Watch CBS News

Substandard Tire Repairs Pose Risk To Drivers

BOSTON (CBS) - The holiday season means road trips for many families and those rough winter roads can also mean a lot of leaky tires. But what many car owners don't know is there is a right way and a wrong way to fix a tire and the wrong way could be putting your loved ones in danger.

Gwen Chattelle's life was changed forever by a shoddy tire repair. "I used to take care of him and of the children, now he takes care of me," she said describing her husband. Gwen was paralyzed in an accident when the car she was riding in flipped over five times. It happened when one of the tires suddenly blew. "The right rear tire, the one we had just repaired," her husband recalled.

Like most people who find a nail or a slow leak in their tire, Roy Chatelle pulled in for a quick repair so he could get back on the road. The official investigation concluded that repair was faulty and caused the accident.

According to Glen Wilder of Wilder Brothers Auto in Scituate, bad tire repairs are common and they put countless people at risk. He said many shops fix the leak from the outside. "They just jam rubber into it until it stops leaking," he said.

He also explained if the inside of the tire isn't inspected, your risk goes up, particularly if the tire has been leaking for a long time. "The heat of friction disintegrates the tire," he said, showing us a dust-like material that had formed inside a tire that had been driven low for a long time. "It can create an unsafe condition for the car because the tire may let go on the road."

Wilder says he does repairs the way the tire manufacturers recommend, from the inside with a plug-patch and a rubber sealant.

The problem is, there is no law against those sub-standard repairs, so it's up to customers to make sure they ask. It was a painful lesson for Gwen Chattelle and her family. "I trusted the people that I took it to," Roy Said.

MORE LOCAL NEWS FROM CBS BOSTON

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.