | Jul 13, 2009 1:07:06 PM
To :
Posted by: Doug | Oct 15, 2008 1:00:35 PM
Your comment to the young lady shows a lack of empathy as much as a lack of sense. I almost lost my truck and camper this week end because of the faulty valve stems. I didn't need driving instructions I needed quality a product. After taking my truck to a tire dealer they found all 4 stems faulty and I had them replaced. The tire guy totally blames the problem on poor quality Chinese made parts. So doug, I correctly perceived this problem to be life threatening because it happened to me. If you are so closed minded not to see the seriousness of this, maybe you should get off the road. Because, when you crash and burn you wont take anybody with you.
Posted by: Jimmy McGee | Jul 7, 2009 7:00:23 PM
Well, we don't make anything here in the US anymore. We used to pride ourselves on the quality of US made products but those days are behind us. Now, everything comes from China. In the last month, I have had three valve stems fail. I literally thought someone was sabotaging my tires because the cracks looked identical to each other, all at the base of the valve stem. When I got flat # 3, I had a local tire shop replace all the junk Chinese valve stems with quality European made ones and I haven't had a problem since.
Posted by: Joe | May 23, 2009 1:53:56 AM
Last Friday I had the second valve stem crack at the base and unfortunately my wife drove on the tire enough of a distance that the sidewall of a very expensive Michelin tire was ruined. One of the techs at Costco was kind enough to suggest that I do some research about faulty valve stems; he thought maybe I could get reimbursed for at least part of the $200 for the new tire. From what I have read here, not likely. Here are some particulars: Vehicle new 2007 Ford Fusion with Alloy rims and Michelin Pilot MXM4 P225/50R17 93V tires; slightly over 10k miles. There had been no modifications to the vehicle or tires, all standard equipment. Mercury and Lincoln derivative owners should inspect valve stems and replace ASAP. After the first valve stem failure, the tech at the local Good Year noted that the factory installed stems were too long for the rim and replaced the bad unit with a shorter one (manuf. unknown-likely Chinese made). Costco did the same and the next day I returned to Good Year and replaced the other two. I find it interesting that when I mentioned this recall to the manager at Good Year he said he had never heard of it. This is a very serious issue!
Posted by: ET | May 14, 2009 3:12:56 PM
My 2008 Ford Escape had a faulty valve stem first on April 6, 2009, and a second on May 9, 2009. I talked to the dealer and this problem is unheard of to him. He did replace my other 2 today; however, Ford apparently is not responsible for my costs. The first one cost me $20 (during the day) and the second was $45 at night. I feel really safe driving this vehicle now!
Posted by: Joe B | Apr 29, 2009 5:03:42 PM
My 2008 Escape is at the dealers at the moment getting the valve near the transmission fixed because it was leaking (another manufacturer defect in this model). They called and told me all 4 stems are cracked and need replacement and it will be $20 per stem. Why isn't Ford responsible to replace these? I do have the extended warranty.
Posted by: Denise | Apr 26, 2009 6:30:11 PM
Yep, noticed a low tire this a.m. on my '07 vehicle with Michelin tires. After filling it at the gas station air pump, hearing the hiss, and then going to a car shop to get the valve replacement, I checked all other valves to notice some degree of cracking in ALL valves. I am still under warranty, but will be anxious to hear if dealership service can assure me the replacement valves are NOT Chinese made.....It's quite disturbing! It's also quite disturbing to see a comment on this site that people should not be quick to blame manufacturing. Hey, if all four tire valves are cracked on a roughly 2-year old car with only 11,000 miles, there's definitely something wrong with manufacturing practices!
Posted by: David | Apr 25, 2009 5:18:23 PM
Check out sure valve. U.S. made
Posted by: Rich | Apr 13, 2009 10:39:32 AM
Wow! I didn't hear about this last year when the recall was announced, but heard it on CarTalk this past weekend.
I bought a set of tires about 2 years ago, over the next year I had three valve stem fail! The third was on the highway, which ruined the tire, costing $$$ and aggravation to replace.
I specifically shopped around to not buy a Chinese made tire ( I ended up buying a Made in USA tire) but then they put a crappy Chinese valve stem on!!!
Rich
Posted by: Mike | Mar 10, 2009 3:58:39 AM
Experienced two deflation's within two weeks. Both were sudden with no warning. The tires were bought at Discount Tire.
