Citing the results of a study by China's top quality control watchdog, one in seven Chinese-made truck tire tubes is prone to exploding, Xinhua news reported on July 22. The strength of the suspect tubes did not meet standards while in some cases the valves were not attached to the tubes firmly enough the report said.
The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine checked 51 truck tires and tire tubes produced by 30 companies across the country. It said all of the Chinese-made tires passed muster, but the tube deficiencies meant they were liable to explode once in use. None of the tubes was destined for the export market, it said.
A U.S. tire importer, Foreign Tire Sales Inc. of Union, N.J., has accused China's second-largest tire maker Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber Co. of producing faulty tires blamed for a fatal U.S. accident and has called for a recall of 450,000 of the tires. The company has denied wrongdoing and the Chinese quality watchdog has said its tests showed the tires were safe.
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2007
