Tyre importer says he never sold recalled Chinese LT tyres

Carlsbad, California - K&D Tire Wholesalers LLC never imported or sold any of the 450 000 Chinese light truck tyres named in a recall action, according to Dan Marsh, the company's CEO.

Carlsbad-based K&D was identified as one of six possible importers/sellers of the Westlake, Telluride, Compass or YKS brand tyres-or tyres of similar construction-made by Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber Co. in Hangzhou, China, in a noncompliance report on the tyres sent by Union, New Jersey-based Foreign Tire Sales Inc., which purchased the tyres from Hangzhou Zhongce until June 2006.

Meanwhile, Hangzhou Zhongce has vigorously denied the allegation, saying the allegation might be linked to trade protectionism.

The New York Times quoted Xu Youming, a manager of legal affairs at Hangzhou Zhongce, saying, “This is concocted out of thin air." He continued (According to the New York Times), “Chinese tyres have become an important force in the international market. A lot of people would do things in order to cut the throat of Chinese manufacturers. I think you should think about the issue thoroughly. All American tire companies have set up plants in China.”.

From Tire Business (A Crain publication)

New York Times article