Wacky World of Rubber: The TREAD Act works!

My car got a flat tire this past Sunday and I suspect my initial reaction was different than most anyone facing the same situation. Believe it or not, the first thing that came to mind was this: "Wow. The TREAD Act worked perfectly for me."

So this is how it transpired, and I will say in advance, if you ever have to get a flat tire while driving, I doubt things could go any better than they did for my wife and I.

Early in the afternoon, we were heading up to Cleveland from our home in Akron to have a late brunch. We were on I-77, one of the main interstate routes in our part of the world. We were a little more than half way to our destination when the tire pressure monitoring system warning light came on in our 2017 Ford Escape.

It was a bit surprising because the Escape only has a bit more than 15,000 miles on it and the Michelin tires that came as original equipment were in seemingly good shape. Of course, it is the start of "Orange Barrel Season" around here, where road construction is common and running over something to cause a flat tire unfortunately isn't a rare occurrence.

Now when the TPMS warning light came on, I knew immediately what it was, as Erin Pustay Beaven, online content editor for Rubber & Plastics News, covered the topic thoroughly in a recent entry right here in the Wacky World of Rubber.

Of course, even if she hadn't, I would have to had to be pretty stupid not to know what it was, because when the symbol lights up, it says in bold wording right beside it, "Low Tire Pressure." At this point, the Escape still seemed to be driving fine despite the warning, but luckily we were right at a exit where we pulled off and drove to a gas station to check out the situation.

My wife, Megan, went in to see if there was a tire gauge we could use. Yes, I know we should have a tire gauge in the car, particularly as I'm the editor of a publication focused on the tire and rubber industry. But we digress.

When I got out, I knew there wouldn't be a need for the tire gauge, because I could hear the unwanted hissing sound of air rushing out of the back left tire. At this point, the tire looked low but not terrible. Within five minutes, though, it was totally flat. Definitely figured that the tire had taken on something on the highway, perhaps a nail or other debris.

Now this is where the thought of the TREAD Act comes into play.

As you may recall, the Transportation Recall Enhancement, Accountability and Documentation Act (conveniently standing for TREAD Act) was passed by Congress in 2000 in response to the massive recall campaign related to Ford Explorers fitted with Firestone tires. More than 100 deaths were blamed on rollover accidents attributed to the tire separation.

RPN covered the topic and the aftermath exhaustively, particularly Miles Moore, our publication's senior reporter based out of Washington. Given the gravity of the situation, Congress acted in record time, quickly passing the TREAD Act. Among other mandates, the law required that as of September 2007, all passenger cars and light trucks under 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight be equipped with a TPMS system that warns drivers when one of the tires are underinflated by 25 percent or more.

And that's exactly what happened in our case. We saw the warning and were able to get off the road and handle the situation without suffering an on-road flat or blowout, which potentially could have brought more dire consequences.

So yes, this is an example where this piece of legislation operated just as it was intended, and I am very thankful for that.

As for the rest of the story, it went as smoothly as can be hoped. I've stated before that I am a major believer that spare tires still are vital. Before I finalized purchase on the Escape, I made sure it wasn't one of the models that had gotten rid of the spare in favor of a lighter—but in my mind more unreliable—tire sealing kit.

I called AAA at 1:14 p.m. The operator said help would arrive by 1:50 p.m., but we received a call from the service truck at a few minutes later saying he was 8-10 minutes out. He pulled in at 1:30 p.m. and the tire was changed at 1:41 p.m—27 minutes from time of call to completion. And we continued on our way to brunch.

As suspected, the tire had received some sort of damage in the tread, although no nail or other culprit was found. A service station near our Akron home that also sells tires was able to make a successful repair for less than $30.

Given the situation, we couldn't have hoped for a better outcome.

Meyer is editor of Rubber & Plastics News and he sees rubber-related stories nearly everywhere he goes. Follow him on Twitter @bmeyerRPN.