Posted by: Dave Schuette | Jan 5, 2009 2:00:55 PM
In a matter of two hours driving time during my holiday travels to and from Michigan via I-94, I experience three flat tires. The second was 40 miles into my trip returning to Wisconsin. I opted to return to the home I was visiting to avoid continuing the drive without a spare (especially since I already experienced a flat on my drive to Michigan from Wisconsin). In the driveway of my mother's house, I notice the third tire going flat. As I tried to pump it up, I noticed the valve stem leaking. Ah ha! I checked the damaged tire that I now carried on my spare tire rack, and sure enough...the valve stem on it was split in half! Until then, I was baffled. The tires are expensive off-road Goodyear MT/R's. Until then, I couldn't understand why the most beefy tires I ever owned were going flat on normal pavement driving conditions (I had one other flat this past summer, but didn't think too much about it, since the tire was repairable). This recent trip cost me $600 by the time everything was said and done. I confirmed the valve stems were Dill TR-413 and 414s. I wrote a letter the the GM of Dill. Hopefully, they'll help me out. Their web page has a link to "recall information". I was expecting a link to claims, but instead it's just the article described above on how to check for faulty stems. Not sure how I was to know about this for preventative maintenance. So far, I'm chalking this up to a very expensive lesson on tires.
Posted by: Gregg Rene | Dec 29, 2008 4:07:08 PM
My 2007 MKZ AWD had a driver front failure of a valve stem (cracking as noted in recall), but I can't get my dealer to even acknowledge a valve stem recall by Lincoln - nor admit the widely publicized Dill recall (who supplies all the manufacturers). Looks like I will have to have the remaining valve stems replaced by a third party. And the big three can't figure out why people are moving to other manufacturers like Toyota, etc. The big three are sooo out of touch with their customer base. I want a Lexus or Beamer anyway....
Posted by: Luci | Nov 24, 2008 3:23:26 PM
I had two tire blowouts while driving on the interstate this past summer on two different occasions! We replaced all four tires because we did not know what the cause was... then we received a letter! Replace all of the valve stems if you think they are cracking or you possibly had the defective ones installed!
Posted by: mac | Nov 22, 2008 5:26:40 PM
Four new Michelin tires and valves were purchased at Sears 10/1/06. First valve failure 9/20/08. Second valve failure 10/7/08. Third valve failure 11/1/08. Fourth valve replaced at the same time. (I finally figured it out!) Although these tires are rotated and balanced every six months, we received NO NOTICE of this failure and I don't recall even seeing it in my Consumer Reports print version. We paid to have tires "repaired" twice and today paid Sears for the tire that got damaged from riding on the rim for some distance. (That would be the second valve failure but then Firestone didn't tell us about the tire damage.) This has been expensive, inconvenient, plus I was treated very rudely by Sears personnel today, one of whom had never even heard of the problem with these valves. This article states that this could effect more than 30,000,000 tires!!! Why isn't our government forcing these people to advertise this issue before someone else gets killed? It was nearly me this time!
Posted by: Craig | Oct 27, 2008 2:42:20 PM
To the gentleman who has his original 20 year old tires and valves on the Corvette: you really should do some research and you will find that all reputable tire manufacturers recommend replacing tires when they reach 10 years old, regardless of tread depth. They DO deteriorate internally and are definitely NOT SAFE to use. But it's your car, you decide.
Posted by: TR | Oct 27, 2008 9:39:57 AM
Several people have said it, what will it take for Americans to stop buying things made in China.
Several people have said it, they'd be willing to pay more for something not made in China.
I ask, what will it take for American Retail outlets to sell things not made in China?
I refuse to shop at Wal-Mart because, among a lot of reasons, they've abanadoned their sales model "made in the USA" in favor of "cheap garbage made in China makes us rich".
Twice recently I went to Target to buy a specific item. One was a sugar bowl. The other was a pizza cutter. In both cases Target had at least three items to choose from. In both cases all of Targets items were made in China.
It doesn't matter what consumers are willing to do if our retailers won't accomodate us.
So what will it take?
Nothing short of a Country-wide universal boycott of everything made in China and a Country-wide boycott of stores that do not at least carry a non-made-in-China alternative.
Posted by: SE | Oct 23, 2008 9:11:59 AM
I had just returned from a nearby town the other day and I had stopped to get gas. When I was about to leave, a guy yelled to me that I had a flat tire. I was surprised, I hadn't even noticed! The tire suddenly lost pressure while setting at the pump. I took my car to Discount tire where I had purchased the tires and they replaced the valve stem and supposedly replaced the others as well.
Posted by: steve | Oct 22, 2008 2:37:33 PM
Ive just checked my 2008 escape and it has 2 cracked tire valve stems but the dealer knows nothing about the recall and say there is no recall for my vehicle. Im going to take it in anyway, shouldn't they replace all 4?
Posted by: Doug | Oct 15, 2008 1:00:35 PM
Calm down. Yes, this is a serious issue. If you percieve this to be a life threatening issue, you should consider taking a driving course or two.
For the young lady who is complaining about the $200 in road service fees, I strongly suggest you learn to use a jack and a lug wrench.
Flat tires happen, people.
Sometimes they happen for reasons that cannot be blamed on defective equipment, and sometimes they happen beyond the reach of "road service."
By all means, check your valve stems..but for crying out loud, learn how to handle your vehicle in a blow-out situation, and learn how to change your own tires!