Aged Tires: A Hidden Danger on the Road?

Aged Tires: A Hidden Danger on the Road?

Contrary to popular belief, you can't judge a tire by its cover Researchers & experts agree that along with tread depth & proper maintenance, tire age is

also crucial to safety This tire was bought as new -- it has never been on the road -- but was nearly 14 years old when purchased

Despite its deep treads, this tire's inside layers have been slowly decomposing and drying out, what experts say make it like 'a ticking time bomb'

Attorney Roger Braugh shows Brian Ross that aged tires have a higher potential for dramatic tread separation, which in many cases has led to tragic

endings for unsuspecting motorists Braugh says his lawsuits on behalf of dozens of victims have uncovered a pattern of corporate neglect &

government inaction on the issue of aging tires A cryptic code of four numbers at the end of the 12-digit DOT serial number

can tell the consumer which week & year a tire was manufactured Can you tell when your tires were made?

This tire's DOT code indicates that it was made in the 41st week of 1994 Tires made in the 1990s have three

numbers at the end of the DOT code, while tires made after 2000 have four numbers This tire is more than seven years old,

made in the 13th week of 2001 Sean Kane, who runs a private auto safety research firm, says tires older than 6 years get increasingly more

dangerous regardless of how long they've actually been on the road ABC News' '20/20' sent producers undercover, rigged with hidden

cameras, to tire retailers all over the county to see if any old tires are being sold as new The undercover producers found half a

dozen tires older than six years at this Sears in Jersey City - some were even older than a decade ABC News affiliates all over the country

did their own investigations collaborating with '20/20' & the Brian Ross Investigative Unit for this report In Indianapolis, WRTV-TV found old

tires at three tire distributors, including this tire that was made in the 31st week of 2001 In San Francisco, KGO's reporters

found a nine-year-old tire, made in the 45th week of 1999, sold as new at a tire dealer In the New York area, undercover '20/20'

shoppers found several Sears stores selling tires older than six years At another Sears store, '20/20' was told that a tire made 12 years ago, in the

46th week of 1996, was perfectly safe