« NHTSA RELEASES NEW CRASH TEST RESULTS; TOO MANY WINNERS? | Main | EXPERTS TO REVIEW CU CHILD-SEAT TESTS; NHTSA PLANS ANNOUNCED »
March 17, 2007
ALUMINUM WHEEL HAZARDS NOTED IN LA TIMES REPORT
Damage to “your prized aluminum or alloy wheels” can result in unsuspected hazards, according to Los Angeles Times report that appears also in the Detroit News. The wheels are relatively prone to road damage leading to “less protection from the pounding of potholes, road debris and occasional curbs. Aluminum or alloy wheels are vulnerable and can carry a high cost to the unsuspecting car owner… At the most, a pounding from a pothole can bend the rim or chink off a few inches of the rim lip. (The lip is the surface of the wheel that forms a seal with the tire bead, keeping it airtight. It's a piece of metal that guarantees the safety of the entire vehicle.)”
NHTSA, the report notes, “has no standards or guidelines on the safety of repairing alloy wheels. As in so many other critical areas of car safety, the agency has not provided advice to consumers on any aftermarket products or issues… the matter is largely left to industry self-regulation and the decisions of companies about what they will repair or not.” It described an incident in which a wheel expert “was recently called in to investigate an alloy wheel failure after it had been repaired. Fortunately, the vehicle was parked in the driveway when the repaired section gave way and the alloy wheel crumbled apart. Had the vehicle been on the freeway, failure likely would have caused a sudden and drastic loss of vehicle control,” the expert said.
In an apparently unrelated story headlined “Demonic Concept,” Automotive News reported: “The Chrysler group will show the rear-wheel-drive Dodge Demon concept - which it describes as a compact, affordable ‘roadster with an attitude’ - at the Geneva auto show next month. The Demon features Dodge's signature cross-hair grille, 19-inch brushed aluminum wheels and long seat tracks that free up storage behind the seats.”
Posted by MVHAP at March 17, 2007 02:04 PM