Appeals court rejects Public Citizen challenge to TPMS rule

Tire Business staff report

WAashington, DC -- Consumer group Public Citizen has no standing to challenge the tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS) standard promulgated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has ruled.

Public Citizen, the Tire Industry Association (TIA) and four tyre manufacturers filed suit against NHTSA in June 2005, claiming the TPMS standard was fundamentally flawed and had to be sent back to the agency for reconsideration.

Last June, the appeals court ruled that TIA and the tyre makers lacked standing to challenge NHTSA's refusal to reconsider the rule, but invited Public Citizen to submit further documentation of its standing to do so.

In its ruling Jan. 22, the court said Public Citizen failed to quantify persuasively how consumers will be injured by a 20-minute lag between the TPMS uncovering an underinflated tyre and warning the driver, or by the lack of a requirement that all systems be compatible with replacement tyres.

Officials with Public Citizen could not immediately be reached for comment.

From Tire Business (A Crain publication)