The Chinese maker of tires at the center of a US recall controversy denied yesterday it supplied faulty products and accused its US distributor of making the claim to gain an advantage in a commercial dispute.
US regulators ordered the recall after Foreign Tire Sales Inc of New Jersey said an unknown number of light truck radials imported since 2002 from Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber Co (杭州中策橡膠) could suffer tread separation.
"We have not found the faults cited by FTS," Hangzhou Zhongce said in a written statement.
It said its tires met US safety standards and FTS's specifications.
The company, based in Hangzhou, accused FTS of making the claims because of a dispute that prompted the US company to sue its Chinese partner last month.
"We believe this is merely an effort by FTS Co to stir up a fuss due to this lawsuit," Hangzhou Zhongce said.
Their dispute comes amid a surge of concern in the US over the safety of Chinese-made toothpaste, toys, auto parts and other products.
The US tire recall affects as many as 450,000 tires made by Hangzhou Zhongce and sold by FTS.
FTS said an unknown number of the tires it sold were made without a safety feature, called a gum strip, which helps bind the belts of a tire to each other, according to its filing with the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Some of the tires had a gum strip about half the 0.6mm width FTS expected, it said.
FTS sued Hangzhou Zhongce on May 31 in US District Court in Newark, saying that its tests found the tires may fail earlier than those originally provided by the Chinese firm, and that a recall would put FTS out of business.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary damages and an injunction that would bar Hangzhou Zhongce products from being imported into the US.
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