Posted on 06/25/2007 6:10:13 PM PDT by kellynla
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - Federal safety officials have ordered a tiny tire importer to recall as many as 450,000 tires that it bought from a Chinese manufacturer and sold to U.S. distributors. Foreign Tire Sales Inc., of Union, said an unknown number of the light truck radials it imported since 2002 from Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber Co., of Hangzhou, China, could suffer tread separation, a problem that led to the nation's largest tire recall in 2000.
FTS said an unknown number of the tires it sold were made without a safety feature, called a gum strip, which helps bind the belts of a tire to each other, the company said in a filing to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Some of the tires had a gum strip about half the 0.6 millimeter width that FTS expected, it said.
Heather Hopkins, a spokeswoman for NHTSA, said its enforcement officials spoke to FTS on Monday to "let them know we want a full tire recall to take place."
"It is FTS' responsibility to do this," Hopkins said.
FTS failed to add a "remedy" in its June 11 filing, which is essentially a description of how a company will notify customers and provide proper consumer compensation, Hopkins said.
FTS attorney Lawrence N. Lavigne said the tires appear to meet federal standards but could still pose a risk to motorists.
"FTS, at great expense, investigated this," Lavigne said. The company, which has about a half-dozen employees, doesn't have the money to pay for a recall, he said.
FTS does not have a warehouse. It has tires shipped directly to distributors, who in turn send them to retail outlets, Lavigne said.
FTS said it believes other importers also sold such tires made by Hangzhou Zhongce. The Chinese company has failed to provide information that would allow FTS to determine exactly how many tires, and which batches, have the problem, Lavigne said.
According to the filing, the Hangzhou tires at issue were sold under at least four brand names—Westlake, Compass, Telluride and YKS—in these sizes: LT235/75R-15; LT225/75R-16; LT235/85R-16; LT245/75R-16; LT265/75R-16; and LT3X10.5-15.
FTS on May 31 sued Hangzhou in U.S. District Court in Newark, charging that its tests found that the tires may fail earlier than those originally provided by Hangzhou, and that a recall would put FTS out of business. The lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary damages and an injunction that would bar Hangzhou products from being imported.
The lawsuit was reported Monday by The Wall Street Journal.
The Associated Press was not immediately able to contact the company. A Hangzhou official reached by The Journal said: "We are aware of this matter, and we are now in the process of responding to the lawsuit. Production and sales at our company remain normal."
FTS said it became concerned about Hangzhou tires in October 2005 amid an increase in warranty claims and began talks with the Chinese company, and then commissioned its own tests.
FTS was sued in Philadelphia on May 4 by the families of two men killed when a van they were riding in crashed last year. Also suing are the driver and passenger in the van, which the lawsuits claim had Hangzhou tires.
The nation's largest recall involved 14.7 million Firestone tires in said Sean Kane, president of Safety Research & Strategies, a consumer group. "I wouldn't expect this to rise to that number," he said.
FTS, in its filing, said it sold Hangzhou tires to these 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.
How do you say "embargo" in Chinese.
Quality control = F-— ‘em in Chinese.
And guess who will pay the price? The taxpayer.
related thread (different source &c, not a dupe): http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1856148/posts
Does anyone know of a site compiling food products imported from China, and by whom? I noticed on a product I buy weekly that it was made by Kraft Global, or something like that, and “distributed” by Kraft. No mention of where it was made .... yikes.
Can’t answer your question but be aware, Hershey is moving their candy making to Mexico.
Yuck.
mom4kittys a ping list for Chinezz Fud/Pizen/Junk...;0)
The FDA has the power to stop shipments at the border and collect samples and test for certain contaminants that may be in violation of U.S. regulations. Last month, it refused 215 shipments from mainland China for various reasons. A shipment of dried red dates from Chongqing was considered filthy, frozen swordfish from Shandong contained a poisonous substance and ginseng from Changsha had unsafe pesticides.
But the food shipments that get tested are the exception, not the rule. “The volume of food imports from overseas is approaching 10 million per year, and the number that FDA inspectors physically examine is in the single digit thousands — making it virtually certain that any given food shipment will enter the United States with no FDA inspection,”
Much more here:
http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/display.article?id=9053
“FTS said an unknown number of the tires it sold were made without a safety feature, called a gum strip, which helps bind the belts of a tire to each other, the company said in a filing to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration”
The Chinese probably left this step out to get carbon credits.
It seems that most foodstuffs do not say where they are from, which is very disturbing.
FTS will file and be out of business in days. Who is the owner?
I buy absolutely nothing from the chicoms. Drives my wife nuts sometimes, but she is catching on.
Have had my last Hershey!
It's going to have to be retailers that say, "Can I find an alternative to commie Chinese crap?"
FTS supplied cut rate tires from a crappy Chinese manufacturer. They are responsible for the consequences. They get exactly zero sympathy from me.
They could have supplied tires from a reputable manufacturer, but they went half way around the World to find cheap garbage so they could make a quick buck. Nobody forced them to do business with a cheap Chinese manufacturer.
And then when they sold out to make the quick buck on the Chinese garbage, they purposely looked the other way and pretended that Chinese quality control is reliable. Any child knows this is not true.
FTS deserves whatever hurt they have coming to them, up to and including getting sued into the poorhouse.
“The company, which has about a half-dozen employees, doesn’t have the money to pay for a recall, he said. “
They made the money and it is now in offshore bank accounts. They will declare bankruptcy and stick the insurace companies and tax payers with the bill.
The retailers won’t budge until the customer balks at buying whatever garbage it is that the Chinese are producing.
And quality control is only one (very good) reason to avoid doing business with the ChiComs. Another good one is that many of their largest manufacturers are owned by the People’s Liberation Army, who take the money earned on foreign sales and use it to buy weapons that will be aimed at American soldiers.
Somebody of my aquaintance, a few years back, made up little pressure sensitive labels that said “PROCEEDS FROM THE SALE OF THIS ITEM WILL BE USED TO INCINERATE YOUR CHILDREN”, and then had a lot of fun applying them right next to the MADE IN CHINA labels on all of the stuff at his local WalMart.
And:
100 Calorie Bar, Almond Joy, Cacao Reserve, Cadbury, 5th Avenue, Heath, Pot Of Gold (boxed chocolates), Hershey Sticks, Kissables, Hershey Kisses, Kit Kat, Krackel. Mauna Loa, Milk Duds, Mounds, Mr. Goodbar, Payday, All Reeses products, Rolo, Smores, Take 5, Whoppers, York Peppermint Patties.
Good thing I like Mars bars!
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