US DOT Announces Final Rule On Tire Labeling to Increase Consumer Awareness of Recalls

A new regulation to help consumers maintain vehicle tires more safely was announced today by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The rule requires that manufacturers provide additional consumer information and more accessible tire labeling.

The new regulation, to be phased in beginning in September 2003, also will allow consumers to more easily identify tires affected by a safety recall. “This is a terrific remedy for the often-confusing information now labeled on tires,” said Jeffrey W. Runge, M.D., NHTSA Administrator. “In the end, well-maintained tires are going to provide consumers with a greater margin of safety.”

Key provisions of the new rule include the following:

The Tire Identification Number (TIN), which includes information to help identify tires subject to recalls, must be shown on both sides of a tire.

In nearly all passenger vehicles, the placard that provides information on proper tire inflation and load limits for a vehicle, must be mounted in a standard place: on the post next to the driver’s side (known as the “B-pillar”).

The vehicle placard must be printed in a defined format involving colored lettering. This includes the requirement that tire inflation pressure information be printed in red, yellow and black on a white background.

The placard must include information on the maximum weight that a vehicle can carry safely (taking into account the weight of both cargo and occupants).

Vehicle manufacturers must provide more tire safety information in the owner’s manual.

The new rule came in response to a mandate in the Transportation Recall Enhancement, Accountability, and Documentation (TREAD) Act of 2000. Covered by the new regulation are the manufacturers of all new passenger vehicles that weigh 10,000 pounds or less – including cars, sport utility vehicles, vans, pickup trucks, small buses and small trailers. Also covered are companies that produce new or retread tires for any such vehicles manufactured after 1975.