NHTSA Examines Imported Motor Vehicle Parts
July 18th, 2007 by Paul Crowe - "The Kneeslider"
What happens when a foreign company simply refuses to recall unsafe motor vehicle parts or equipment? The NHTSA began thinking about that problem in light of recent events. Last month, a recall was initiated for tires manufactured by Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber Co., China’s second-largest tire maker. Hangzhou exports tires to FTS (Foreign Tire Sales), a New Jersey company, currently being sued for a crash that resulted in 2 deaths. The lawsuit blames defective tires produced by the Chinese company as the cause of the crash.
Foreign Tire Sales said Hangzhou Zhongce altered the production of tires, removing a gum strip used to prevent tread separation. The family-owned FTS first had concerns about tires produced by Hangzhou in October 2005, after a jump in warranty claims, and ceased buying them in June 2006.
On May 31, Foreign Tire Sales sued Hangzhou in U.S. District Court in Newark, claiming it had received improperly made tires.
The NHTSA issued the recall (NHTSA Campaign #07T003000) in June, affecting as many as 450,000 tires. Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber Co. and Chinese regulators replied to the recall and lawsuit by saying the tires met all standards and were perfectly safe, which is another way of saying, they weren’t going to recall anything.
With an ever increasing number of imported products, especially from China, and a rash of recent problems with everything from pet food to toothpaste, this may happen a lot more frequently in the future. As noted on The Kneeslider many times, Chinese motorcycles are coming into this country, literally, by the boatload, and if the seller here is simply an importer without any other presence in the U.S., what happens if those motorcycles begin to malfunction in a manner resulting in costly repairs or even injuries or death? Who fixes them if the foreign company simply says no? What other recourse is there except to refuse to do business with Chinese companies?
Most all of the major companies from Japan, England, Germany, Italy and everywhere else selling in the U.S., have a sizable U.S. base but China, in many cases, does not. If you are planning to buy a motorcycle, parts or equipment, manufactured in China, ask about their U.S. presence and who stands behind the product. If you don’t like the answer you may wish to reconsider your purchase.
Link: Detroit News
Posted in China, Motorcycle Recalls, Motorcycle Safety
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10 Responses to “NHTSA Examines Imported Motor Vehicle Parts”
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July 18th, 2007 at 9:58 pm
Sound advice. I’ve been telling people on scooter sites this for a while now too.
July 18th, 2007 at 10:59 pm
If someone had suggested twenty years ago that today we’d be buying most of our goods from communist countries, people would have injured themselves laughing. China’s manufacturing sector may be in the midst of a transition, but they still have a long way to go before they meet our regular expectations of quality.
If the Yugo had been a scooter or a motorcycle, maybe it would have been a big seller.
July 19th, 2007 at 12:32 am
Is anyone else not only sick of poor quality but blatant shady tactics?
July 19th, 2007 at 6:57 am
The shady tactics aren’t just the realm of Chinese manufacturers. Often its the Americans doing the distribution for them who are the worst.
July 19th, 2007 at 7:17 am
The problems can come at either step of the process, manufacturing or import/distribution. Anyone dealing with foreign (but most recently and specifically, Chinese) companies needs to be sure, in both steps, they abide by the same standards and follow the same rules as you sometimes mistakenly expect them to. Some do, but it seems some do not.
If Chinese companies build quality products and are prepared to stand behind them, they should make their warranty obligations very clear to anyone considering a purchase. Occasionally it’s difficult to identify the origins of a product, the importer advertises their own brand name so much it can appear they are some kind of manufacturer when they are nothing of the sort. If they are proud of their product, they should be proud of who made it and where it was made which makes it much easier to evaluate the purchase. If you have to pry that information out of them, be cautious.
July 19th, 2007 at 7:33 am
It’s not just the Chinese but the greedy American businessmen and corrupt politicians. Our own govertment is screwing us. If every manufacturing job is offshored, who will buy these products? The days of an honest business owner, like Mr. Honda, standing behind his product and reputation is gone!
July 19th, 2007 at 1:04 pm
It’s all about the MONEY .
July 19th, 2007 at 6:53 pm
Generally I’d agree about the rebranding, but there are reputable companies that do that. They don’t always advertise it loudly, but they make no efforts to hide it either. One company I know of is tremendously good at branding and marketing, and they have picked solid manufacturing partners from India and Taiwan to work with who don’t really understand the desires and sensibilities of American buyers.
July 19th, 2007 at 8:11 pm
Go to any Harley dealer and look at the ton of stuff hanging on the walls that the “made in the USA” company wants you to “customize” your bike with.
Its all made in China.
We’ve lost the war without a shot being fired.
rr
June 21st, 2008 at 11:02 am
Hey Guys,
I have been in China for three years, and to understand this better you need to realize the awe inspiring level of greed that factory owners have. Things like product safety or worker safety are just not an issue. And continuous corner shaving is standard business practice. Lastly, if your thinking of the word “ethics”, it doesn’t translate well.