Kumho Tires recall leaves a flat feeling

Kumho Tires Co Monday announced a recall of tires found to have been made using excess recycled rubber that could lead to safety problems.

Li Hanxie, head of Kumho Tires China, apologized to consumers on a CCTV program. He said the company will punish the employees responsible, recall all below-par tires and "stand on the side of consumers to deal with the issue in a timely manner." He, however, did not specify how the company will compensate consumers or how many tires will be recalled.

On March 15, a CCTV program revealed that South Korea-based Kumho used more recycled rubber from semi-finished tires than was allowed at a plant in Tianjin to save costs. In some cases, recycled rubber even accounted for half the material used in tire production, above the maximum allowed limit of 25 percent.

Kumho first responded by saying the accusation was incorrect as the percentage of recycled rubber is based on weight and not a visual proportion. But after another CCTV investigation which confirmed the allegation, the company admitted it was wrong and decided to recall the affected tires.