Dec. 11, 2014—The Tire Industry Association (TIA) announced Wednesday that it would fight a proposal from the Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA) to reinstate a mandatory tire registration program.
During a panel on tire registration and recalls at the Passenger Vehicle Tire Safety Symposium held by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the RMA cited low registration rates of tires sold by independent retailers as the reason behind the proposal.
TIA Senior Vice President of Training Kevin Rohlwing participated on the same panel and called for a collective effort to educate consumers on the importance of registering tires. Rohlwing pointed to the fact that the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), RMA and tire manufacturers have made little to no effort to educate consumers as well as the fact that low registration rates are more reflective of consumer apathy than the lack of compliance on the part of independent tire dealers.
Rohlwing's presentation also drew comparisons to NHTSA's system for registering child restraints where the retailer does not play any role nor bear any responsibilities with regards to the process. He questioned why tire retailers are treated differently and manufacturers are allowed to shift the burden onto the back of small businesses. Rohlwing cautioned the NTSB to consider all of the factors related to the low rate of tire registration before making any recommendations to NHTSA.
Tire retailers must still comply with current tire registration laws that require them to provide the customer with the Tire Identification Number (TIN) on a card so the consumer can register their tires.
TIA will continue to monitor the situation and maintain an ongoing dialogue with NTSB to make sure that the voices of independent tire dealers are heard on this issue. The Association also wants to remind retailers that Congressional action will be required to overturn voluntary registration in favor of mandatory registration. This fight is far from over and TIA will utilize all resources and expertise to ensure that the voluntary tire registration program remains in place.
