European recall of Pirelli P Zero Race TLR tyres echoed by CPSC in USA
(Image credit: Pirelli)
Together with the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), tyre manufacturer Pirelli has announced a voluntary recall of over 14,500 road bike tyres, plus 550 in Canada.
The recall relates to the Pirelli P Zero Race TLR in size 28-622 – better known as 700c x 28mm – across six different variants including the Classic, Black, Yellow, White, Red and Gold colourways.
It follows the announcement to recall the same tyres in the UK and Europe in July of this year. Exactly what led to the delay between the original announcement and its expansion to the North American market is unconfirmed.
The reason for the recall, as outlined by the CPSC, is that the tyre bead "can unseat from the rim and lead to rapid air loss in the tires, resulting in loss of control and posing a fall hazard." As with the European recall, affected owners are advised to "immediately stop using the recalled tyres," and to contact Pirelli or an authorised dealer where they will be offered a free replacement or a full refund.
Pirelli explains further, saying "some products might not guarantee 100% retention of inflation pressure on some rims currently on the market. This combination of rim-tyre-pressure, if not properly controlled and set up, might lead to an unsecure bead retention, compromising safety of the whole wheel system."
If you believe you might be affected by the recall, Pirelli has listed a comprehensive explainer that you can cross reference against your tyres. That can be found here.
Specifically, the recall affects tyres of model numbers 3984300, 4149600, 4204400, 4204500, 4204600 and 4416600. These numbers can be found on the box in which the tyre was packaged.
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This table provided by Pirelli shows the exact affected models, with Model Numbers, Tyre IDs and Date Codes which can be referenced against your own tyres (Image credit: Pirelli)
If you no longer have the box, a tyre ID and Production Date Code are printed on the sidewall of the tyre itself, images of which are provided on the aforementioned overview from Pirelli. The Tyre IDs in question are 843L, 496N, 044P, 045P, 046P and 166T, and across any date code between 1023 (Week 10, 2023) and 2423 (Week 24, 2023).
According to the CPSC, Pirelli has received one report of failure, in which the rapid air loss resulted in "a minor injury."
While not a direct result thereof, the recall highlights the ongoing complexities and risks of pairing tubeless tyres with today's crop of road bike wheels. For more on this subject, read our deep dive into the changes that the ETRTO - the European Tyre and Rim Technical Organisation - made to its guidance earlier this year.
Josh is Associate Editor of Cyclingnews – leading our content on the best bikes, kit and the latest breaking tech stories from the pro peloton. He has been with us since the summer of 2019 and throughout that time he's covered everything from buyer's guides and deals to the latest tech news and reviews.
On the bike, Josh has been riding and racing for over 15 years. He started out racing cross country in his teens back when 26-inch wheels and triple chainsets were still mainstream, but he found favour in road racing in his early 20s, racing at a local and national level for Somerset-based Team Tor 2000. These days he rides indoors for convenience and fitness, and outdoors for fun on road, gravel, 'cross and cross-country bikes, the latter usually with his two dogs in tow.
