Before you begin. This procedure is general reference information, not professional advice. Equipment varies by manufacturer, model, and year. Always follow the documentation supplied with your equipment — where it differs from this page, follow the manufacturer. Verify that you have the tools, the working conditions, and the ability to do this task safely. If anything is unclear, if the equipment is damaged, or if the task exceeds your experience, stop and use a qualified professional. You are responsible for your own safety and for the outcome. This site accepts no liability for any loss, damage, or injury arising from the use of this information.
Specifications marked unverified could not be traced to a manufacturer source. Do not rely on them — obtain the value from your equipment documentation.
Every tire carries its own date of manufacture, its size and its limits, moulded into the sidewall. The code that gives the age is the DOT Tire Identification Number, and the last four digits are the week and the year the tire was made. Federal regulation sets that format, so it reads the same way on every tire sold in the United States. This page shows you where to look and how to read what you find.
It does not tell you when to replace a tire, and it does not print a pressure. NHTSA says the correct inflation pressure is the one the vehicle manufacturer lists on the placard, not the maximum number moulded into the sidewall. Replacement age is a manufacturer question too, and vehicle makers and tire makers do not give the same answer. Both are marked here as consult-the-manufacturer on purpose.
| Item | Note |
|---|---|
| Flashlight optional | The light near a tire is often low. |
| Cloth | Use a cloth to remove dirt from the sidewall. |
| Pen and paper | Record the information for each tire. |
No tier-1 source was found for this value. Take it from the documentation supplied with your equipment.
No tier-1 source was found for this value. Take it from the documentation supplied with your equipment.
Estimated under a minute
STOP THE VEHICLE AWAY FROM TRAFFIC BEFORE YOU START.
Traffic can kill you.
Estimated 2 min
IF DIRT HIDES THE MARKINGS, CLEAN THE SIDEWALL WITH A CLOTH.
Do not use a sharp tool. A cut in the sidewall can cause damage to the tire.
Estimated 2 min
Estimated 2 min
No tier-1 source was found for this value. Take it from the documentation supplied with your equipment.
No tier-1 source was found for this value. Take it from the documentation supplied with your equipment.
No tier-1 source was found for this value. Take it from the documentation supplied with your equipment.
DO NOT USE THE PRESSURE ON THE SIDEWALL.
The sidewall shows the maximum pressure. The correct pressure is on the vehicle placard. A tire at the wrong pressure can fail and injure you.
Estimated 2 min
Do not use one date code for all the tires.
Tires on one vehicle can have different dates.
This page uses one term for each item and holds it throughout, as ASD-STE100 requires. Equipment sellers and other guides use the names below for the same parts.
Stop if the sidewall has a cut. Stop if the sidewall has a bulge. Stop if the tire has a crack. Speak to a tire specialist.
A tire specialist must tell you when to replace a tire. This page does not give a replacement age. Vehicle manufacturers and tire manufacturers do not agree on an age. Read the documentation for your vehicle and your tires.
Look on the sidewall for the DOT Tire Identification Number and read the last four digits. The first two are the week of manufacture and the last two are the year. NHTSA gives the example 0308, which is a tire made in the third week of 2008. The number may be moulded on only one side of the tire, so look at both sides before you decide it is missing.
It is the date code, the final group of the DOT Tire Identification Number. Federal regulation 49 CFR 574.5 requires four numerals: the week of the year, then the last two digits of the year. Week 01 is the first full calendar week of the year, and a calendar week runs from Sunday to Saturday.
The letters DOT are a certification that the tire conforms to an applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard. What follows is the Tire Identification Number: a plant code, then a manufacturer's code, then the date code. Under 49 CFR 574.5 a new tire carries 13 symbols and a retreaded tire carries seven.
No. That number is the maximum permissible inflation pressure for the tire, not the right pressure for your vehicle. NHTSA is explicit that the correct pressure for your tire is what the vehicle manufacturer has listed, not what is listed on the tire itself. It is on the Tire and Loading Information placard, and 49 CFR 571.110 is what requires that placard to carry it.
This page will not give you a number, because there is no single right one. NHTSA notes that some vehicle and tire manufacturers recommend replacing tires that are six to 10 years old regardless of treadwear, which is a range and an attribution rather than a rule. Your vehicle documentation and your tire maker are the authorities for your own tires. Read the date code first, so you know what you are asking them about.
On the driver's side B-pillar in most vehicles. Where there is no B-pillar, or a placard there would not be legible, 49 CFR 571.110 allows the rear edge of the driver's side door or a position next to the driver's seat. NHTSA describes it as the label on the driver's side door edge, which is where most people find it.
No related procedure is published yet. This section fills as the repository grows.
Every specification on this page is traced to one of these sources. Tier 1 is a manufacturer document, a published standard, or a government safety authority. See Standards for the full tiering rule.
Current version 1 · updated 2026-07-29 · next review due 2027-07-29
Corrections to this page are listed in the public corrections log. Reports that are credible and not yet verified are listed in the public errata register, and an open one renders above the step it concerns.
Found an error? A correction with a manufacturer source is applied and logged publicly. You can also write to corrections@fixchecklist.com.
Every step above carries its own report control, which tags the report with that step so a correction reaches the right place. For anything about the procedure as a whole — the order of the sections, a step that is missing, something that did not match your equipment — use this: report something about this whole procedure.