Expiration Dates for Tires May Be Good Idea
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Many Florida drivers may be driving on tires prone to fall apart because of the effect of heat and humidity on older tires.
Just last year, a government report prepared by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) concluded that 84% of crashes caused by tires involved tires more than six years old. Auto safety experts now say 140 crashes, some of them fatal, have been reported and many others go unreported.
And you generally cannot tell by looking at the tire tread. In many cases a tire looks perfectly safe while internally it is eroding. And when the rubber ages, it increases the chance that the tread will separate from the tire causing a sudden blowout.
Consumers need to check the manufacture date of the tire which is stamped with a code, sometimes difficult to see on the inside when the wheel is on the car. The code generally begins with the letters DOT, followed by additional letters or a string of numbers.
To decipher the code: the first two letters or numbers identify the plant where the tire was made. The last four numbers are the date the tire was actually produced. For instance, if the last four numbers read 1406, for instance, the tire was produced the 14 th week of 2006.
This is especially important if you go to purchase “new” tires. Various retailers and tire stores don’t always sell you brand new tires. A recent ABC News 20/20 magazine show sent undercover reporters in to purchase tires and found some were anywhere from four to 14 years old.
Consumer groups suggest that tires come with an expiration date that would make it easier to know when they need to be replaced.