Tire Safety Modernization Act of 2026

This bill requires the Secretary of Transportation to update certain federal motor vehicle safety standards to modernize tire testing and performance requirements.

Sec. 2, Advancing tire technologies: Within one year, the Secretary must remove outdated tire strength and tubeless tire bead unseating resistance testing requirements from Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 139 for passenger car and light truck radial tires. The Secretary must also revise the definition of 'chunking' in FMVSS No. 139 to exclude snow tires from the current definition and review the definition for non-snow tires, considering international standards and safety data. Additionally, the Secretary must clarify that visual evidence of chunking constitutes a failure under tire endurance and low pressure performance requirements in FMVSS No. 139. Within one year, the Secretary must remove tire strength testing requirements for radial light truck and commercial tires from FMVSS No. 119. Within 180 days, the Secretary must establish uniform high-speed performance testing protocols for passenger car and light truck tires, consistent with specific sections of the United Nations Global Technical Regulation on Tyres. Finally, between three and five years after the final rules are published, or within eight years of enactment, the Government Accountability Office must submit a report to Congress evaluating the implementation and impact of these changes, examining international chunking standards for non-snow tires, and recommending additional safety measures.