China launches probe into substandard tyres

ERJ staff report (ANC)

Beijing, China -- China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine has ordered its offices throughout the country to begin a nationwide tyre inspection.

The move came after Kumho Tire Co.'s plant in the north China port city of Tianjin was found to have used an excessive amount of recycled rubber during tyre production.

The inspection is not restricted to Kumho tyres. It also applies to products of other tyre manufacturers in China, according to a circular issued by the administration.

Many Chinese motorists have complained that Kumho's tyres wear out quickly, according to an investigative report done by the official China Central Television Station.

After initially denying the report, Kumho admitted using excessive amounts of recycled rubber in the Tianjin plant. The Korean tyre maker said it would order a tyre recall.

In its circular, China's regulatory agency ordered its Tianjin office to closely monitor the tyre recall at Kumho's Tianjin plant.

The agency also alerted all Kumho tyre users in China to watch out for bulges and cracks in their tyres, and report such defects to the agency's local offices.

Aside from Tianjin, Kumho has tyre plants in Nanjing and Changshu in east China's Jiangsu province. The three plants, with a combined annual production capacity of 30 million tyres, supply a wide range of automakers operating in China.

Customers include General Motors, Volkswagen, Hyundai and PSA, as well as domestic Chinese brands such as Great Wall Motor Co. and Jianghuai Automobile Co.

From Automotive News China (A Crain publication) -- scroll down or search on 'tire'