WASHINGTON—The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has granted Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd.'s petition for a decision of inconsequential noncompliance in the case of 5,408 Falken truck tires.
NHTSA's ruling means that Sumitomo does not have to conduct a formal recall of the tires, which were mismarked on their sidewalls as to the number of steel plies they have.
The tires were Falken Model RI151, size 225/70R19.5, manufactured between Oct. 17, 2016 and April 28, 2017 at the Sumitomo plant in Miyazaki, Japan, Sumitomo told NHTSA in the petition it filed July 10.
Their sidewalls bear markings that say, "TREAD 5 PLIES STEEL." The correct information is, "TREAD 4 PLIES STEEL."
Sumitomo halted shipments of the tires once it knew of the error, the company said.
In its March 26 notice, NHTSA said it determined the error was inconsequential as to motor vehicle safety.
The tires all meet or exceed federal truck tire safety and performance standards, and all the other sidewall markings are correct, the agency said.
Interested parties have until May 25 to comment on the NHTSA decision. The notice can be found in the March 26 Federal Register.