"The light truck radial tires referenced in the Foreign Tire Sales Inc. defect report (to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) met or exceeded all U.S. safety and quality standards during (their) development," Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber Co. Ltd. officials, through the company's law firm, told the agency on July 11.
Hangzhou officials say they "look forward to providing NHTSA with whatever information it needs to independently confirm" their belief that up to 450,000 tires it sold to FTS that are slated to be recalled are not "defective or dangerous."
NHTSA has ordered FTS, a Union, N.J.-based importer, to recall the tires. FTS says it wants to start recalling the tires on July 16. Last week, it submitted its recall plan to NHTSA for review.
Hangzhou officials say they are in the process of collecting information about the tires for NHTSA.
"The original design and each design enhancement (of the tires in dispute) were subjected to durability testing, and were validated for compliance with the applicable U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards before being released for serial production."
