ABC2 has been working for you, telling you about problems with tire valve stems that are out on the road. Now there’s a recall involving millions of those defective stems and they could be on your car. ABC2 News Investigator Joce Sterman is has the details.
Sara Monk’s pain from losing her husband never seems to dull. When we spoke to her several months ago, she told us, “I miss him so much. Every day I miss him. Every day I think about him. " And there's no doubt Monk's mind is even more focused on her husband today. Robert Monk was killed in a roll-over crash more than a year ago. A faulty tire valve stem was blamed for the blow-out that lawyers say caused the wreck. That stem was reportedly made by Topseal and distributed by Dill Air Controls, a company that's now voluntarily recalling nearly 2,000,000 potentially defective valve stems because they could crack.
It's a problem we told you about months ago when our ABC2 News investigation uncovered the dangers associated with this company's valves. Our report detailed problems that put the company at the center of a federal probe by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration and a lawsuit filed by Sara Monk. In September attorney Frank Melton told us, "The goal is to get all the bad valve stems off the market and off the roadways."
And Melton now believes they've achieved that goal. He tells ABC2 that Sara Monk is very pleased Dill finally did the recall, although she wishes it could have been done sooner. As we explained, Dill previously kept its product in the marketplace, despite information in government files that shows they knew about the flaw for years. The company now believes less than 200,000 of the valves they distributed are flawed, but they say they've made the larger recall because these parts are so hard to trace. Since May. more than 17,000 cracked valves have been returned to Dill. The company is preparing to handle even more, offering affected customers free replacement. Dill General Manager Brian Rigney says, "Dill will honor legitimate claims for premature ozone cracking of valves stems within or outside this certain time period." The company says the valves were likely installed between November of 2006 and July of 2007.
Dill is advising consumers to check their valves for flaws. It’s a simple process. Just take a flashlight and push your valve stem in every direction, looking closely for any cracks. In addition, you can also take your car into a professional tire repair company. They’ll be able to physically remove your valve stem from the tire so they can verify the model number to see if you're effected. Consumers can take their vehicles to the place where they purchased their tires or to any participating Sears Automotive Center, Tire Kingdom, Les Schwab Tire Center, NTB or Merchant's Tire. The valves were sold at all of those retailers as well as hundreds of others. Metal valve stems are NOT part of the recall. Only rubber models are included and may feature Dill’s distinctive nipple. Consumers looking to file claims due to faulty valves can contact 1-888-364-2982.
Models involved in the recall were all produced in 2006. They include numbers:
TR 413/T-13-WZ
TR-413-chrome/T-13-WZS
TR-414/T-14-WZ
TR-418/T-18-WZ
