Tire registration
The federal duty on every seller of new tires to get the tire identification number and the buyer's name and address to the manufacturer, so a recall can reach the owner. For an independent dealer, 49 CFR 574.8 allows three methods, two of them with a 30-day deadline.
Section 574.8(a)(1) gives an independent distributor or dealer selling or leasing new tires three ways to comply:
| Method | What the dealer does | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Hand over the form | Gives the purchaser a paper registration form at the time of sale, with the entire tire identification number and the dealer's name and street address on it | At the sale |
| Return the form | Records the purchaser's name and address, the entire tire identification number and the dealer's name and address on a paper form and returns it to the manufacturer or its designee, at no charge to the purchaser | Within 30 days of the sale |
| Register electronically | Transmits the same information to the manufacturer or its designee by secure electronic means, at no charge to the purchaser, and states on the invoice that it did so | Within 30 days of the sale |
Paper forms must be the manufacturer's or ones meeting the same requirements (§ 574.8(a)(2)), and one form or one electronic transaction may cover several tires sold to the same purchaser (§ 574.8(a)(3)). Dealers owned or controlled by a manufacturer have a different rule, forwarding the information at least every 30 days or every 40 tires (§ 574.8(b)).
An independent dealer that registers a tire electronically has to say so on the invoice it gives the purchaser, which makes the invoice part of the compliance, not just the receipt. The rule sets no retention period for the dealer; the duty is to provide, return or transmit.
Canada's rule is the tire company's: its notice in both official languages, handed to the purchaser, is what the shop gives over. In Wrenchy the document seeds carry the United States registration form and the Canadian notice, the number comes from the tire identification number on the line, and the electronic path runs through a registration partner. The tire shops page has the rest.
Sources (1)
- 49 CFR § 574.8, Information requirements, tire distributors and dealers · Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School · read November 4, 2026