Hangzhou Tire Recall Lawyers
Tire Tread Separation Attorneys

In June of 2007, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, ordered the importer to recall the original 450,000 tires bought by the manufacturer after the Foreign Tire Sales, Inc., notified them of the missing and reduced gum strips.

Foreign Tire Sales, Inc. contracted Hangzhou Zhongce to manufacturer the tires with a gum strip with the width of 0.6 millimeters. Without contacting the importer, Hangzhou Zhongce decided to change the design of the tires and manufacturer them differently from the contract specifications. The manufacturer denies there ever having been a gum strip in the original design of the tires.

The recall will cost Foreign Tire Sales, Inc. about $20 million. They have released this statement: "Consumers should know that the affected tires meet all federal motor vehicle safety standards. But we went the extra mile by testing them and determining that they did not meet our standards, which are more rigorous," Richard Kuskin, president of Foreign Tire Sales.

Hangzhou Zhongce has also told NHTSA that it has received 11 claims for property damage from the nearly 450,000 tires purchased by Foreign Tire Sales, a rate it described as "extremely low." The repairs averaged $1,722, "which is consistent with minor fender well damage," Hangzhou Zhongce said.

Foreign Tire Sales says that the recall comes a month later than they had anticipated, as they were still in the process of gather information.

On May 31, 2007 Foreign Tire Sales sued Hangzhou Zhongce in the U. S. District Court, charging that their tests found that many of the tires may fail earlier than the manufacturer’s tests originally showed.

On May 4, 2007 Foreign Tire Sales was sued by the families of two men who were killed in a van accident that was caused by the defective tires. The driver and an additional passenger are also bring lawsuits against the importer.

We are currently investigating all claims involving the Chinese made tires. If you have been a victim of an accident involving any of the tires listed in the recall, please contact our office immediately to discuss your options.

On April 9, 2007, a tire importer, Foreign Tire Sales, Inc., announced its plans to recall 255,000 tires that were manufactured by a Chinese tire company - Hangzhou Zhongce. The tires lacked the safety feature that prevents tire tread separation. The safety feature, called a gum strip, was missing from some of the tires, while others were made with a gum strip half the width of what was expected by the importer.

To see the complete list of recalled tires, please click here

In The News:

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