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.

Comments

[Luci]

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!

[mac]

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!

[Craig]

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.

[TR]

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.

[SE]

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.

[steve]

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?

[Doug]

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!

[Sabina]

I have a 2007 Honda with metal valves (as pictured in the Dill procedure to inspect document) and a wireless air pressure monitoring system. Does this mean I am safe from this problem?

[Cie]

Where can you take your car in the Maryland area to have the tires inspected for free to see if the stems and tires are good and not on any recall listing. If it's not 1 thing it's another!!! But I am glad that this information is being given so that no one including myself will get hurt hopefully.

[Emily]

This is a serious problem. I am a 20 year old girl who drives a honda civic and just got 3 tires a year ago. Last week I was driving 70 mph on a major highway and suddenly got a flat tire. It cost me $100 dollars to get a tow truck to come, not to mention I ran the risk of a serious accident. I went to Sears and had them look at my tire and they informed me I had a faulty valve stem and that it was known to happen in tires that were produced in around 2005. He replaced the valve stem for free informing me it was covered by the manufacturer. I asked him to check the other tires since I was concerned the same thing could happen again. When looking at one of the other valve stems it popped of after being touched and that tire went immediately flat- so he replaced that one as well. Today I was driving down the same major highway and got a flat AGAIN. The 3rd tire in 3 weeks- another $100 to get my spare put on! Not to mention the 2nd time I was at risk to be in a serious accident! I don't understand why I wasn't informed that this could happen- wouldn't the manufacturer have been liable if I had been hurt? Also, I'm out $200 dollars on road side assistance fees because of faulty valve stems I could have been informed about previously. Wouldn't it benefit the manufacturer to inform consumers BEFORE bad things happen. My last question is- if the valve stems are replaced- can it happen again? Or am I safer getting new tires? If so should they be covered by the manufacturer?

[Gina]

Today my husband & I went tire shopping for my Toyota Corolla. We called one tire store and visited 3 others, all national chains. What we were specifically asking each company was: "Where are the valve stems made?" We knew about the recall and didn't want anything chinese. The answers we got were not very helpful, to say it in an understated fashion.

At the place we called, they said that they could 'do some research' (they didn't even know what brand they used) and we could call back someday in the near future. The stores we visited were even LESS helpful. The first place we visited, they guy acted like he'd never heard of the recall issue, and he said that they were certainly american-made and that a 'little part like that wouldn't be made in China'. I told him that almost all valve stems ARE made in China, so could he please let me see the valves they would be using. He met us out in the garage area and showed us valve stems with no writing on them at all. "How about the box?", I asked. He said they don't come in a box, nor a bag. No packaging?? Finally, he gave me a phone number of some guy who he said would know. So we called it from our cellphone and the man said this:
...There is only one company which still manufactures valve stems in the USA: Schrader. He said that his tire company did NOT use those and they were definitely Chinese-made.

The next place we went to was another chain. The front desk guy said he was '95...96...98% sure' that they were made in the USA. But he wouldn't go ASK anybody installing the tires out back!! I made it clear that if we weren't 100% sure, we couldn't buy tires from them. He said we should call back tomorrow. At least they had heard about the recalls. We were leaving when we caught the eye of a tire installer, and we decided to ask him what country the valves are manufactured in. He said he didn't know, but they were made by a company called Schrader. Woo hoo! Pretty good news! But why couldn't the desk-dude just ask them? It's like nobody cares.

Because we still had to hit the 'membership warehouse' anyway, we went into their tire room. The associate said he didn't know where the valves they use were made. Again, we had to press to get an answer. He went out to the installation area, and when he came back, he said that they didn't list where they were made, or the company who made them. "They don't come in a package", he said. My husband & I thought that was really unlikely to be true. Products just don't *appear*, they come IN SOMETHING. He did say they were supplied by Michelin. So we had to assume they would be chinese.

So, tonight I have been trying to research Schrader, but I can't find out too much. The company seems to be owned by a British company now.

