Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Sunday Morning

Interview With Mantill Williams

Aired September 28, 2003 - 07:11   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: How safe are the tires on your car? A consumer group wants the government to require vehicle and tire makers to warn about the dangers of old tires. Strategic Safety is suggesting tires have an expiration date stamped on them.
Some info is already on your tires, like this graphic. It highlights the U.S. Department of Transportation's ID number for tires. And right now, tires are stamped with the manufacturing date. Look at the number there, you can see 8/03. That means the tire was manufactured in the eighth week of 2003. Sounds a little cryptic, though.

And here is another example. This tire, with the number 2/38, was manufactured the 23rd week of 1998. Got it?

Well, let's talk more about this call for expiration dates on tires with Mantill Williams, with the AAA Auto Club of America. Mantill, thanks so much for being with us today. You know, we were showing some of those graphics, and it's a little confusing as far as what's out there right now.

MANTILL WILLIAMS, AAA: Yes, exactly, Heidi, you're right. Those numbers, I don't see how anyone can decipher when their tire was actually manufactured. I think the thing that motorists need to keep in mind is that there is nothing mysterious going on inside your tire. If your tire is going to have an impending failure, it is usually visible by the naked eye. So, Heidi, there is absolutely no substitute for regular tire inspections.

And we are concerned that if they do slap an expiration date on the tire, we think people might believe, oh, I can go for five or six years and not even have to check my tires. In reality, you have to do regular tire inspection, regardless of the age of the tire. There really is no substitute for that.

COLLINS: Right, so you're talking about a little bit of a false sense of security here, and also want to know, flat out, how old is too old? Let's say that you are keeping up with service. You are getting those tires rotated every 5,000, 6,000 miles or so. But how old is too old? How long can you keep them on there?

WILLIAMS: Well, Heidi, to be perfectly honest with you, that's something we don't know right now. We are at a point where we're trying to find out if this is even a problem that we even need to study. Bottom line is this, you need to regularly check the tread, the inflation pressure, and also the side walls of your tire. If you do those three things, and maybe even have your tires looked at by a certified auto technician, then you shouldn't have a problem. Again, if there are impending dangers with your tire, it will be seen by the naked eye. Tires are something that comes with instructions. So you can actually look at your owner's manual to know about the type of inflation pressure that you need. So if you regularly inspect your tires, you really should be OK.

COLLINS: So as far as going and looking for new tires, if I decided that, yes, you know, they've been on there too long, the tread looks a little worn. When I'm going in for new tires, what do I need to look for now?

WILLIAMS: Well, if you're going in for new tires, basically, you want to look at the conditions where you're going to be driving. You need to look at to see if you need all-season radials (ph), if you are living in a particular climate where you are experiencing all of the season. Also, if you are concerned about this, you can ask the manufacturer when were these tires manufactured, just to be on the safe side. But again, you need to make sure that you inspect your tires weekly. You need to look at the inflation pressure, you want to look at the tread and also you want to look at the side walls, look for any cuts or bulges, because those things will tell you ahead of time if something is is going to happen to your tires.

COLLINS: Weekly? Mantill, I never look at my tires weekly. I mean, there is no way. I would be lying if I said I did.

WILLIAMS: And, Heidi, I think that's the problem. The tires are some of the most important pieces of safety equipment on the vehicle. You can have great engine, great transmission, fantastic breaks, but if you do not have traction, Heidi, you do not have control of your tires. So we suggest that every time you fill up, you might want to take a look at your tire just for some obvious things, and every 6,000 miles you want to get your tires rotated, and about every 12,000 miles you want to look at your front and alignment. If you do those things, then you shouldn't have any problems.

COLLINS: We're looking at some video of the things that can happen if your tires do blow and you're not keeping track of the age of them.

I know you said there is a lot that is unknown about the age of a tire, but as your best guess, is there an age -- I mean, are we talking five years until this thing is just, you know, done, if you kept up with your service the way you should?

WILLIAMS: Yes, I think at a minimum, you're talking at least five years if you're regularly inspecting your tires. If you have a tire that's sort of just been sitting like a spare, you might want to treat that tire -- just use it in an emergency situation. Most people don't buy a stack of tires and just leave them in their garage and just let them sit, so that probably isn't a problem. What this study is saying that when the tires aren't used, they might be more likely to fail earlier, because they've just been sitting around.

But the bottom line is, again, if you regularly inspect your tires, it will visibly show you possible impending danger.

COLLINS: All right, very good. Mantill Williams, we appreciate your insight into all of this today, from AAA.

WILLIAMS: All right.

COLLINS: Thanks again.

