Chinese, Indonesian firms recall light truck tires

WASHINGTON — China's Shandong New Continent Tire Co. Ltd (SNC) and Indonesia's P.T. Elangperdana Tyre Industry (EP Tyre) are recalling light truck tires sold in the U.S. over the past six to eight years because of manufacturing defects that could lead to premature tire failure.

Shandong New Continent Tire (SNC) is recalling approximately 2,211 Rolling Big Power Repulsor M/T tires, size 285/75R16LT, due to a manufacturing issue that could cause a sidewall separation, while P.T. Elangperdana is recalling 24,510 Zeetex AT 1000 light truck tires that could be susceptible to sidewall failures near the bead area.

SNC's recall involves two separate lots of Rolling Big Power Repulsor M/T tires, one produced in early August 2020 (DOT date code 3220) and the other over a four-year period from April 2018 through April 2022 (DOT date codes 1418 through 1622) at the company's factory in Yiushi, Shandong (DOT code AJ).

SNC said it is recalling the older lot of tires, numbering 166, "out of an abundance of caution" since it was unable to replicate the sidewall issue that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration discovered during random testing.

The older lot, number 2,045 tires, were built with insufficient sidewall thickness at a critical point due to a manufacturing anomaly. That anomaly can lead to sidewall separation.

SNC said it will reimburse the amount paid for replacement tire(s) up to the retail price of the recalled tire(s), plus a fixed amount for installation and rotation. The manufacturer has not yet provided a schedule for recall notification.

Owners may contact Shandong's customer service via email at [email protected]

Rolling Big Power tires are distributed in the U.S. by Rolling Big Power Tires of Irwindale, Calif. .

Elangperdana's recall covers three lots of tires sold under the Zeetex AT 1000 designation in sizes LT245/R17; LT285/75R16; LT275/65R20; LT275/70R18; and LT235/80R17.

The tires being recalled were produced at various times over the past eight years at EP Tyre's Bogor, Indonesia, plant (DOT code 109), dating back as far as early November 2014.

As such, the tires being recalled have the DOT production codes of: 0619 to 2522; 1319 to 2522; 0417 to 2522; and 2020 to 2522.

Elangperdana Tyre has as yet not identified a problem at its factory in Bogor that could have resulted in the sidewall separation problem identified by NHTSA. The company has, however, halted production of this product.

EP Tyres said it will provide a refund to owners who purchased the affected tires. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed during September.

Owners may contact EP Tyre's customer service in Indonesia at +62-21-876-5105.

Zeetex-brand tires are distributed in the U.S. by Zafco International L.L.C. of Miami.

In both cases, owners also may contact the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 or go to nhtsa.gov.

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