TIRE VALVE FAILURE

ODI OPENED PE05-003 BASED ON A LETTER IT RECEIVED REFERENCING MULTIPLE INCIDENTS OF ALLEGED TIRE VALVE (VALVE) FAILURE ON POLICE VEHICLES DUE TO POTENTIALLY DEFECTIVE VALVE STEMS MANUFACTURED BY EHA VENTILFABRIK (EHA), A GERMAN VALVE MANUFACTURER. ODI IDENTIFIED MYERS TIRE SUPPLY (MTSD) AS THE U.S. DISTRIBUTOR OF THE VALVES INVOLVED IN THESE INCIDENTS. CONSEQUENTLY, THE MANUFACTURER FAILURE DATA, SHOWN ABOVE, REPRESENTS THE APPROXIMATE NUMBER OF TR-413, TR-414, AND TR-418 VALVE (SUBJECT COMPONENT) FAILURES ON VALVES SUPPLIED BY MTSD. NOTE: THE POPULATION REFLECTS THE NUMBER OF VALVES IN THE SUBJECT LOT DEFINED BELOW. ALTHOUGH MTSD IS THE PRIMARY SUPPLIER OF EHA TIRE VALVES, DURING PE05-003, ODI BECAME AWARE OF 3 SECONDARY EHA TIRE VALVE DISTRIBUTORS (MOHAWK RUBBER SALES, REMA TIP TOP, AND WESTESCO). ODI RECEIVED 3 REPORTS OF ALLEGED VALVE FAILURE ON VALVES SUPPLIED BY 1 OF THE SECONDARY DISTRIBUTORS. ODI ALSO RECEIVED REPORTS OF 37 VALVE FAILURES AND 5 MINOR CRASHES FROM THE PRIMARY WESTESCO DEALER. MOST OF THE CRASHES INVOLVED INCIDENTS WHERE THE DRIVERS REPORTED HITTING A CURB OR STATIONARY OBJECT, WHICH CAUSED FENDER OR TIRE RIM DAMAGE. ODI RECEIVED A TOTAL OF 3 VALVE COMPLAINTS FROM THE OTHER 2 SUPPLIERS. ODI DID NOT RECEIVE ANY REPORTS OF INJURIES. DURING PE05-003, ODI DETERMINED THAT SOME OF THE SUBJECT COMPONENTS MAY HAVE MATERIAL DIFFERENCES; HOWEVER, DUE TO THE FOLLOWING REASONS, ODI HAS DECIDED THAT FURTHER EXPENDITURE OF AGENCY RESOURCES ON THIS INVESTIGATION IS NOT WARRANTED AT THIS TIME: - MTSD TESTING AND SUBJECT COMPONENT SAMPLING SUGGESTED THAT THE LEAKING VALVES CAME FROM A SUSPECT LOT PRODUCED BETWEEN 12/1/03 AND 3/31/04. BY MID-NOVEMBER 2004, MTSD REMOVED ALMOST ALL OF THE SUSPECT LOT VALVES REMAINING IN ITS AND ITS CUSTOMER¿S INVENTORY. - THE RETURN PATTERNS OF THE VALVES INDICATED THAT IF THE VALVE WAS A POTENTIAL LEAKER, THE LEAK WOULD OCCUR WITHIN A SHORT TIME AFTER INSTALLATION. ANY VALVES INSTALLED FROM THE SUSPECT LOT HAVE CURRENTLY BEEN ON