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How many of you who buy tires look closely at the rubber wheel coverings? Tires are the rubber donuts that surround the wheels in the center, though most people assume the whole unit, the tire, and the wheel comprises the wheel.
Where You Can Find Safety Info
If you were to look closely at your new tires, once it is mounted and installed on your vehicle, you would see a series of raised letters, each group of which has a specific meaning. For example, if you see the raised marking M+S, the tires can run in mud and snow, and the tire's tread pattern is aggressive enough to allow this to happen while keeping you safe. Another thing that this indicator means is that the tire's composition will keep it pliable in cold weather so that you know your vehicle can handle mud and snow while retaining its bite so that the tire will work properly.
Another series of letters and numbers is the primary size of the tire itself. For example, the 2015 Ford Fusion SE has a series of letters and numbers that look like this:
235/50R17.
In short, the numbers describe the size of the tire via a well-known industry shorthand. Or, to put it another way, the tire has a section width of 235 and an aspect ratio of 50. These are the first two numbers. The third letter is an R for rim size (wheel size) and a wheel size of 17 inches. The section width is the tire's width, while the aspect ratio is the tire's cross-section across the tire from bead edge to bead edge. The bead edge is the place where the sidewall meets the tread. Another key molded in grouping tells you the maximum cold tire pressure to which you can inflate your vehicle's tires.
As noted, you can – or should – be able to find this information in three places. First, it is molded into the bead wall of the tire, just below the bead edge. Second, you will find the same information on your vehicle's glovebox door. Finally, you can find this information on a Safety Sticker at the base of the driver's side door. To say there is redundancy is putting it mildly because, though they never tell you about it, the information is also in the owner's manual.
Safety Information Located In Multiple Sites
Most of the time, the information is located in all those places. However, the information is missing for about 5,300 Ford F-150 and Super Duty trucks. According to paperwork filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the lack of this information could mean the installation of an incorrectly sized tire or rim. Or, it could mean that you inflate the tires to an incorrect pressure. Any of these conditions can increase the risk of a crash.
To this end, Ford has launched the recall of about 5,300 heavy-duty pickups where the problem has surfaced.
The vehicles the automaker is recalling include:
- 2022 Ford F-250
- 2022 Ford F-350
- 2022 Ford F-450
- 2022 Ford F-550
- 2022 Ford F-600
- 2021 Ford F-350
- 2016 E-Series
- 2017 and 2019 F-450
- 2021 Transit vans
Safety Stickers Missing From Vehicles
According to the NHTSA paperwork, these vehicles are missing Safety Stickers that indicate the tire size, rim type, and pressure values for both the front and rear axles. The automaker has recalled these vehicles because their Safety Certification Labels are missing this information. Because the vehicles lack this information, they fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 110 – Tire Selection and Rim – and 120 Wheels and Rims-Other than passenger cars.
To fix the problem, dealers will replace the Safety Certification Label free. Ford will begin mailing the owners of affected vehicles notification letters on June 27. For more information, owners can contact Ford customer service at 866-436-7332. Ford's identification number is 22C09.
Or, owners can contact NHTSA at the agency's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236. Or, owners can visit the agency's website at www.nhtsa.gov. The agency's identifier is 22V384.
Photo courtesy Ford Motor Co.
Marc Stern has been an automotive writer since 1971 when an otherwise normal news editor said, "You're our new car editor," and dumped about 27 pounds of auto stuff on my desk. I was in heaven as I have been a gearhead from my early days. As a teen, I spent the usual number of misspent hours hanging out at gas stations Shell and Texaco (a big thing in my youth) and working on cars. From there on, it was a straight line to my first column for the paper, "You Auto Know," an enterprise that I handled faithfully for 32 years. Not many people know that I also handled computer documentation for a good part of my living while writing YAN. My best writing, though, was always in cars. My work has appeared in Popular Mechanics, Mechanix Illustrated, AutoWeek, SuperStock, Trailer Life, Old Cars Weekly, Special Interest Autos, etc. You can follow me on: Twitter or Facebook.
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