Continental Tire America is recalling their popular TKC80 dual sport tire, along with a long list of other tires from their ContiGo!, K62 and LB lines. A total of 68,770 tires manufactured from January 06, 2019 to April 30, 2022 may be affected by the recall. Continental has also advised that OEM manufacturers such as KTM, BMW Motorrad USA and Husqvarna may have purchased these defective products for their new motorcycles.

According to the defect report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), defective tires may develop cracks longer than 3/16 inches in the tread grooves. The issue was discovered after a recall of the ContiScoot tire line prompted Continental to perform endurance testing on additional motorcycle tire products. The tests revealed that several other products were sensitive to develop groove cracks and may fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 119, “New Pneumatic Tires-Other Than Passenger Cars.” It is estimated that 10% of the tires potentially involved in the recall have the defect.

The NHTSA report states that these cracks can lead to tread separation, which is obviously a big danger for motorcycles. However, Continental indicated that they are not aware of any field complaints for this condition, and have not received any reports of property damage or personal injury claims for the affected products. The company also said that the cause of the defect is still under investigation.  

Tires affected by the recall:

How To Get It Fixed

A recall campaign will be conducted in order to replace the affected tires that have been sold as replacement tires, or are in dealer inventories. Additionally, affected tires have been blocked from distribution in the USA since May 1, 2022.

Continental America will notify owners and replace the potentially defective tires with “substantially similar ones” not affected by the recall, free of charge. In addition, reimbursement for any customer who, prior to this campaign, replaced these tires due to the condition described above will also be provided. 

Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed June 6, 2022. Those affected by the recall may contact Continental customer service at 1-888-799-2168. Owners may also contact the NHTSA hotline at 1-888-327-4236 for recall ID 22T006, or go to www.nhtsa.gov.