Hankook recalling Chinese-made Aurora-brand truck tyres

Wayne, New Jersey - Hankook Tire Co. Ltd. is recalling 12 sizes of Aurora-brand medium truck tyres manufactured over a six-month period last year at the company´s plant in Jiangsu, China.

Hankook said it initiated the voluntary recall of 7890 tyres because of an undisclosed safety defect that causes the tyres to "not fully meet internal endurance criteria." As a result, tyres subjected to extreme usage conditions or abuse could experience "premature ending of tyre service life," Hankook said.

Hankook said it will replace the recalled tyres without charge until June 30. Tyres presented after June 30 will be accepted for a partial credit proportionate to the remaining tread depth.

The tyres in question, all marked with the "BJ" Department of Transportation tyre plant code, are:

--Aurora AL04, sizes 11R22.5 (16H and 14G ply rated), 11R24.5, 295/75R22.5, 285/75R24.5 and 255/70R22.5:

--Aurora AL03, sizes 11R22.5, 11R24.5, 295/75R22.5 and 285/75R24.5; and

--Aurora AH06, sizes 225/70R19.5 and 265/70R19.5.

Hankook said it detected the problem through its own quality assurance program, which conducts periodic surveillance tests of finished products to ensure they fully satisfy standards set forth in the US Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards as well as its own performance criteria.

From Rubber & Plastics News (A Crain publication)