From AAIA Capital Report 

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) investigators announced on Sept. 29 their intention to upgrade a probe of Chinese-made Dill TR400 series tire valves that can crack and leak air causing tire damage and potential crashes. The investigation was opened in May to monitor the premature failure of Dill Air Control Products snap-in tire valves because they were cracking. Dill said the valves were made by Topseal, a subsidiary of Shanghai Baolong Automotive Corp.

In addition, Dill was served with a suit alleging air leaked from a cracked valve installed in September 2006 to the right rear wheel of a 1998 Ford Explorer that caused a fatal crash in November 2007. The suit claimed that the rollover resulted from the sudden failure of the tire valve, which was caused by air leakage. The valve was installed by a Discount Tire store, who is a co-defendant with Dill. Topseal claimed the cracking problem was linked to a change in suppliers of a chemical that provides protection against cracking.

Through the investigation, 23,000 cracked Dill valves were discovered by Discount Tire, and half of them were leaking air. In May, Dill requested all of its North American customers return unused valve inventories from the 2006 production lot and recommended inspection procedures to detect and replace affected valves. NHTSA determined that Dill valves installed from August 2006 through July 2007, a time where Topseal lots were made with the new protection chemical, were more likely to be cracked than non-Dill valves and Dill valves installed before and since that day. Discount Tire told NHTSA it began sending letters to owners in July about the cracking valves and the potential safety risks and offered free replacements of the tire valves. Approximately 23.5 million TR400 series tire valves are under scrutiny.

For more information on the Discount Tire Customer Advisory, visit http://dtcares.com.