Allegedly defective Chinese tires sold in Jacksonville
Tuesday, June 26th, 2007
Jacksonville distributor Omni United USA Inc. is on the list of companies who sold allegedly faulty tires manufactured in China.
Global trade creates complex relationships. Jacksonville Business Journal says Omni United USA Inc. is a subsidiary of a Singapore-based company, Omni United Pte. Ltd. The company sold tires manufactured by China-based Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber Co. and imported by Foreign Tire Sales.
The tires are light truck radials that could fall apart on the road.
Consumer Affairs reports a lawsuit has been filed against FTS over a fatal traffic accident in Pennsylvania in 2006:
The suit says tread separation caused a cargo van carrying four passengers to crash, killing two passengers and injuring the other two. The light truck tires were sold under the names Westlake, Telluride, Compass and YKS.
FTS has filed an $80 million lawsuit against the Hangzhou Rubber Company and notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TSA of the defect. FTS had conducted testing after warranty requests increased. Consumer Affairs says, “Visual analysis revealed that some tires seemed to have an insufficient or missing gum strip — a key safety feature to preserve the integrity of the belts.”
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration told Fox News, “We want a full tire recall to take place.” The agency has notified Foreign Tire Sales. The Hangzhou tires were sold to the following distributors: Tireco, in Compton, Calif.; Strategic Import Supply, in Wayzata, Minn.; Omni United USA Inc., in Jacksonville, Fla.; Orteck International Inc., in Gaithersburg, Md.; K&D Tire Wholesalers LLC, in Carlsbad, Calif.; and Robinson Tire, in Laurel, Miss.
NHTSA is a great resource for safety and performance information about tires. For more information, visit the tire information pages at the NHTSA Web site.
(text by Kay B. Day; photo from NHTSA Web site (safercar.gov); photo is not representative of recalled tires.)
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