Columbia - A nationwide recall of about 255,000 Chinese-made tires was announced by Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon on Thursday. The tires were imported from early 2004 to mid-2006 by Foreign Tire Sales of New Jersey. Several thousand of the tires are thought to have been sold in Missouri during that period, according to a news release from Nixon’s office.
The tires lacked a safety feature called gum strip, a major defect that causes them to separate easily and leads to possible accidents, according to the release.
The recalled tires are some models of Westlake, Compass and YKS brands manufactured by Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber Company. Consumers can check their tire sidewalls for model information. If their tires are the recalled models, they can fill out a claim form at foreigntire.com or get a form by mail by calling 888-899-9293. Customers should then bring the form to the stores that carried the defective models for free replacements.