255,000 Chinese-made Tires Recalled by American Distributor
By Richard Seward
Published on August 10, 2007
The tires being recalled were sold between early 2004 and mid-2006. Under brand names Westlake, Compass, and YKS, the tires were used as replacements on SUVs, pick-up trucks, and vans.
Foreign Tire Sales had been aware of a potential problem as far back as October 2005, after a sharp rise in warranty claims. It began talks with the Chinese manufacturer before conducting its own tests.
In a news release, Richard Kuskin, the president of Foreign Tire Sales, stated that the imported tires met with "all federal motor vehicle safety standards," but that upon further testing, the tires did not meet the company's own standards which, Ruskin explained, are more stringent than those imposed by the government.
On May 4, Foreign Tire Sales was named as the defendant in a lawsuit filed by the families of two men who were killed last year when the van they were in crashed. The lawsuit alleges that the van was equipped with tires manufactured by Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber Co in China. In turn, Foreign Tire Sales filed suit against the Chinese manufacturer on May 31 in U. S. District Court in Newark. The suit alleged that tests conducted by the American distributor demonstrated that the tires were in danger of failing earlier than suggested in test results provided by Hangzhou. Additionally, Foreign Tire Sales claimed that a recall would compromise the company's financial stability and could potentially put it out of business.
Foreign Tire Sales' suit also includes an injunction that would prohibit products manufactured by Hangzhou from being imported into the U.S.
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