Two years ago, 10-year-old Alexis James was killed when a spare tire on the van she was riding in with friends separated. The crash also caused Alexis' father's life to fall apart.
"The van went out of control," Patrick James said. "It flipped four times and Alexis was ejected from the vehicle even though she was wearing a seat belt."
The spare tire had been put on the van a month before the crash. According to the police, the tire appeared to be new. It wasn't.
"They said the tire had brand-new looking treads and they said it was a brand-new looking tire even though it was 13 years old," Patrick remembered.
Sean Kane of Safety Research and Strategies says age matters when it comes to tires, even for an unused spare.
"Most consumers don't realize that there is an age on the tire," he said.
While the Rubber Manufacturers Association says there are too many variables to determine an official expiration date, most car makers now recommend you keep tires for six years. If they're older, they can deteriorate and possibly separate.
"This is not like getting a flat tire. When you have the tread peeling off of the tire, it creates a pull on the vehicle that can cause the rear end to come around and this is particularly dangerous on a SUV, van or pickup truck because those vehicles have a higher center of gravity," Kane said.
Here's how you check the age of your tires:
"With the DOT, there will be several numbers," James has learned. "Then there will be a three-digit code or four-digit code. The first two digits are the week and the last single or last two digits will be the year."
The advice from experts: Read your vehicle's manual and follow all safety tips. Rotate as recommended. Check the age and never put off changing a tire.