I mainly wanted to post that it is extremely difficult for consumers to find out which brand of valve stem is being furnished, and its country of origin. It shouldn't be hard to get a straight answer out of these places. They either know it's chinese (and don't want us to know) or they don't know/don't care. Isn't there a law that says goods need to be labeled for country of origin?

[Bryan Morgan]

Just had to replace a tire valve on a Bridgestone truck tire with 60000km on it(2004 truck). Fortunately for us the valve blew while we were at a rest stop or who knows what would have happened to us while trying to negotiate our truck, camper and boat at highway speeds!!! I specifically asked the GM dealer if there had been any issues or recalls and was given a "not to my knowledge" answer. I'm going back to the dealer on Monday armed with this info. I will ask for the valve type and then get all valves replaced by the best ones available. "Not a happy camper".

[Alan]

Responding to Terry Warp's comments below - I took
my Jeep back to the tire dealer, who replaced the
cracking valve stems, charging me for the new ones.
The cracking stems were Dill 413s, installed in late
2005. The tire store owner made the same ludicrous comments
that rubber deteriorates, and that I should expect to
replace the valve stems every four years or so.

I had just inspected the stems on my 1988 Corvette,
which I purchased new, and which still has the original
tires. They were in perfect condition - absolutely
like new. This took the wind out of the tire shop owner's
sails in front of a store full of customers listening
to the conversation. Of course tire dealers don't want
to admit to the problem! There is no way for them to
recoup their costs for replacing the defective stems
from the Chinese company - or from Dill, who will
probably be forced into bankruptcy. That's the problem
with free trade.

Having said that, Terry may be talking from experience.
If the Chinese have had the valve stem market cornered
for the last ten years or more, then it may indeed be normal
for valve stems to require replacement every few years.
It didn't used to be this way, as evidenced by my 20-
year old tire valve stems.

Everyone reading this blog should inspect their tires
and,if they have cracking valve stems, start raising
hell with their congressmen about Chinese crap. If
the defective stems were installed prior to the August-
November 2006 time frame that Dill claims the problem
is limited to, you should report this to the NHTSA
Office of Defect Investigation through their website.

[BEN HADD]

ON MY WIFE'S CAR, A 2008 FORD ESCAPE, SHE HAD A MONITORING LIGHT CAME ON THAT A TIRE WAS LOW. I CHECKED THE VALVE STEM ON THE TIRE. IT WAS CRACKED AND LEAKING AIR. I'LL HAVE ALL THE VALVE STEMS REPLACED IN THE MORNING. APPARENTLY, NEW CARS HAVE THE DEFECTIVE STEMS ALSO.

[Alan]

I am a rubber chemist with many years of experience
formulating compounds. Ozone inhibitors and ant-
ozonates are standard components of any rubber
compound subject to ozone exposure. No U.S. or
Canadian company would dare ship products that didn't
meet ASTM and other testing standards. To do so
would be a death sentence for them. American
companies that engage in such sloppy practices would
be hounded out of business by regulatory agencies and
plaintiffs' attorneys. This should be a wake-up call
that Chinese companies, by and large, have no integrity
or concern for product safety. I hope Dill is forced
out of business for their greed.

I just inspected the tire stems on my Jeep Grand
Cherokee. Three of them are cracking and showing
signs of obvious ozone deterioration (I have run
hundreds of ozone resistance tests during my career,
so I know what to look for). They were installed in
October of 2005, so the problem obviously isn't
limited to stems produced in 2006. I plan to
contact the NTSB with this information, for all
the good that will do.

[John P.]

Just a few years ago, I could buy USA made vavles for 25¢.

Next time I will demand USA made valves, on my next set of tires.

[Dan]

I had faulty valve stems too, it was only my luck I was not driving when it happened. I went to a Discount Tire Company place and they where upfront about it, and replaced them all free of charge!

