Proposed bill on tire aging draws fire in Md.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (Feb. 14, 2013) — Tire dealers and association executives butted heads once again this week in a Maryland House committee with a delegate sponsoring a bill that would force dealers to inform consumers about the dangers of tire aging.

Maryland House Bill 580 would require a tire dealer who sells a tire more than three years old to give the buyer a written statement that the tire is not new, and that many automobile manufacturers recommend that a tire should be replaced after six years, regardless of the remaining tread depth.

Dealers would face a $250 fine for each failure to provide the statement. Violations of the law, however, could not be considered evidence of negligence and would be inadmissible in a personal injury lawsuit.

The Feb. 12 hearing before the Maryland House Committee on Economic Matters was a near-replay of the March 13, 2013, hearing there on the identical House Bill 1110. Both bills were sponsored by Del. Benjamin F. Kramer, D-19th District, who in both hearings accused tire manufacturers and dealers of being disingenuous about tire aging.

Tires degrade over time, no matter how carefully they are stored, Mr. Kramer said.

"The rubber material becomes more brittle, and at high speed when the centrifugal force gets to a point, the tread can separate, causing a catastrophic failure," he said.

Mr. Kramer scoffed at the insistence of tire dealers that they can tell when a tire has become too aged to be driven safely.

"They can examine tires 'til the cows come home, but the degradation is not visible to the eye," he said.

Mr. Kramer backed his position with the owners' manuals of car makers such as Ford Motor Co., Porsche A.G., Toyota Motor Co. Ltd. and Chrysler L.L.C., which recommend removing tires from service after six years.

He also accused the Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA) of making large political contributions to federal and state legislators to persuade them to vote against tire-aging legislation.

This prompted a response from Lisa Harris-Jones, an attorney representing the RMA, who said the association has no political action committee and has never contributed to any political campaign either in Maryland or on the federal level.

Dan Zielinski, RMA senior vice president of communications, said the association's studies show that tire adjustments don't spike with a tire's age.

"The claims rate from one to 11 years was virtually identical, a straight line across the chart," he said.