The National for March 16, 2017
What started as a routine tire test has become a journey through a labyrinth of deception, pointing fingers, and a lack of accountability which in itself could be dangerous if the product must be defective.
Regarding the safety and performance, Consumer Reports has long said that you should not skimp on tires that is what we have discovered again when we recently tested three sets of truck tires all Chinese brands of seasons cost as little as 89 each in the size of our test, 265 70R17 All three of these bargain bin tires landed at the bottom of our notes due in part to their performance in our test condition of winter, and so-so in the life of the poor tread the surprise came when the owner and distributor of a set of tires alleged that the tires we tested were the gray market which is produced or sold by a factory and the seller are not allowed to make or distribute and tire molds that may have been stolen.
We have heard of fake Louis Vuitton handbags, Rolex watches, and vintage Bordeaux wines, but this was different.
Is it possible that a tire plant could hack unauthorized tire brand and the import of another company under the noses of Customs and US security, then selling them through sales channels in legitimate retail market and what happens to consumers when the owner of the brand name and retailer of foot tires from liability for the suspect tire.
Odyssey began when Consumer Reports tested the tire 95 Pegasus Advanta Chinese-made SUV and found its performance in winter conditions, especially snow traction and braking on ice, was bad.
After the publication of our assessments, we have been contacted by representatives of Scottsdale, Ariz -Based American Pacific Industries, owner of the Pegasus brand in the United States, he said Consumer Reports results were well below the results of internal testing of the API when it came to pulling the snow.
As is typical in such cases, the API asked about our testing methodology, which he thought could explain the difference in the API results also requested date codes on the tires we bought the information number of tires available on all car tires that identifies the plant and the production date.
This conversation led to others, resulting in the application of the API that the tires we tested were manufactured or distributed by authorized parties as date codes on the tires, the API officials said there was no way that the tires were legitimate Pegasus Advanta SUV tires as the plant that the product was no longer authorized factory Pegasus in this period in time also, the API said it doesn know for certain who made suspicious tires, or what types of materials or process went into making this set of tires.
According to a letter sent by Barry Littrell, COO of API.
Tires Pegasus Advanta SUV you tested are not produced by a supplier authorized to American Pacific Industries; which owns the brand Pegasus Advanta SUV and equipment used to produce these tires.
All tires are required by federal law to have date codes stamped on the sidewall codes on the tested tires Consumer Report, 3E 3512, 3612 and 5012 indicate that the tires were built at the tire plant Yellow sea in Qingdao, Shandong, China, in August and December 2012, according to the API but Littrell said the API is no manufacturing course.
American Pacific Industries relationship with this factory was completed in 2011 and our records show the last shipment of tires in the SUV model was December 2011.
Littrell's letter also said that the factory was destroyed after the API contract ended.
Many of our molds have disappeared at this time, we do not know who may have made those tires or what they put in them.
How is it possible that could have tires and placed legitimate-looking dates and codes on plants How could Consumer Reports or consumer, also know the difference.
If tires molds were stolen, unauthorized manufacturer could use different materials, which could represent a difference of tire performance, reliability and security.
Regarding security, the composition of the tire is really more important than the mold, said Clarence Ditlow, executive director of the Center for Automotive Safety, a longtime advocate of automotive safety and former member of the Board Consumer Reports administration He said that the tires would be a security issue if for no other reason that you could not do a recall on them.
Consumer Reports bought all the 10 tires tested Pegasus Advanta SUV line at the exit of the online retail tires that specializes in cheap tires.
In an interview, George Bohorquez, president of that if we had forged tires, it would be new to me, we classify these defective tires, and an ideal remedy is to make a point in these situations.
In case of recall, Bohorquez said, has the ability to contact all customers who bought tires Pegasus Advanta SUV them with suspects date codes, but remember in the end are the manufacturer's responsibility, not a retailer like tires-easy as putting the ball in the API court.
When we contacted API again, a company official who asked not to be identified said he would address consumer complaints on a case by case basis.
If a consumer calls API and Pegasus Advanta SUV tires, we tell them that we do or do not do it, the head of the PLC said that if we did not tire, our warranty does not cover, you must talk to the retailer you purchased Meanwhile, the PLC has stopped using the Pegasus name and began selling tires in the Advanta brand instead.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration regulates the tires and the car safety and has the power to initiate recalls, as it did with millions of Firestone tires on Ford Explorer SUV in 2000, but counterfeiting is another matter .
No consumer complaints reported to NHTSA on Pegasus Advanta SUV tires, and we have no information indicating that this tire has an immediate risk to the safety of the complaints NHTSA database includes regarding Pegasus Advanta CLT of the same name, but different Sá tires for heavy trucks did.
