Watch CBS News

3 On Your Side: Faulty Tire Repairs Pose Risk To Drivers

By Jim Donovan

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- In less than a week millions of people will be hitting the road to celebrate Thanksgiving.   Many could be driving on tires that put them at risk.  How was your last flat tire fixed?  As 3 On Your Side Consumer Reporter Jim Donovan finds, a faulty repair could change a life forever.

Gwen Chattelle says a shoddy tire repair robbed her of being a wife and a mother.  Her neck was broken when one of the tires on her SUV suddenly blew on a highway, flipping the vehicle five times.  The accident left her a quadriplegic. Her husband Roy says the tire involved had been repaired months earlier and an investigation concluded that the repair was faulty.

Many of us who find a nail or a screw in our tire, opt for a quick repair so we can get back on the road.  But bad tire repairs are common, putting drivers at risk.

"This is a dirty little secret," says AAA's Robert Sinclair, and that anything goes because there's no law requiring a specific standard in tire repair.  Sinclair says,  "We've heard about tires that are being repaired with spit and tape.  Some unscrupulous shops are using crazy glue, saw dust, plugging tires up with whatever is laying around."

"I can usually tell just by looking at the tire when they come in, the side of the tire if there's been a problem for a while," says mechanic Tony DiCesare.  He's been repairing cars and fixing flats for 30 years and says that if a flat tire isn't fixed properly the tire can blow out, it can just explode.

But there's more than one way to fix a flat and that's part of the problem.   The cheapest way is to use a plug, sealing the puncture from the outside-in.  The tire may not even have to come off the car.

But it's a quick fix that DiCesare warns against.  He says, "The tire has to come off the rim, you have to look inside."   Because if the plug doesn't maintain a strong enough seal, air can escape.  Driving on low pressure can cause a tire to heat up disintegrating the rubber inside.

Installing patches can fix a flat too, covering over the puncture from the inside.  But it's still not ideal.  In fact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Rubber Manufacturers Association and major tire makers say there is only one way to safely repair a tire.  They say you need to remove it from the rim, inspect it for damage, and fix the puncture using a combination repair of both a plug and a patch.  It's more time consuming and more expensive but according to DiCesare, "It's the best thing to use, it's the proper way to do it."

To properly repair a flat tire using a combination of the dual plug/patch takes about 45 minutes and depending on the type of tire, it can cost between $30 and $40.  If the puncture is in a sidewall you shouldn't repair it, you need to get a new tire.

For more information, visit: http://www.tonydicesareautoservice.com/

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.