[BlackGTP]

'Counterfeit' tires pose consumer risk
By Eric Evarts
·Published November 17, 2014
·Consumer Reports

What began as a routine tire test became a journey through a maze of deception, finger-pointing, and a lack of accountability that in itself could prove dangerous if the product should prove to be defective.

When it comes to safety and performance, Consumer Reports has long said that you shouldn’t skimp on tires. That’s what we discovered once again when we recently tested three sets of Chinese-branded all-season truck tires that cost as little as $89 apiece in our test size, 265/70R17. All three of these bargain-bin tires landed at the bottom of our Ratings, in part because of their performance in our winter-condition test, as well as so-so to poor tread life. The surprise came when the owner and distributor of one set of the tires alleged that the tires we tested were “gray market”—that is, produced or sold by a factory and vendor that were not authorized to make or distribute them—and from tire molds that may have been stolen.

We’ve heard of fake Louis Vuitton handbags, Rolex watches, and “vintage” Bordeaux wines. But this was different.

Is it possible that a tire factory could hijack another company's brand and import “unauthorized” tires under the noses of U.S. customs and safety officials, and then sell them through legitimate retail channels on the open market? And what happens to the consumer when the owner of the brand name and the tire retailer walk away from any responsibility for the suspect tire?

The Odyssey began when Consumer Reports tested the $95 Chinese-made Pegasus Advanta SUV tire and found its performance in winter conditions, specifically snow traction and ice braking, was poor.

After publishing our Ratings, we were contacted by representatives of the Scottsdale, Ariz.,-based American Pacific Industries, owner of the Pegasus brand in the United States. It said Consumer Reports' results were far below API's internal test results when it came to snow traction.

Article continues at link: http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2014/11/17/counterfeit-tires-pose-consumer-risk/?intcmp=features

 

[BlackGTP]

Scary - absolutely no one is accountable and difficult to find a Federal agency that will even address the issue. And unlike a Louis Vitton bag, substandard tires can be a risk to your life.

As the article states, "if it's to good of a deal to be true"......

 

[Sox]

Holy cow. I avoid Chinese stuff when I can and I won't buy anything that enters my mouth such as food or toothpaste from China. I see items like Crest toothpaste and Scope mouthwash on the shelves of local Dollar stores with suspicious packaging so I refuse to make the purchase.

Question: when a major manufacturer such as GM purchases component parts from China and installs them deep within my new automobile, who guarantees the parts are "legit?" If an overall subassembly with a tiny little part of dubious origin fails, how is my local mechanic supposed to know? Am I financially responsible if the car is out of warranty? What if a safety issue enters into the picture and a family member was hurt and a manufacturer takes the position that bogus parts were in the vehicle but due to its age it's impossible to determine if the defect originated at the point of manufacture, or the parts were retrofitted at a later date? I saw a documentary (on Sixty Minutes or CNBC I believe) on counterfeit aircraft parts and the problem is so widespread in aviation due to the very high cost of parts that bogus components have been found in American military aircraft and even Air Force One.

Uh....yikes.

 

[All Star]

Consumer Reports bought all 10 of the tested Pegasus Advanta SUV tires online at Tires-easy.com—an online retail tire outlet that specializes in low-priced tires.

Anyone else find this part interesting? Shouldn't the owner of a tire outlet be held accountable for the counterfeit product he is selling?

 

[Neanderthal]

Tires-easy? Yes we can!

I'd stay away from any Chinese tire. One of modern China's strong suits is turning out counterfeit goods. Or defective goods. Or lead-laden toys for the chirruns.

They have an army of hackers who have gotten into the deepest corners of DoD and copied the F-35 and F-22, our nuke subs, and other advanced systems.

Thanks to one certain POTUS who allowed criminal US companies to sell missile technology to Red China, they were able to threaten us with "Would you trade LA for Taiwan?" Prior to that, China missile tests usually crashed in a nearby village full of expendable peasants.

I was at DT some time ago getting a set of Pirellis and I mentioned the Arizonan tires. Guy behind the counter said they're good and get good feedback, they just wear fast.

 

[BlackGTP]

Holy cow. I avoid Chinese stuff when I can and I won't buy anything that enters my mouth such as food or toothpaste from China. I see items like Crest toothpaste and Scope mouthwash on the shelves of local Dollar stores with suspicious packaging so I refuse to make the purchase.

Question: when a major manufacturer such as GM purchases component parts from China and installs them deep within my new automobile, who guarantees the parts are "legit?" If an overall subassembly with a tiny little part of dubious origin fails, how is my local mechanic supposed to know? Am I financially responsible if the car is out of warranty? What if a safety issue enters into the picture and a family member was hurt and a manufacturer takes the position that bogus parts were in the vehicle but due to its age it's impossible to determine if the defect originated at the point of manufacture, or the parts were retrofitted at a later date? I saw a documentary (on Sixty Minutes or CNBC I believe) on counterfeit aircraft parts and the problem is so widespread in aviation due to the very high cost of parts that bogus components have been found in American military aircraft and even Air Force One.

Uh....yikes.

I to avoide "made in China"...

