Kumho issues Solus recall notice in the US

Kumho Tire U.S.A., Inc. has recalled a number of its Solus passenger car tyres due to a sidewall cracking issue. According to the company’s submission to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administrion (NHTSA), certain 225/45 R17 Kumho Solus KH25 produced 21 August 2011 through 23 June 2012 have an issue which could develop into cracking in the sidewall, which could result in air loss and in turn in a potential tyre failure.

Kumho first began to be aware of the possible issue in June 2012 when two tyres were returned to Kumho Tire for analysis as they exhibited cracking in the sidewall. On 1 August Kumho Tire decided to voluntarily recall the subject tyres due to “an abundance of caution.” The NHTSA notice adds that there have been no reports of any warranty claim, accident, injury or death regarding the tyres recalled related to its reported condition.

Kumho Tire USA has identified 122 tyres that have been sold to customers. According to the company, these customers will be contacted by first class mail in the first week of August 2012. “We will also issue a notification to our dealers to return the affected tyres and to contact their customers who purchased the affected tyres. The notifications will explain the issue and include specific instructions as to how to obtain replacement products,” Kumho representatives said in their submission. 

40,769 tyres being are being recalled in total. The remaining 40,647 in the specified DOT date ranges have been indentified in Kumho’s stocks and are due to be scrapped. The tyres that are returned will also be scrapped. Only 0.004 per cent of the so-called recall population has exhibited the service issue to date. This equates to two tyres.