3.15 Automobile Annual Report: Tyre Quality Reached "Stricken Area"

Relevant data show that the number of deaths caused by traffic accidents in China is as high as tens of thousands each year, which accounts for 16% of the world's deaths. At the same time, on average, one person per 1 minute is disabled due to traffic accidents. Behind the bloody numbers, the reality of high traffic accidents in China is reflected.

What exactly is the "number one killer" in a traffic accident? According to statistics from the traffic control department, in China, 46% of the traffic accidents that occurred on the expressway were caused by tire failures, of which 70% were caused by punctures. A statistical data shows that when the vehicle reaches a speed of 160 kilometers per hour, if the vehicle encounters a puncture accident, the death rate is 100%. Obviously, the hidden danger of tires is indisputably the "top killer" in traffic accidents.

Frequent Complaints about Tire Quality In May 2009, the State Administration of Quality Supervision criticized Hankook's well-known tire manufacturing companies for criticism, which aroused the public’s attention and highlighted the concerns of people regarding tire quality issues. In the past two years, despite the subdued incidents involving the bulging of Hantai, the consumer complaints against automobile tires have intensified, and the range of tire and car brands involved has gradually expanded. In the previous year of March 15th, in addition to Hankook, many well-known tire brands including Bridgestone, Michelin, Goodyear, and Giti were all involved, and most of them were joint venture brands.

In many tire complaints, the complaint from the owner Mr. Deng can be described as representative. Mr. Deng’s car only traveled more than 4,000 kilometers and he found a bulge on the right front tire. The other two tires also had depressions. After consultation with the 4S shop, they went to the tire dealership store for testing. The tire manufacturer’s own appraisers scrutinized the surface of the tire and concluded that cord breakage was due to improper use and that the location of the splice was a normal phenomenon and did not affect the use. Then he took out an already-printed appraisal report and ticked the “non-tire quality problem” as a confirmation.

Mr. Wang’s new car was less than a month old. He had a bulging phenomenon on the left front tire. Later, he sent the “problem” car to the 4S shop. After the staff removed the car tire and opened it, it was found that there were indeed two prominent bulges on the side of the tire. After the staff photographed the tire, the situation was fed back to the tire manufacturer, and the final tire manufacturer refused to pay compensation or replace the tire because the rubber joint was raised and the user was improperly used.

Mr. Li of Hunan also encountered "problem" tyres. After more than two months of running, the new car found severe cracks in the left rear tire. I think I often run at high speed because of my work needs. Once a tire burst occurs, it will inevitably lead to a car accident. I call the 4S shop and request a replacement of the new tire. However, after testing, the tire manufacturer also issued an appraisal report “caused by improper use of the user” and refused to acknowledge the quality problem of the tire. In desperation, Mr. Li had to pay for himself and replace the "problem" tires.

According to the "Annual Report on the Complaint of China's Auto Product Quality and Service Quality in 2010" issued by the China Quality Association, the complaints against tires in quality complaints in 2010 accounted for 75.93% of the complaints against tires, which exceeded the total number of complaints. Three in three. The specific problems are tire bulging, cracking, and the controversy and liability appraisal caused by this.

"Improper use" is not the only cause. From many cases, it is not difficult for us to find that almost all tire brands responded almost exactly to the customer's responses when dealing with bulging and other complaints: they were identified as improper due to improper use of the customer. It is a quality issue. "Inappropriate use" seems to be the only cause of tire problems caused by tire manufacturers. Is it true that there are so many consumers who "misuse"? The answer is obviously negative. Industry insiders believe that if the sidewalls are often in contact with hard objects, or vehicles are often overloaded, and tires are used for less than a standard amount of time, they can cause bulging and cracking. However, if a tire has the same problem in large quantities, it is more likely to be caused by quality problems. When there is a problem with the raw materials of the tire and the manufacturing process, for example, the rubber components used in the tire are insufficient, it may cause the hardness and thickness of the sidewall. Not enough, resulting in bulging, cracking.

Quality Appraisal: Since the examiner of the candidate has two possible reasons for the bulging and cracking of the tires, it is unfair to the consumers that blindly emphasizes the “misuse”. However, to achieve the goal of rights protection, consumers have to struggle to cross the road after another.

Currently in China, 4S stores often refuse to incorporate tires into the scope of quality warranty, but only offer tire replacement services. Therefore, once the tire has a problem, the dealer will first kick the "ball" to the tire manufacturer. Next, consumers will face difficult proofs. Because according to the current “rules of the game”, complaints concerning automobile quality issues need to be filed before the complainants, who are the consumers, are required to present technical certifications to clarify the responsibilities of both parties. For ordinary consumers, finding third-party agencies that are authoritative is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and the cost of rights protection is extremely high. "Proof of evidence" will inevitably become an insurmountable Kaner. As a result, there was a situation in which the tire manufacturers gave their own appraisal reports, and this was tantamount to the fact that candidates gave themselves probation and the results of the appraisal were conceivable.

Xu Dan, a lawyer at Taihe (Beijing) Law Firm, believes that the current procedural rules are completely reversed. "According to the principle of "whoever is responsible for sales," if there is a problem with the tires, the distributors should be directly responsible to the consumers, and then the dealers should coordinate with the tire supplier again."

National standards are seriously lagging behind industry insiders believe that, in addition to the imperfections of relevant laws and regulations, the serious lag in national standards is also an important factor leading to the frequent occurrence of tire quality problems.

Tyres are particularly important for vehicle safety. Therefore, very stringent product quality standards should be established, such as tire strength standards, rolling resistance standards, noise standards, durability, and resistance to wet and slippery. However, the tire quality standards currently being implemented in China are still the standards issued in 1997. There have been no changes in the tires over the years and they have lagged behind the current speed of development of automobiles and roads.

This is totally different from the level of foreign countries for 10 years. In the United States and Europe, for example, the test standards for tires have been raised in 2007, the test speed has been increased from 137 kilometers per hour to 160 kilometers, and the durability test mileage has also been increased from the original 3,000 kilometers to 4080 kilometers. It also requires testing for detachment, aging, and air permeability.

There was no precedent for the recall of tires. Last year, due to the problem of air leakage, Goodyear recalled the Dunlop tires produced from January 24, 2010 to May 29, 2010, and recalled only 11994 in the US market. Only problem tires. And similar to this kind of tire recall incident, the United States has not only implemented it for many years, but has already formed a normal state. In 2001, the U.S. National Highway Safety Administration required Bridgestone’s brand Panasonic to recall 3.5 million tires. However, Panasonic believes that its tires are OK, and Ford Motors ended 95 years with Pansys. Partnership, replaced tires of all models. Kumho Tire, a major complaint in China, also had two large-scale recalls in the United States, one in 2004 and one in 2006.

In China's current automotive market, recall has become a very "normal" thing, and many auto manufacturers to take the initiative to announce the recall of their models. However, spare parts suppliers rarely come out on their own, and it is difficult to actively “discover” the defects of their own products, of which the tire is the most typical component. Because tires are worn parts, when tire bulging, surface cracking, abnormal wear, increased fetal noise, leakage, or even a puncture are found, neither the car manufacturer nor the tire supplier is willing to bear the burden. Responsibility, and blindly push responsibility to consumers. To date, there have been no precedents for tire recalls in China.

Can Chinese car owners not drive cars? Is the quality of tires on the Chinese market really superior to those sold on the U.S. market? Is there still less accidents caused by tires caused by tires in China? It is generally expected by the industry that relevant national authorities should issue policies and measures to incorporate tires into the recall mechanism as soon as possible.