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The Kneeslider

Doers Builders and Positive People

NHTSA Examines Imported Motor Vehicle Parts

By Paul Crowe

NHTSAWhat 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 on July 18, 2007 Filed Under: China, Motorcycle Recalls, Motorcycle Safety


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Comments

  1. Bryce says

    July 18, 2007 at 9:58 pm

    Sound advice. I’ve been telling people on scooter sites this for a while now too.

  2. GenWaylaid says

    July 18, 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.

  3. Sid says

    July 19, 2007 at 12:32 am

    Is anyone else not only sick of poor quality but blatant shady tactics?

  4. Bryce says

    July 19, 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.

  5. kneeslider says

    July 19, 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.

  6. Fernando says

    July 19, 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!

  7. Jeff says

    July 19, 2007 at 1:04 pm

    It’s all about the MONEY .

  8. Bryce says

    July 19, 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.

  9. rangeroger says

    July 19, 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

  10. William says

    June 21, 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.

  11. Jake Bechtel says

    December 10, 2008 at 10:27 pm

    I own 4 Chinese motor scooters. 3 I bought from a “dealer” in Kansas without checking his bonifids. Turned out he was not licensed by Kansas, the 2006 model bikes I bought were actually 2004 models and the motor cases had been remarked as 2006 motors and a host of other problems. Eventually I located parts suppliers and dealers who helped me to get these bikes to an acceptable level.

    In June I began checking out Chinese manufacturers thru industry inspectors and raters. I found that there are over 400 builders of bikes in China. Some are real losses from the git go. Others are highly reliable. In August I purchased a BMS 150cc cruiser scooter from a licensed dealer recommended by the manufacturer’s US import facility. The manufacturer is Znen and they have a 6 sq mile factory complex plus a separate facility dedicated to motorcycles. They build 3 pickups, 9 SUVs, 15 motorcycles and 69 scooter models, including several electric mopeds. Some are specially built for rebranding as “Italian” bikes and others. Not all are exported to the US.

    Several “brands” of Znen scooters are sold in the US and the level of quality control of both the subassemblies and the finished bike seems to be directly related to the price range of the “Brand”. Motors are either Honda or Yamaha designs built under license. My bike was rated at 8 HP, it is actually 12 HP SAE, top speed was rated at 50 to 55 MPH, it has been clocked at 67 MPH. During 2000 miles of riding I have encountered 0 (zero) problems. Rated at 60 MPG I regularly get 77 to 82 MPG. Outwardly it looks like a Honda Reflex, but it cost about 1/3 of the US price of a Honda.

    WARNING: Chinese builders appear to often “dump” their manufacturing failures on the Asian market and shady dealers and importers appear to be buying these “dumped” bikes and selling them in the US. Lifan had a warning on their corporate website of a California company (they named them) that was selling unlicensed, unwarranteed and unregistered bikes as original Lifan products.
    SIDE NOTE: Recently a privately held company has surfaced on the web that appears to be buying 1 and 2 year old factory rejects and then having the factory rework them to new specs. These bikes are warranted tip to tail for 2 years, including roadside service for flats, out of gas, etc., free towing and parts AND labor service at a local repair shop for break-downs. Every bike is shipped fully assembled and has been test riden for several miles before shipment. This company is now licensing local dealers.

    IN SUMMARY: Reputable Chinese builders are trying to establish a reliable US network to market and service their products. They have set standards for “authorized” dealers that ensure customer satisfaction and loyalty. Rip-off artists have existed for years and will continue to exist as long as there are customers who are looking to “beat” a dealer. Ironically, my local “Authorized” dealer charged me LESS for a fully dealer prepped and factory warrantied product than several “un-authorized” web dealers advertised for a crated and drop-shipped un-prepped or inspected bike. PLEASE, check around and investigate before you buy any high ticket item. By the way – Harley is reported to be negotiating with at least one Chinese builder to build a modest displacement bike.

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