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Tire Advertising Denied by NHTSA Because of Consumer Concerns

18 September 2000

Tire Advertising Denied by NHTSA Because of Consumer Concerns, NetCompliance Website - www.netcompliance.com - Reveals

    WASHINGTON & SEATTLE--Sept. 18, 2000--The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently turned back an attempt to approve retail advertising on tires because of potential consumer confusion, according to a document released today.
    NHTSA recently issued an opinion denying a proposal to advertise retail stores such as Sears and Wal-Mart on the walls of tires, citing potential consumer confusion over information already imprinted on tires. The agency's interpretive letter was posted on the website of NetCompliance, Inc., (www.netcompliance.com), an Internet provider of Web-based "paperless" compliance solutions and on-line worker training programs.
    NHTSA was asked if adding "at the retail level, a sticker to the wall of the tire that indicates the retailer (e.g. Sears, Wal-Mart, Mr. Tire, NTB, etc" in a non-obtrusive manner would be prohibited by government regulations. NHTSA standards 109 and 119 require specific labeling instructions for vehicle tires "to provide the tire purchaser with necessary information for the safe operation of those tires."
    NHTSA Chief Counsel, Frank Seales, Jr., responded that "needless confusion could result from the attachment of a retailer's name to a tire which is, as required by our regulations, marked with a manufacturer's name, a brand name, or a manufacturer's TIN (tire identification number). NHTSA believes this confusion would impair the purpose of tire information labels." He added standards 109 and 119 would prohibit attachment of a retailer's name.