A Jacksonville company is one of six tire distributors implicated in a product liability lawsuit filed against an American distributor, which is in turn suing the Chinese manufacturer.
Omni United USA Inc. is a subsidiary of a Singapore-based company, Omni United Pte. Ltd. The company sold tires manufactured by China-based Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber Co. and imported by Foreign Tire Sales.
A recent Pennsylvania auto accident killed two passengers in an SUV and severely injured a third, prompting the families to sue Hangzhou and Foreign Tire Sales. Foreign Tire Sales is in turn suing Hangzhou for $80 million.
Foreign Tire Sales has now asked the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for help in recalling almost 500,000 Chinese-made light truck tires.
Foreign Tire Sales suspected as early as October 2005 that something was wrong with the Hangzhou tires, according to a report filed with the NHTSA, but the Chinese manufacturer denied it. After an ambulance crash in May 2006, FTS inspected the tires and discovered an adhesive strip that keeps the belts of the tire from separating had not been installed.
Reference:
"Jacksonville company involved in recall, lawsuit," Jacksonville Business Journal, June 2007.
