Action 9 investigates dangerous tires

TITUSVILLE, Fla. — A Titusville man claims a local store sold him a used tire that blew apart two days later on the interstate. When he couldn't get answers from the tire store he contacted Action 9.

Steve Vaughn was traveling 70 mph on the interstate and there were two tractor-trailers alongside his car. That's when Vaughn's steering wheel turned into a jackhammer and he almost lost control of his pickup truck.

“Were you scared?” asked Todd Ulrich.

“Yes, the most scared I have been in a very long time,” replied Vaughn. He struggled to pull over then noticed a front tire had split open.

He bought the used tire two days before at Priscilla Tires and Rims in Titusville. He paid $120 for a pair. “It had a good tread on it, it looked like a good tire to me,” said Vaughn.

The failed tire scorched his shock absorbers, and the "like new" tire he bought was really 17 years old. “Honestly, I was a little dumbfounded, I was just blown away,” said Vaughn.

Customers can be fooled by tread size. That's why the DOT code on every tire is so telling. The code showed Vaughn’s tire was manufactured in 2001.

“Running a tire past six years is a ticking time bomb and over 17 years is literally giving someone a death warrant,” said repair expert Jay Zembower.

Transportation experts warn against buying tires older than six years. With Florida heat, tires develop dry rot and split sooner, especially if stored outside. “Because of the heat we have here and type of usage, used tires are a big problem and fail quicker,” said Zembower.

Ulrich went to Priscilla Tires and Rims for answers.

“He said it was a 17-year-old tire. Do you sell tires that old here?” asked Ulrich.

“I'm just not sure, but I'm really busy,” a manager said.

The shop owner never contacted Action 9, but did pay a refund. Vaughn said that didn't cover the cost of his damages.

“It could have been catastrophic,” said Vaughn.

It's legal to sell a used tire no matter its age. But large tire chains, like Firestone, stopped selling used tires.

If you can only afford used tires, you should check the DOT code on every tire. The last four digits are the month and year it was made. Any tire more than six years old can be risky.

Cox Media Group