Injuries Prompt Recall of Combination Tire Inflator and Hand Pumps by Genuine Innovations

Genuine Innovations Second Wind MTB



Wrench Force Two Shot


The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, has announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Combination Tire Inflator and Hand Pumps

Units: About 55,000

Importer: Innovations In Cycling Inc., doing business as Genuine Innovations, of Tucson, Ariz.

Hazard: The combination tire inflator and hand pump can shatter under pressure when inflating tires if there is a blockage in the tire valve, posing the risk of bruises, lacerations, and ringing in the ears to consumers.

Incidents/Injuries: The firm has received 12 reports of combination tire inflator and hand pumps exploding. Six injuries were reported, including lacerations, temporary ringing in ear and bruising.

Description: This recall involves the Genuine Innovations Second Wind MTB model with part numbers 2525, 2525-O or 3519 and the Wrench Force Two Shot model with part numbers 84995 or 80383 combination tire inflator and hand pumps. These devices consist of a hand pump and CO2 cartridge inflator. The part number can only be found on the packaging.

Sold at: Specialty retail stores nationwide and bicycle or motorcycle/ATV catalogues and online stores. The Genuine Innovations Second Wind MTB and the Wrench Force Two Shot were sold from January 2004 through May 2007 for about $30. The Second Wind MTB was sold as part of the Genuine Innovations ATV Deluxe Tire Repair & Inflation Kit from July 2005 to January 2007 for about $50.

Manufactured in: United States and Taiwan

Remedy: Consumers should stop using the combination tire inflator and hand pumps and contact the firm for a free replacement pump head.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Innovations In Cycling at (800) 340-1050 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. MT Monday through Thursday, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.genuineinnovations.com

Business Week explores the Chinese tire problem

This isn't a blog about the problems with Chinese products, but they certainly have had a rough stretch. Business Week weighed in with this piece yesterday about an importer whose business may be ruined by the problems with Chinese-made tires:

Richard Kuskin was sitting in the dingy basement office of his Union (N.J.) import firm one day in May, 2006, when the phone rang. One of his distributors in New Mexico was on the line. There had been an accident involving an ambulance riding on Chinese-made tires sold by Kuskin's firm, Foreign Tires Sales Inc. The tires had blown out, causing the driver to lose control. No one was hurt. Still, the incident scared Kuskin. For several months he'd had a nagging feeling that his Chinese partner, Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber Co., had cut out a key safety technology. For Kuskin, the ambulance incident was like a flashing red warning light.

After hanging up, Kuskin called his engineer, Gary Eiber, and dispatched him to New Mexico with instructions to inspect the shredded tires. Then Kuskin called a product liability attorney. Kuskin knew the costs of a recall could crush his company, which has 13 employees and last year sold just 700,000 tires. He also knew that getting Hangzhou Zhongce to pay for some of the recall would be hard. Chinese companies aren't legally obligated to execute U.S.-ordered recalls, and, says Kuskin, his supplier was denying there was a problem. "I didn't sleep too good that night," he recalls.

There were more sleepless nights to come. Over the next few months, consumer complaints about faulty tires made by Hangzhou Zhongce and sold by Foreign Tire and several other companies trickled in. There were more accidents, including a fatal one that has sparked a lawsuit and prompted the Feds to recall 450,000 tires. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is now weighing an investigation into whether FTS moved quickly enough when the first tire defects were reported. NHTSA is also looking into whether other tire distributors have also sold potentially faulty tires manufactured by Hangzhou Zhongce.