GM is accountable for what they put in their automobile, and at least they will have records and the ability to trace back to the manufacturer. Though I think the retailer should be accountable I can understand how it is harder for a little guy to figure out exactly where his product is from.

 

[rustywrench]

Remember the "made in china" valve stem fiasco? You get what you pay for.

 

[unkillsam]

Since I started buying tires years ago I have only bought Goodyear, Bridgestone, and Pirelli. No cheap Chinese tires for me!

 

[Smaart Aas Saabr]

Scary - absolutely no one is accountable and difficult to find a Federal agency that will even address the issue. And unlike a Louis Vitton bag, substandard tires can be a risk to your life.

As the article states, "if it's to good of a deal to be true"......

is there really a safety issue? it seems the tires tested poorly, but they didn't explode or anything... probably still better than Firestone!

 

[All Star]

Since I started buying tires years ago I have only bought Goodyear, Bridgestone, and Pirelli. No cheap Chinese tires for me!

Pirelli and Goodyear are not above being counterfeit.

 

[Ruperts Trooper]

Since I started buying tires years ago I have only bought Goodyear, Bridgestone, and Pirelli. No cheap Chinese tires for me!

Do you check the side-wall moulding to see where even big brands are made these days?

Just don't fly or drive a car - most of the safety-related components are made in China!

 

[F14CRAZY]

My Durango, which gets around 1k/year, could use a set of these

is there really a safety issue? it seems the tires tested poorly, but they didn't explode or anything... probably still better than Firestone!

I was gonna say something like the Goodyear Eagle RS-As sure seem like they're made in China considering their crappy traction and snow and tread wear.

 

[richmond2000]

Question: when a major manufacturer such as GM purchases component parts from China and installs them deep within my new automobile, who guarantees the parts are "legit?" If an overall subassembly with a tiny little part of dubious origin fails, how is my local mechanic supposed to know? Am I financially responsible if the car is out of warranty? What if a safety issue enters into the picture and a family member was hurt and a manufacturer takes the position that bogus parts were in the vehicle but due to its age it's impossible to determine if the defect originated at the point of manufacture, or the parts were retrofitted at a later date? I saw a documentary (on Sixty Minutes or CNBC I believe) on counterfeit aircraft parts and the problem is so widespread in aviation due to the very high cost of parts that bogus components have been found in American military aircraft and even Air Force One.

Uh....yikes.

in that case the "final" product maker (GM) is responsible for the fitness of the car as a whole
out of warranty you are responsible if a part fails it does NOT matter the parts source
and for aircraft parts they have a history documentation and the parts where used "re certified" parts that where NOT rebuilt to standards just used take outs with bogus certificates

I believe in Australia the retail store is responsible if something is UNFIT for use or of sub par quality so in this case the retailer would HAVE to take them back if you prove the performance is below an acceptable level

 

[Ruperts Trooper]

As well as Australia, consumer legislation in Europe makes the retailer responsible, not the manufacturer - so in the case of a car or it's components it would be the selling dealer.

European legislation has additional powers against manufacturers who falsely or fraudulently claim compliance with a mandatory standard.

 

[F14CRAZY]

in that case the "final" product maker (GM) is responsible for the fitness of the car as a whole
out of warranty you are responsible if a part fails it does NOT matter the parts source
and for aircraft parts they have a history documentation and the parts where used "re certified" parts that where NOT rebuilt to standards just used take outs with bogus certificates

I believe in Australia the retail store is responsible if something is UNFIT for use or of sub par quality so in this case the retailer would HAVE to take them back if you prove the performance is below an acceptable level

oh yeah, that Unmerchantable Quality law is pretty cool

 

[Dr.Show-Me]

N

Holy cow. I avoid Chinese stuff when I can and I won't buy anything that enters my mouth such as food or toothpaste from China. I see items like Crest toothpaste and Scope mouthwash on the shelves of local Dollar stores with suspicious packaging so I refuse to make the purchase..

China has produced tooth paste with anti-freeze in it and melamine (plastic) in milk.
Chinese products are cheap and not trustworthy.

 

[Ruperts Trooper]

Chinese products are cheap and not trustworthy.

Most of them bought by Western companies who want cheap and are comfortable overlooking discrepancies.

 

[Dr.Show-Me]

Most of them bought by Western companies who want cheap and are comfortable overlooking discrepancies.

It's more than a "Discrepancy" when they put harmful additives in milk and potentially fatalities from antifreeze.
Do you have specific examples of what you stated?

 

[rustywrench]

I saw on TV that US made baby formula is real popular over there as some don't trust the "local" stuff.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/johnbalzano/2014/09/02/china-seeks-to-elevate-trust-in-the-infant-formula-industry/

 

[Ruperts Trooper]

It's more than a "Discrepancy" when they put harmful additives in milk and potentially fatalities from antifreeze.
Do you have specific examples of what you stated?

Huge numbers/values of components are sourced from China by most industries globally, including mission critical parts, and yet the public in many countries naively assume that final assembly in their own country implies that their own safety standards are automatically met.

If it's cheap, wonder why!