Automotive RepairUsed Tires

Section § 9889.30

Explanation

This law says that automotive repair shops in California cannot install unsafe used tires on cars that will be driven on highways. A tire is unsafe if it is very worn out, has certain types of damage, or has been poorly repaired. There is a list of specific conditions that make a tire unsafe, such as having very low tread, damage that exposes inner parts, improper repairs, or any sign of internal damage. There are exceptions for repairs and certain temporary situations, like when a tire is temporarily removed for a service and put back on the same vehicle. Dealers must visually inspect the tires, except for checking tread depth.

(a)Copy CA Business & Professions Code § 9889.30(a)
(1)Copy CA Business & Professions Code § 9889.30(a)(1) Subject to subdivision (b), an automotive repair dealer shall not install an unsafe used tire on a motor vehicle for use on a highway, as defined in Section 360 of the Vehicle Code.
(2)CA Business & Professions Code § 9889.30(a)(2) For purposes of this section, “unsafe used tire” means a used tire to which any of the following criteria applies:
(A)CA Business & Professions Code § 9889.30(a)(2)(A) The tire is worn to two thirty-seconds of one inch tread depth or less on any area of the tread.
(B)CA Business & Professions Code § 9889.30(a)(2)(B) The tire has any damage exposing the reinforcing plies of the tire, through cuts, cracks, punctures, scrapes, or wear.
(C)CA Business & Professions Code § 9889.30(a)(2)(C) The tire has any repair in the tread shoulder or belt edge area.
(D)CA Business & Professions Code § 9889.30(a)(2)(D) The tire has a puncture that has not been both sealed or patched on the inside and repaired with a cured rubber stem through to the outside.
(E)CA Business & Professions Code § 9889.30(a)(2)(E) The tire has repair to the sidewall or bead area.
(F)CA Business & Professions Code § 9889.30(a)(2)(F) The tire has a puncture repair of damage larger than one-fourth of one inch.
(G)CA Business & Professions Code § 9889.30(a)(2)(G) The tire shows evidence of prior use of a temporary tire sealant to repair a puncture or damage to the tire without evidence of a subsequent proper repair.
(H)CA Business & Professions Code § 9889.30(a)(2)(H) The tire has a defaced or removed United States Department of Transportation tire identification number.
(I)CA Business & Professions Code § 9889.30(a)(2)(I) The tire has any inner liner damage or bead damage.
(J)CA Business & Professions Code § 9889.30(a)(2)(J) The tire shows indication of internal separation, such as bulges or local areas of irregular tread wear indicating a distortion in the tread area when compared to other areas of the tread, or belt separation.
(b)CA Business & Professions Code § 9889.30(b) This section does not apply to tire repairs, tire rotations, tire balancing, or a tire mounted on a wheel or rim that is temporarily removed from a vehicle and reinstalled on the same vehicle. As used in this subdivision, “tire repair” means repairing a puncture in the tire tread area that is no larger than one-fourth of one inch in diameter, has not caused any internal damage to the tire, and is repaired according to industry standards.
(c)CA Business & Professions Code § 9889.30(c) Except as set forth in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (a), an automotive repair dealer shall use a visual inspection to determine whether a tire meets the criteria of an unsafe used tire.
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