| Tire manufacturers have long known that tires more | | | | government and manufacturers are beginning to |
| than six years old, regardless of tread depth, pose a | | | | address the issue. |
| substantial safety hazard to consumers. Tire age | | | | Tires, like other rubber products, have a limited service |
| degradation has been an "open secret" | | | | life. Over time, a tire's internal structure degrades, |
| within the industry, but the public has only recently | | | | reducing adhesion between the belts, which in turn |
| started to take notice as the number of crashes | | | | facilitates tread separation. This internal degradation |
| caused by "aged" tires has grown. | | | | occurs regardless of tread use and wear. It is invisible |
| Prompted by consumer advocates and a growing | | | | and cannot be discerned, even by tire experts, without |
| body of research on the effects of tire aging, the | | | | destructive testing. |