WASHINGTON — Hankook Tire America Corp. has applied for a ruling of "inconsequential noncompliance" for 175 Hankook Dynapro MT2 light truck tires that do not fully comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 139.
The subject Dynapro MT2 tires, size LT215/85R16, were marked with the incorrect number of nylon plies in the tread and thus do not comply with FMVSS 139, Hankook told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in its application an inconsequential noncompliance ruling.
Specifically, the tires are identified as having two steel, two polyester and one nylon tread belts and two layers of polyester in the sidewall. In reality, the tires have two nylon plies instead of one.
The subject tires were manufactured between Oct. 20 and Nov. 30, 2019. The petition does not state where the tires were manufacured.
In its petition, Hankook points out that incorrect ply labeling information does not affect the operational safety of vehicles on which the tires are mounted and that the tires meet or exceed the performance requirements of FMVSS 139 and otherwise comply with the standard's labeling and performance requirements.
In addition, Hankook said it is not aware of any warranty claims, field reports, customer complaints, or any incidents, accidents, or injuries related to the subject condition.
Citing a number of previous cases, Hankook also states that NHTSA routinely has concluded in the past that mislabeling the number of plies is inconsequential to vehicle safety.
NHTSA is inviting interested persons to submit written data, views, and arguments on this petition (Docket No. NHTSA-2020-0020/Document Number 2020-18906).
Comments can be submitted electronically by logging onto the Federal Docket Management System (FDMS) website at https://www.regulations.gov/. Follow the online instructions for submitting comments