A tire manufacturer from California has issued a recall for over 540,000 replacement tires that were wrongly marketed as suitable for snowy conditions, as stated in an announcement by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

The recall announcement, made on Monday, highlighted that Prinx Chengshan Tire North America Inc. is recalling tires from the brands Fortune Tormenta and Prinx HiCountry.

While these tires are labeled for snow performance, they do not provide “sufficient traction to function in all snow weather conditions,” according to the NHTSA. Tires that cannot grip properly on snow increase the likelihood of accidents.

In total, 541,632 tires could be affected, as per the announcement. A complete list of the affected tires is available at www.static.nhtsa.gov.

Owners of these tires can expect notification letters by February 1.

Identifying the problem

The company recognized that the tires meeting European standards did not align with American standards, necessitating further testing with American standard criteria using sample sizes.

By October, final test results revealed that the tested samples did not pass United States standards. In November, engineers informed PCTNA that the tires across all sizes were likely to fail the required tests.

The decision to initiate a recall was made by the company on December 3, recognizing the tires were not compliant.

Customers can reach out to PCTNA customer service at 1-310-205-8355, extension 109 for more information.

Additionally, the public can contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or 1-800-424-9153, or visit www.nhtsa.gov for assistance.