Angry in the Great White North

Transport Canada is aware that there is a potentially serious problem with tires made at the Hangzhou factory in China:

An investigation by Transport Canada has discovered that at least one Canadian wholesaler imported tires that U.S. authorities ordered recalled earlier this week from a company in China.

Transport Canada spokeswoman Jessie Chauhan said the ministry became aware of the U.S. recall on Monday through an Associated Press story.

Even though 450,000 of the light truck radials manufactured by Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber Co. were recalled by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Canadian officials do not have the legal authority to recall the tires until they receive a notice of defect from the manufacturer.

Given that Hangzhou has denied that there is anything wrong, that notice might be a long time in coming. The law in Canada might be the same as in the US, in which the importer can act in the role of the manufacturer and deliver the notice, but so far, that hasn't happened:

In a written statement, Hangzhou Zhongce said its tires met all U.S. safety standards. "We have not found the faults cited by FTS," it read.

Transport Canada says two Canadian wholesalers have imported tires from the Chinese company, one of which was a West Coast dealer that buys products from Foreign Tire Sales. Transport Canada officials said the company imported tires meant for passenger cars to Canada, none of which were on the U.S. recall list.

The other company, Mississauga-based Rakla Tires Inc., imported some of the tires that were on the list, which are designed for pickup trucks, SUVs and cube vans.

In an interview with The Globe and Mail, president Aziz Rakla said his company stands behind its products, but refused to comment further. "We have not had any claims or issues regarding these tires in Canada," he said. "We are working with the government to gather additional facts, and we will advise you of any additional actions." Mr. Rakla refused to say how many of the tires the company has imported or whether any were sold in Canada.

So we now know that we could have bought these tires in Canada, though we don't know how long these tires have been for sale. We also don't know is whether we're sharing the road with any vehicles with these tires right now. And it appears also that even as we watch American authorities tell consumers to remove these tires from their vehicles ahead of the official recall to start Monday, action in Canada is going to have to wait, at least for a bit.

Contrast this to the forcefulness of the response to the question of defective tires in Connecticut:

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal today announced he is investigating the distribution and sale of defective Chinese-made tires in Connecticut and warned tire dealers that they risk violating state law if they continue selling them.

"We are preparing to take immediate measures beginning with strong investigative steps to stop sales of these defective, dangerous tires and compensate consumers for damage -- similar to action we took in the Firestone case," Blumenthal said.

"Dealers who sell these perilously unsafe products should be on notice that they can be held liable for violating our state law. An immediate recall should be ordered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

"We are contacting other states to begin a joint, multistate investigation and action.

"We will have three goals: recovering money for consumer victims, removing tires from the road and stopping illegal practices. Tread separation can cause horrendous fatal accidents, particularly on SUVs and vans, and a recall is necessary immediately. The Chinese manufacturer -- as well as the American distributor -- should cease selling and marketing these tires, which lack a layer of rubber between the steel belts necessary for durability."

Let's keep watching the story develop.