Kumho Tire Nanjing market encounters cold wave

Informed sources said that a large number of use of rubber back is the tire industry "hidden rules"

On March 15th, CCTV exposed Kumho Tire to use a large amount of back-grade rubber in violation of regulations, which reduced the performance of the entire tire and caused widespread concern in the industry. On March 21, the chairman of Kumho had issued an apology statement in Beijing and announced the recall of problem tires. However, no mention was made of the specific time and concrete steps for the recall. The reporter recently visited the Nanjing market and found that Kumho Tire almost could not be sold.

Consumers reselect other brands of tires

According to a CCTV survey, in order to save costs, Kumho Tire replaced the original rubber with a back-mix. The large amount of adulteration of raw materials has led to blister and cracks in the tires. The reporter learned that there are a number of car manufacturers supporting Kumho Tire in the new car, involving more than a dozen car brands such as Beijing Hyundai, FAW-Volkswagen, and Dongfeng Peugeot.

“After Kumho Tire's shady was exposed, although I had carefully checked the vehicle tires and found no obvious problems, I was still worried about sudden punctures on the road.” Mr. Liu, a modern car owner in Beijing, told reporters that he hopes that the production companies can give Consumers clearly stated. FAW Volkswagen owner Ms. Huang suggested that Nanjing should stop selling Kumho tyres. She called the 12315 Complaint and Reporting Center of the Nanjing Municipal Bureau of Industry and Commerce for help. The No. 17 staff member of the center said that at present, there has been no news about the suspension of sales of Kumho Tyre by the relevant departments, nor has there been a recall notice.

In addition to the owner, Nanjing Automobile's 4S shop and the relevant person in charge of the auto parts market were also surprised at the Kumho tire adulteration. Manager Zhao of Hongyuntong Tire Store in Xiaguan District, Nanjing, told reporters that after Kumho Tire was exposed, the sales of the brand in the store was indeed much less. Manager Li is a tire distributor in Ningnan Auto Parts City, Nanjing. He disclosed to reporters that Kumho tires are mainly used in economic and mid-size cars. Usually, the price is about three to four hundred yuan. Now, almost no one cares about it. . The person in charge of the Xinzhuang Gaoli Auto Parts Market stated that since the exposure, there has been no market for Kumho tires sold by consumers, and consumers have changed their names to other brands such as Michelin and Bridgestone.

Admixing rubber is the industry's "hidden rules"

“The raw materials have risen nearly 3 times, but most of the tire manufacturers have not increased their prices. Is the original profit too high, or is the major tire factories are losing tires? The tire testing standards are still more than ten years ago, which is now The level of technology is totally unequal. Except for the Kumho Tire that was exposed, are there any other tire brands in the end?” Da Chen, chief commentator of Auto Complaint Network, told reporters that about 20% of the complaints about car quality accepted by this website last year Tire quality problems, and even Mercedes-Benz tires frequently bulging cases of complaints.

An expert who is not willing to be named in the tire industry in Nanjing said that it is not uncommon for tyres to have bulges, cracks, and abnormal wear. The incorporation of rubber in tyres is an open secret in the tire industry. The back mixing rubber can be blended, but it cannot exceed a certain amount. For tires such as Kumho, which are heavily doped with rubber, there is a great safety risk.

"The problem of the quality of tyres has a certain relationship with the raw materials and processes in the manufacturing process. The most common thing in the industry is to cut corners and cut materials on plastic materials." The expert said that the Kumho glue incident was not accidental. Tire manufacturers are trying to reduce costs. There are times when low-quality inferior materials are incorporated into tires.

There is a gap in the tire recall system

As early as April 2008, this newspaper reported that "Kumho was trapped in the "breaking door" and ravaged dozens of models." Then it received calls from nearly 100 readers across the country, all of which reflected the quality problems of Kumho tires. . After this exposure incident, the reporter called the Nanjing Kumho Tire Factory again. The relevant staff said that the Nanjing Plant was only responsible for production, and other events were issued by the Group.

“Kumho tires are supplied to many automobile manufacturers. Tire problems are usually recalled by the vehicle manufacturer and executed by dealers. If you really want to recall, it will involve many auto companies. It is estimated that at least tens of millions of vehicles will be recalled." Jia Xinguang, chief analyst of the Automotive Industry Consulting and Development Company, said that the tires are consumables, and the warranty is separate from the vehicle. However, at present, there is no mandatory requirement for the “three guarantees” for tires, and there is still a gap in the system.