[Terry Warp]

Virtually all rubber valve stems are made in China.
Rubber deteriorates with age.
As a self employed Tire & brake shop owner, I give away new rubber stems with every tire purchase. On light truck tires, I give away metal valves. They are permanent valve stem and also have a replaceable rubber seal. The consumer should always replace rubber valve stems with EVERY tire purchase and even after a normal tire repair/patch just in case the valve was damaged due to the tire rolling while deflated. Unfortunatly, due to consumers concern over financial issues, I have noted that
people will skimp on stems to save $10 or $15 on their bill.
As a business owner, we bear that financial burden in the intrest of safety. This is really a maintainence problem.
Go to your local tire store & have your stems checked. If they are over 4 years old replace them regardless.

[Patti]

My question is: If I do have mine replaced, how do I know that I'm not getting just another set of recalled/defective valves???

[Mike]

I purchased a new Coachman RV Trailer last year and it has not been on a road trip except for 5 trips back to the dealer here as the Chinese tires will not hold air. In fact I wiggle the valve stems, they instantly leak substantial air. We are about to take the RV east to greet our son returning from Afghanistan and are worried about the safety of these tires, given their obvious wear just doing about 225 miles since new! Anyone know of a recall? We are getting now where wth the dealer and he claims that Coachman will not recall or warranty the problem, even though the dealer has had numerous complaints. I am in Canada, so we share the same problems of cheap chinese goods and risk to our families!

[sue perez]

Is there information on who we contact to get money back we spent on this issue, I Had 3 flat tires in 1 month one of which blew on the freeway and I had to buy a new tire in which I had no money for I missed many hours of work, and then someone told me about this issue about the recalls , all my valve stems on my 2007 ford fusion were all cracked and had to be replaced. After the 3rd flat tire I took my car with a spare tire on and showed them at the dealer where I bought the car and they fixed the one that had just gone flat and then looked at my fourth tire and he said it was about to go to. No one there told me about all this going on, almost made me think it was vandalism, FUNNY HOW MY TIRES ARE FINE NOW THAT I GOT THEM ALL FIXED. The dealership did fix those 2 tires at no cost. So I am trying to get my money back for all this I went through it just doesn't seem right. Please tell me where or who I would contact, I would appreciate any help you may give me. Thanks. P.S. to everyone please check all your tires its very easy to see we were lucky when my tire blew that I got to exit immediately someone else might not be so lucky. I have read a case where someone died. Please be careful

[Daniel]

I work as a tire installer for 8 years, I met so many customers declined to replace a new valve stem when they brought a new (a set of 4) tire(s), and also no balancing it. Anythings imported from all over the world, the grovernment department should have the manufacturer safty assurance policy before put into the market.

[Karen]

I have had problems with my tires. I had new tires put on last year thinking this would fix the slow leek in them. but it didn't fix anything. I have to put air in my tires at least two to three times a week. I told my husband that I think the valve stems are the problem. Now I'm glad to know there are others with the same problem. Unfortunetly someone had to pay with there life before before someone would notice. I am so tired of inferior forein goods being shipped into this country. What is it going to take before the so called leaders in this country get a clue. Or are they just laughing all the way to the bank because they have so much stock in foreign investments that they don't care. Time to step it up and start teaching Chinese along with Spanish in our schools, Thats who our children and grandchildren will be working for in the future.

[Sue]

Oh my Gosh. I just found this post. I had a tire blow out last month (a relatatively new set of Michelin Hydroege's) on the highway. This morning I arrived at work and discovered two flat tires, one on the passenger side front, the other on the driver side rear. A mechanic from our company garage discovered that both were due to dry-rotted valve stems, and they are DILL TR-413!!
I bought these tires at Mercnats Tire and Auto. Don't they know about this recall? I am taking my car to them this evening, and they are to change every stem, but not before I examine the new ones myself. Thanks for this posting!

[Greg]

I have no agreement nor disagreement with products in China. However, I do have a problem with quality control measures and safety checks upon manufacturing for consumer products. It's not only products from China (rememeber the Goodyear SUV tire recall - that was over 200,000 tires on American roads). Simple fact is, better quality control overall. A lot of American companies take manufacturing to other countries, and sacrifice triple checking and testing. It is as much the responsibilities of the manufacturers and distributers of those products into America to ensure safe products to consumers.