Life-keeping bottom line tires were first included in the recall regulations

Automobile tires are one of the most worn parts in the process of using the automobile. The quality of the automobile tires or defects are directly related to the safety of consumers. There are even owners who claim that the tires are "the bottom line of life."

Recently, in the Regulations on Recall of Defective Automobile Products (Opportunity) announced by the State Council Legislative Affairs Office, automobile tires have been explicitly included in the scope of recalls , and the new regulations clearly stipulate: defects in the tires of truck-mounted equipment at the time of delivery of automobile products. , Recall from the producer of the automotive product; if there is a defect in the tire of the unequipped vehicle, the manufacturer of the tire is responsible for the recall.

The emergence of this regulation has sounded alarm bells for car companies and the tire industry, and has also established a convenient way for consumers to safeguard their rights. In addition, the tire was included in the recall scope, which also triggered the industry's discussion on the recall of auto parts.

1, car prices in the tire recall as a "support role"

In the “Kimho Tire Quality Issues” incident that ignited the past year, people can find that although Kumho Tire (China) Co., Ltd. decided to recall some tires for some years and batches, it is puzzling that the selection is The fact that Kumho Tire's vehicle factory is strayed, immersed in the outside world, and “stands out on the wall,” underscores the reality that China’s existing tire recall system has obvious flaws.

Kumho Tire has three major production bases in China, located in Tianjin, Nanjing and Changchun. The annual production of tires in these three bases has reached 30 million. Kumho Tire's manufacturers include Beijing Hyundai, Shanghai General Motors, FAW-Volkswagen, Dongfeng Peugeot, and Great Wall Sedan. There are about 35 models in the country. Such a large amount of use, many of the preferred tire brands for economical cars, and continuous quality disputes over the years, often caused scandals that caused car damage and even death. After Kumho Tire's quality problems were exposed, a statement issued by Beijing Hyundai Motor Co. stated that the company will take three measures in relation to the quality of Kumho tires, but it will only be responsible for coordinating the recall of Kumho Tires and no other commitments; FAW-Volkswagen, Shanghai General Motors Companies such as Dongfeng Peugeot said that the Kumho tires they use are not supplied by the Tianjin factory. Therefore, they are actively communicating with Kumho on the issue of quality. If it is not the domestic defect in the tire recall, such a wide range of tire quality problems, vehicle companies are likely to be forced to quote the recall regulations on the car with the problematic tires recalled.

As we all know, the recall of automobile tires by the automobile enterprises in the world has long been a practice. The recall of Ford cars that once caught the attention of the world was basically triggered by the explosion of Firestone tyres. Although the recall of Ford's tires caused a large economic loss, its spirit of corporate integrity was highly praised by consumers. Although consumers can collectively sue through lawsuits, consumer associations concentrate their superiority on their work, the media continues to pay attention and appeal, the government formulates relevant laws and other means as quickly as possible, and pushes companies to recall problematic tires. However, what power is not as good as that of car manufacturers. Consumers take responsibility for tire safety.

2, the main body of the tire recall should be clear

Although in our opinion, the tires mounted on the wheels of the car are no different from the components of the car engine, gearbox, wheels, and so on. However, in fact, compared with other automobile parts, tires are indeed in an awkward situation of “bad warranty without breaking the balance”; the warranty of the tire is also separated from the quality of the entire vehicle, and “divided warranty” is not specific. The implementation details. Once found defective in the purchase of car tires, is to find a car manufacturer or find a tire manufacturer? This issue has been ambiguous and has confusing consumers. Article 26 of the “Management of Defective Automobile Products Recall Management Regulations (Draft for Comment)” (hereinafter referred to as the “opinion”) states: “The manufacturer of an automobile product is responsible If there is a defect in the tires of unequipped vehicles, the manufacturer of the tires will be responsible for the recall.” This stipulates to the people in the industry that the first step is to distinguish the recalled subjects of defective tires and the second is to increase the responsibility of vehicle manufacturers. .

In fact, it is not difficult to see from the Kumho tyre incident last year and previous reports of related tire complaints that problems or defective tyres mostly occurred after the owner had driven a certain mileage. If the regulations are followed, then the protagonist responsible for the recall will be the manufacturer of automotive products. As a result, in the future, auto manufacturers will no longer just need to reduce costs in the selection of branded tires, but will also become one of the manufacturers' reference for product quality and quality. This is actually an indirect constraint on tire manufacturers. Luo Lei, deputy secretary-general of the China Automobile Industry Association, said: Tire is a technical product that should be identified and identified by professional and technical personnel. Since automobile manufacturers have previously selected which brand of tires the car is to be installed, car manufacturers should take full responsibility for the quality and after-sales service of tires. In the event of production activities such as Kumho’s initiative to reduce the quality of tires, automakers will continue to perform rights protection on behalf of users, and they have no other responsibility. This is similar to the claim made by the consumer to the mall in the store to buy fakes. There is no difference.

“This is a big plus for the consumer. Before the tires had a problem, the tire companies thought that the car companies were their shields, and the car companies thought that it was none of their business. It is clear who will be responsible for them now.” The relevant person in charge of the Auto Parts Supply Industry Association believes that the auto parts industry is a key link in the auto industry chain and a weak link. It is better to increase the responsibility of the entire vehicle company for tire quality in the new Regulations. The trend also relieved some of the parts and components manufacturing companies of the mentality of luck.

3, the industry called for the introduction of rules as soon as possible

Tire is clearly included in the scope of the recall, allowing the industry to see the recall of auto parts is a general trend. “So far, no detailed details have been issued regarding the scope of the tires being included in the recall. Because there are many interests involving auto makers and tire manufacturers, there is still much work to be done to truly achieve tire recall.” Original National Motor Vehicle Products Cao Jinsheng, an expert from the Quality Supervision and Inspection Center, said. Since the implementation of the automobile recall system in China for seven years, it has been the recall of the entire vehicle, and there is no recall of the auto parts. A car consists of tens of thousands of parts. Quality problems or design flaws in parts and components will cause safety hazards for the car. At present, the auto industry’s developed countries’ recall of auto parts is very common. In 2008 alone, the NHTSA issued a total of 778 auto recalls. Among them, 20 were recalled and 66 were recalled. China is already a big country for automobile production and sales. However, on the whole, the auto parts industry cannot fully meet the development needs of the entire vehicle. Under this circumstance, the recall management of parts and components is necessary and imperative.

Prior to the formal recall of parts and components companies, to avoid the risk of large-scale recalls, experts suggest that auto companies can “step on two boats” when choosing a part manufacturer, which can share the recall risk. The experience recalled by General Motors in March last year illustrates this point. According to GM’s sources, the cars produced in the Chinese market did not purchase the same parts and components as those in overseas markets, thus reducing the losses in the Chinese market. When Toyota recalled in large areas in the United States in 2010, the Chinese market was relatively calm, and it was also because of the difference in the parts suppliers of Toyota cars and Toyota cars in the United States. According to Toyota Motor insiders, when Toyota makes purchases of goods from global suppliers, it will be divided into two situations. A type of so-called "Toyota Map", which is a Toyota-designed component structure diagram, is provided to local suppliers for production processing after discussion. The second type, called the "recognition plan," is for Toyota to submit technical requirements to its suppliers. Components are developed by suppliers themselves, and Toyota uses their parts and components after Toyota's technology license is reached. The implementation of the two procurement “maps” enabled GAC Toyota to effectively avoid large-scale recalls.