In response to our inquiry into the unauthorized Pegasus tires, NHTSA sent the following statement.
NHTSA is working closely with our federal partners to investigate counterfeit tires that have a potential safety defect and do not meet federal safety standards Our advice to consumers is to be cautious when buying parts auto on the Internet that are shipped to other countries or sold at very low prices We also ask anyone with information about a security issue involving a tire to report to NHTSA.
The statement also said that NHTSA NHTSA didnt say on the enforcement of intellectual property rights, patents or trademarks NHTSA has referred to the U S Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Until there is a complaint of actual safety, NHTSA won t order a recall of the tires even if the owner claims that they are counterfeit or otherwise unauthorized and if there was a recall, which would responsible if the tires are actually fakes.
After calling the FBI, CBP and DHS, and the Office of Patents and Trademarks, and the office of US Trade Representative, we were finally directed to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which seems to have the real authority on counterfeit imports, including car parts.
In an interview, Bruce Foucart, Acting Director of Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center at ICE told us if API is the proprietor of the mark and they didn t make them, it is likely an example of infringement If these tires are still made, and they are still smuggled, we investigate and try to mount a ban and seize tires we work with our customs protection partners and borders to seize future imports at the port bring us evidence prosecutors from the Department of Justice or a local district attorney, and there could be criminal charges the US attorney would be the one to decide to bring federal criminal charges.
Short of criminal charges, offenders would have their products seized and could face fines for customs offenses.
He encouraged API contact the IPR Center.
The ball is back in the court of the API The head of the API, we spoke with said the company spoke with government officials and active litigation underway in China against the company that has produced tires believes.
What if you, like us, bought a set of tires and drive around them now to identify when the tires were made refer to the last four digits of the tire information number on the sidewall of your tire Read How to decode the tire size and other information.
Tires with latest figures of 12 or more indicate that they tire the API said they do not produce.
Since we bought our tires tires-easy, they were our main contact Bohorquez responded by stating that he had followed with the API and concluded after discussion with Barry Littrell API Inc. I understand now that no identified a security problem on the tires and as such, Barry has indicated that there is no need to have the back tires as there is no security problem.
Bohorquez said he did not buy tires directly via the API, he had bought them rather by a third importer, tires economy, Dallas.
We called the economy of the tires, and spoke to a sales manager, Noah Salem, who said the company purchased a single container of 400 to 500 tires, and that the company no longer stores the Pegasus brand.
NHTSA rules state that in the case of cars made overseas and auto parts, the importer is responsible for informing customers and providing recourse for consumers if a product defect We tried several times to keep up with the economy of the tires, to ask if she was the importer of these tires, and so she bought tires in the United States or before they enter the country told us constantly that Salem was out office, he did not return calls.
How is everyone supposed to know the difference Bohorquez said how am I supposed to know if they are not authorized tire We ERs tire purchases on the open market like everyone else, and it can be difficult for a wholesaler or retailer to find out if a tire is made by the PLC or not.
Even if the tires have its brand name embossed on them, the API denied responsibility for the tires, he says he has not produced.
The dilemma is a bit like if you buy a fake Cartier bracelet from some guy on the sidewalk, and then try to exchange it at a retailer Cartier legitimate Except in this case, a legitimate retailer sold the counterfeit tire and nobody seems ready to take responsibility tires.
The final lesson is that when purchasing tires with prices that seem too good to be true, be concerned the company whose name is on the side wall can not stand behind the product if you have a problem, even if you bought legitimately.
Although ISN tires and defective t ISN your infringement, the tiny grid can be a problem by itself if a small company imports and sells a single tire container in the United States, and you get an apartment and need a replacement, you may not be able to find a matching Some other Chinese tire models didn t even make our evaluations because we could not find enough samples of the same size to be tested.
If you own Pegasus Advanta SUV tires, we recommend you to pay special attention to tire maintenance, as you have with a tire regularly Regularly monitor tire pressure and inspect them at least once a month for any abnormal appearance , such as cracking, bulging, blistering, undulating in the side wall, abnormal tread patterns, or unusual noise or vibration during driving.
If you experience any of these, contact the tire retailer you bought them and file a complaint with the NHTSA safety on its website.
And if you think you have counterfeit tires, and have a date code that ends with the number 12 or more, share your concerns with your dealer and complain to the IPR Center Know that as part of a criminal investigation by the IPR center, counterfeit tires could be entered as evidence.
In any case, you want to have the tires replaced as soon as you can, even if no one else covers the cost.
Posture Tires Consumer Reports Counterfeit Risk Consumer News, counterfeiting, tires, installation, consumption.
Посчер, Co. Уэксфорд, Ирландия