Cooper, TBC recalling Wild Country tires
WASHINGTON—Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. and TBC Corp. are recalling 1,402 Wild Country Radial XTX Sport tires, size 265/65R18, for possible problems with cracking and broken ply cords in the lower sidewall. Cooper makes the tires for TBC, which owns the brand name. Cooper manufactured the tires between June 1 and June 28 at its plant in Texarkana, Ark.
The tire maker told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that the possible failure area on the tires is on the outboard side above the rim. Cooper said staff at the Tex-arkana plant noticed the anomaly on a routine surveillance tire that had been produced during the last week of May. Tire owners may call Cooper's customer service line at 800-854-6288. Cooper's number for this recall is 159.
TBB changes name to 'Statewide Tires'
WEST COVINA, Calif.—TBB Tires Inc., the West Covina-based subsidiary of Chinese tire maker Jiangsu General Science Technology Co. Ltd., has changed its name to Statewide Tires Inc. to reflect the expansion of its business activities and coverage. Statewide Tires will continue to operate in its current structure, with designated account executives remaining unchanged.
There is no change in ownership or staff, the company said. The distributor has set up a new website—statewidetires.com—to reflect the name change. Jiangsu GST established TBB Tires in 2011. The company's primary brand will continue to be TBB—”To Be the Best”—radial truck tire line, said Mike Cheng, president. Jiangsu GST—which also goes by Jiangsu Tongyong Tire—produces truck/bus, OTR, agricultural and motorcycle tires in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province.
DOT sued over truck driver training rules
WASHINGTON—The International Brotherhood of Teamsters and two safety advocacy groups are suing the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and its Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) for not issuing training standards for entry-level truck drivers that Congress first mandated 23 years ago.
The Teamsters, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety and Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways filed suit against the agencies Sept. 18 in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Public Citizen is representing the plaintiffs before the court. In 1991, Congress passed a law directing DOT to issue an entry-level commercial vehicle driver training standard by 1993, Public Citizen said. Another congressional mandate in 2012 also failed to make the agency act, it said.
Approximately 4,000 people die and nearly 100,000 are injured annually in truck-related crashes, Public Citizen said, adding that large truck crash fatalities rose 4 percent in 2012.
Conti recalls 8,070 motorcycle tires
WASHINGTON—Continental Tire the Americas L.L.C. is recalling 8,070 motorcycle tires for possible separations between the tread, belt and carcass. The tires are ContiAttack SM, ContiSportAttack, ContiSportAttack2, ContiRaceAttack Comp. Soft, ContiRaceAttack Comp. Medium, ContiRaceAttack Comp.
Endur-ance and ContiRoadAttack 2 GTW, size 120/70ZR17 and 120/70R17.
The tires were produced at Conti's plant in Korbach, Germany, over a period of up to five years, dating back to early 2007, according Conti. Conti said it has received no reports of any accidents resulting from this condition. Conti said the tires were sold in the replacement market and as OE fitments by BMW, KTM, Brammo and Bimota.
Conti is determining which, if any, of these tires were fitted on motorcycles offered for sale in the U.S. Tire owners may contact the Conti at 888-799-2168.
CMA petitions agency over tire markings
WASHINGTON—China Manufacturers Alliance L.L.C. (CMA) has petitioned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NH- TSA) for a finding of inconsequential noncompliance involving 1.75 million Double Coin and Dynatrac truck and bus radial replacement tires.
If granted, CMA can avoid a formal recall. The tires, manufactured between June 2011 and June 2014, lack the letter marking that indicates the tire load range on the tire sidewall, according to tire maker.
CMA certified to NHTSA that the tires meet all other requirements of federal truck and bus safety standards. The tire maker also said it believes that the information the load range letter is intended to convey is already included in the tires' load index and ply rating.
Nitto hires industry veteran Ware as v.p.
CYPRESS, Calif.—Longtime tire industry veteran Bruce Ware has joined Nitto Tire U.S.A. Inc. as vice president of sales and operations. Mr. Ware retired in April from Falken Tire Corp. after an 11-year stint with the company, most recently as vice president of sales. A spokesman for Cypress-based Nitto said Mr. Ware will travel and “remotely commute.”