WILLIAMS: Thank you, Heidi.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired September 28, 2003 - 07:11   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: How safe are the tires on your car? A consumer group wants the government to require vehicle and tire makers to warn about the dangers of old tires. Strategic Safety is suggesting tires have an expiration date stamped on them.
Some info is already on your tires, like this graphic. It highlights the U.S. Department of Transportation's ID number for tires. And right now, tires are stamped with the manufacturing date. Look at the number there, you can see 8/03. That means the tire was manufactured in the eighth week of 2003. Sounds a little cryptic, though.

And here is another example. This tire, with the number 2/38, was manufactured the 23rd week of 1998. Got it?

Well, let's talk more about this call for expiration dates on tires with Mantill Williams, with the AAA Auto Club of America. Mantill, thanks so much for being with us today. You know, we were showing some of those graphics, and it's a little confusing as far as what's out there right now.

MANTILL WILLIAMS, AAA: Yes, exactly, Heidi, you're right. Those numbers, I don't see how anyone can decipher when their tire was actually manufactured. I think the thing that motorists need to keep in mind is that there is nothing mysterious going on inside your tire. If your tire is going to have an impending failure, it is usually visible by the naked eye. So, Heidi, there is absolutely no substitute for regular tire inspections.

And we are concerned that if they do slap an expiration date on the tire, we think people might believe, oh, I can go for five or six years and not even have to check my tires. In reality, you have to do regular tire inspection, regardless of the age of the tire. There really is no substitute for that.

COLLINS: Right, so you're talking about a little bit of a false sense of security here, and also want to know, flat out, how old is too old? Let's say that you are keeping up with service. You are getting those tires rotated every 5,000, 6,000 miles or so. But how old is too old? How long can you keep them on there?

WILLIAMS: Well, Heidi, to be perfectly honest with you, that's something we don't know right now. We are at a point where we're trying to find out if this is even a problem that we even need to study. Bottom line is this, you need to regularly check the tread, the inflation pressure, and also the side walls of your tire. If you do those three things, and maybe even have your tires looked at by a certified auto technician, then you shouldn't have a problem. Again, if there are impending dangers with your tire, it will be seen by the naked eye. Tires are something that comes with instructions. So you can actually look at your owner's manual to know about the type of inflation pressure that you need. So if you regularly inspect your tires, you really should be OK.

COLLINS: So as far as going and looking for new tires, if I decided that, yes, you know, they've been on there too long, the tread looks a little worn. When I'm going in for new tires, what do I need to look for now?

WILLIAMS: Well, if you're going in for new tires, basically, you want to look at the conditions where you're going to be driving. You need to look at to see if you need all-season radials (ph), if you are living in a particular climate where you are experiencing all of the season. Also, if you are concerned about this, you can ask the manufacturer when were these tires manufactured, just to be on the safe side. But again, you need to make sure that you inspect your tires weekly. You need to look at the inflation pressure, you want to look at the tread and also you want to look at the side walls, look for any cuts or bulges, because those things will tell you ahead of time if something is is going to happen to your tires.

COLLINS: Weekly? Mantill, I never look at my tires weekly. I mean, there is no way. I would be lying if I said I did.

WILLIAMS: And, Heidi, I think that's the problem. The tires are some of the most important pieces of safety equipment on the vehicle. You can have great engine, great transmission, fantastic breaks, but if you do not have traction, Heidi, you do not have control of your tires. So we suggest that every time you fill up, you might want to take a look at your tire just for some obvious things, and every 6,000 miles you want to get your tires rotated, and about every 12,000 miles you want to look at your front and alignment. If you do those things, then you shouldn't have any problems.

COLLINS: We're looking at some video of the things that can happen if your tires do blow and you're not keeping track of the age of them.

I know you said there is a lot that is unknown about the age of a tire, but as your best guess, is there an age -- I mean, are we talking five years until this thing is just, you know, done, if you kept up with your service the way you should?

WILLIAMS: Yes, I think at a minimum, you're talking at least five years if you're regularly inspecting your tires. If you have a tire that's sort of just been sitting like a spare, you might want to treat that tire -- just use it in an emergency situation. Most people don't buy a stack of tires and just leave them in their garage and just let them sit, so that probably isn't a problem. What this study is saying that when the tires aren't used, they might be more likely to fail earlier, because they've just been sitting around.

But the bottom line is, again, if you regularly inspect your tires, it will visibly show you possible impending danger.

COLLINS: All right, very good. Mantill Williams, we appreciate your insight into all of this today, from AAA.

WILLIAMS: All right.

COLLINS: Thanks again.

WILLIAMS: Thank you, Heidi.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com