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While the United States is quickly catching up with European countries on the price of gas, we are not up to speed when it comes to replacing tires on our vehicles. In fact, many European manufacturers warn consumers that they should replace their tires every six years – regardless of the remaining tread.

U.S. vs. Europe

European countries such as Germany – where speed limits on highways are far greater than in the U.S. (if there are limits at all) – know the dangers of having older tires on their vehicles. In fact, Volkswagen includes the following warning to its European consumers, "WARNING -- Old tires can fail in use, causing loss of vehicle control and personal injury. Replace tires after six years regardless of tread wear. Always reduce speed and drive cautiously if you must use an old tire in an emergency. Replace the tire as soon as possible."

Other manufacturers, such as Audi, Volkswagen, BMW, and Mercedes) and Toyota have been warning their European customers about the dangers of using tires over six years old since the early 1990’s. U.S. manufacturers such as Ford, Chrysler, BMW, Audi and Toyota now recommend their U.S. customers replace their tires every six years as well. However, recommendations and warnings don’t carry the same weight – and many tire retailers in the U.S. continue to sell older, unused tires as new to unsuspecting consumers.

ABC’s 20/20 highlights issue

A recent 20/20 news segment highlighted the issue by sending undercover correspondents to several large retailers in the United States such as Goodyear, Sears and Wal-Mart to buy new tires. What they found was that many of the retailers were selling ‘new’ tires that were well beyond six years old. Several of the retail employees knew that older tires should be taken out of their inventory, yet sold the tires to consumers anyway.

The news segment, available in an online video report at http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=4821865, says that as tires age, they dry out and can be very dangerous. While most Americans simply look at a tire’s tread to determine its remaining life, it’s really what’s on the inside that may cause injury.

What can you do?

U.S. consumers should know that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) requires tire manufacturers to include a code on tires that identifies the factory, tire size, manufacturer's code and week and year the tire was manufactured. The latter is the most important and something that consumers can determine by looking at a series of numbers that should be easy to find. For example, the numbers 3707 means that the tire was made in the 37th week of 2007. So, when you’re purchasing tires, make sure to ask the retailer when the tire was made – and if they tell you that older tires are fine (or discount the price), you may want to go elsewhere.

If you were sold older tires and have sustained an injury, contact an attorney whose practice focuses in this area of the law to discuss your situation. Consultations are free, without obligation and strictly confidential. To contact a qualified attorney, please click here.