The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) is investigating faulty valve stems that could lead to loss of control crashes. These valve stems were first linked to a rollover crash of a 1998 Ford Explorer that killed Robert Monk of Orlando, Florida. Robert Monk died when the right tire of his Explorer failed, triggering the rollover crash.

The valve stems in question were manufactured by Shanghai Baolong Industries Co. in China and then sold to Dill Air Control Products who then distributed as many as 30 million of the suspected valve stems in the U.S. market. Tech International, another of the U.S. distributors, recently issued a recall of 6 million of the valve stems made by Shanghai Baolong Industries Co. These faulty tire valves may have been installed as original equipment on more than 1 million Ford cars and trucks. Ford, in a letter sent to government investigators, stated that some tire valves "May exhibit surface cracks and may result in a slow tire flow"e; although they have not issued a recall.

Sean Kane, the President of Safety Research and Strategies in Rehoboth, Massachusetts, stated, "The valves may crack prematurely and lead to serious crashes. Once they are out of the box and on a vehicle there is no tracking in place for these products so you can't notify owners. Motorists may not realize that they are driving on tires that are under inflated or overloaded."e; To which Eugene Petersen, program leader for tire testing at Consumer Reports, has added, "The difficulty in identifying the faulty valve stems represents a real problem for consumers. I can't imagine tire shops or service centers would have kept any records on any valve stems they may have installed on a vehicle"e;.

Cracks in valve stems can cause tires to loose air quickly and at dangerous highway speeds can result in total tire failure and a loss of control crash.

If you or a loved one has been in a car accident due to loss of control, it may be due to faulty valves. Call our office immediately; you may have a case and we can help you!

Faulty Tire Valve News

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