When Your Winter Tires Are the Recall: A Canadian Verification Checklist

Start With the Tire Identifiers

A reader wrote after a tire-shop visit: “The installer mentioned something about a tire recall. I bought winter tires a couple of years ago — how would I know if mine are affected, and what am I supposed to do about it?”

It is a fair question. Tires can be recalled, not just vehicles, and that matters when they are being used for the snow and ice conditions they were marked to handle.

This issue uses a Transport Canada notice to build a practical checklist: verify identifiers, separate recall checks from routine maintenance, and keep a useful record.

What the recall record actually says

The Transport Canada recall notice for recall 2024186 concerns certain tires associated with The Wheel Group and AMP Tires. The notice says the tires may not meet Canadian minimum snow-traction requirements. Tires marked with the three-peak mountain snowflake symbol must meet those requirements. The stated risk is insufficient traction on snow and ice, which could increase the risk of a crash.

The notice lists load ranges SL, XL, C, D, E, and F; plant codes TB, 04N, 0OK, 1Y9, or 1YC; and a date-code range of 0919–1224. These details are on the sidewall, usually alongside the DOT marking. Treat the exact characters as evidence, not the brand, appearance, or purchase date.

The notice says AMP Tires would notify registered owners by mail, while corrective actions were still under development when the notice was published. That is a snapshot of the published record, not a guarantee that the status has remained unchanged. Check the live recall record for an update and ask the manufacturer or seller what instruction currently applies to the exact tire.

Transport Canada’s defects and recalls information explains that owners can look up recalls, search by vehicle identification number, register tires for notices, and report a potential safety defect. A tire search and a VIN search answer different questions.

Winter preparation is related but separate. CAA-Quebec’s winter-tire buying guide says tread wear is the primary replacement criterion, cites 2/32 inch (1.6 mm) as the legal minimum, and recommends beginning winter with at least 6/32 inch. It also recommends checking all three groove areas and verifying pressure against the owner’s manual. A tire can look serviceable while still requiring a recall review.

Public verification and maintenance checklist

• Find the full sidewall marking on each tire. Photograph it in good light and transcribe the plant and date codes exactly. If a code is inward-facing, ask the installer to help read it rather than guessing.

• Compare the plant code and date code with the Transport Canada criteria. The relevant question is whether the exact identifiers match the listed scope, not whether the tire feels different on dry pavement.

• Check the vehicle separately through Transport Canada’s recall database by VIN. A vehicle lookup will not, by itself, establish whether a tire product is included in this tire notice.

• Check whether the tires were registered with the manufacturer and register them if they were not. Mail notification depends on the company having an owner record; registration is not a substitute for checking the actual tire codes.

• If the markings appear to match, contact AMP Tires, the seller, or a qualified tire professional with the photographs, receipt, and tire and vehicle details. Ask what action is authorized for that exact code. The notice does not state a remedy cost, reimbursement amount, or completion deadline, so do not treat those as confirmed.

• Have tread and pressure checked at the same visit. Record measurements from the inside, centre, and outside grooves for each tire, and compare inflation with the owner’s manual. A professional installation can document what was inspected and changed.

• If you are in Quebec, keep the provincial rule separate from the recall question. CAA-Quebec’s winter-preparation checklist says certified winter tires are required from December 1 to March 15 and recommends arranging installation when temperatures stay around 7°C for several consecutive days. That regional timing does not determine whether a tire is included in this recall.

For seasonal planning, CAA-Quebec guidance discusses battery testing when a battery is over four years old and shows slow starting or dimming headlights. Its car-maintenance questions note that oil-change timing depends on use.

Current checks

• Recall status: the supplied notice said corrective actions were under development when published; verify the live record before treating that as today’s status.

• Tire scope: the plant code and date code molded into the sidewall are the decisive identifiers in this notice.

• Seasonal planning: Quebec’s legal timing and CAA-Quebec’s temperature guidance are separate from the recall criteria.

Limits and source disclosure

The recall information comes from Transport Canada’s published record and general defects-and-recalls guidance. The tread, pressure, installation, seasonal, battery, and oil-maintenance points come from CAA-Quebec guidance. Links sit beside the claims they support instead of in a detached source list.

The published notice identifies a potentially affected group; it does not let me determine whether your individual tires are covered without the molded codes and a current status check. It also does not establish what corrective action, timing, reimbursement, or driving decision applies to a particular owner. A qualified tire professional or the manufacturer is the appropriate source for an inspection or product-specific instruction. Transport Canada’s service standards page describes its role in documenting complaints, investigating potential defects when warranted, updating the recall database, and auditing recall activity. It also lists the defect hotline and its business hours for reporting a suspected safety-related defect.

This is general educational information, not individualized legal, financial, insurance, mechanical, or safety advice.