How old is my Continental tire?
Type the dot date code from the Continental label to see when it was built.
Example
- DOTDOT: meets U.S. safety standards
- 02PPlant: 02P = Continental Tire - Clinton Plant, Bolton, Mississippi, United States
- ABCDEFManufacturer's code
- 09Week: 09 (February)
- 21Year: 21 = 2021
Built Week 9 of 2021 (around March)
5 years, 7 months old
Plenty of life left. Well inside the usual 6 to 10 year lifespan.
How this was read
- "DOT" means the tire meets U.S. federal safety standards. The tire identification number follows it.
- The first three symbols, 02P, are the plant code. NHTSA lists it as Continental Tire - Clinton Plant, Bolton, Mississippi, United States.
- The plant list names the company that runs the factory. It may build tires sold under other brands.
- The next 6 symbols are the manufacturer's own code for size and type. They are not part of the date.
- The last four digits, 0921, are the date code.
- The first two, 09, are the week. The last two, 21, are the year: 2021.
- Week 9 of 2021 runs from Sunday, February 28, 2021 to Saturday, March 6, 2021.
Format: DOT date code, week and year. Sources: 49 CFR 574.5, tire identification requirements (eCFR), NHTSA: Tires (how to find the tire age), Federal Register, 2015 rule on three-symbol plant codes, NHTSA vPIC tire plant code list.
Reading a Continental serial number
Continental recommends replacing any tire more than ten years old, even if it looks fine and has tread left.
The date code is a week and year, like 2219 for week 22 of 2019. Read it on every tire, including the spare, since tires on one car often differ.
About Continental
- Continental’s plant in Sumter, South Carolina, built its first tire in October 2013 and opened officially in January 2014. It makes Continental and General passenger and light truck tires.
- Its largest U.S. plant, in Mount Vernon, Illinois, was built by General Tire in 1973 and came to Continental in 1987.
- NHTSA lists Continental codes 02P for its Clinton, Mississippi plant, 1VY for Sumter, and 16B and 1A3 for Mount Vernon.
Sources: Producing tires: Continental plant in Sumter, Mt. Vernon, IL - Continental Corporation USA, NHTSA vPIC: Get Equipment Plant Codes (tires, 2026)
DOT date code, week and year
Used july 2000 to today. Example: DOTU2LLLMLR5107
The date code is the last group of the DOT number on the sidewall. The first two digits are the week and the last two are the year, so 5107 means week 51 of 2007.
Worked example: DOT 02P ABCDEF 0921 was built Week 9 of 2021 (around March), so it is 5 years, 7 months old as of October 2026.
Sources: 49 CFR 574.5, tire identification requirements (eCFR), NHTSA: Tires (how to find the tire age), Federal Register, 2015 rule on three-symbol plant codes, NHTSA vPIC tire plant code list
Pre-2000 DOT date code, week and year digit
Used before July 2000. Example: DOTMJL9ABC218
Tires made before 2000 end the DOT number with three digits: the week, then the last digit of the year. Many 1990s tires add a small triangle after the code.
Worked example: DOT MJ L9 ABC 218 fits Week 21 of 1988 (around May) or Week 21 of 1998 (around May). The page above explains how to tell which.
| Code ends | Possible years |
|---|---|
| 218 with a triangle | 1998 |
| 218 with no triangle | 1988 or 1998 |
| xx0 with no triangle | 1980, 1990, or early 2000 |
Sources: Federal Register, 1999 rule moving to a four-digit date code, Vintage Tyres: reading tyre age codes, 49 CFR 574.5, tire identification requirements (eCFR)
Factories that make Continental tires
The two or three symbols right after "DOT" name the factory. These are the plant codes NHTSA lists for Continental. A code from this list on a Continental tire is a good sign it is genuine.
| Code | Location | Operator | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 146 (46) | 46050 Petaling Jaya, Malaysia | Continental Sime Tyres SDN BHD. Dmib Berhad | Listed |
| 1LM (LM) | Aachen, Germany | Continental AG Werk Aachen | Listed |
| 054 | Acchen, Germany | Continental AG werk Aachen | Listed |
| 1Y6 (Y6) | Alor Setar, Malaysia | Continental Tyre AS Malaysia Sdn Bhd | Listed |
| 036 | Amphur Pluak Daeng, Thailand | Continental Tyres (Thailand) Co., Ltd. | Listed |
| 1LV (LV) | Barrie, Canada | General Tire Canada, Ltd. | Listed |
| 02P | Bolton, Mississippi, United States | Continental Tire - Clinton Plant | Listed |
| 165 (65) | Camacari, Brazil | Continental do Brasil Produtos Automotivos LTDA. | Listed |
| 2B0 (BO) | Casablanca - 02, Morocco | General Tire & Rubber Co. of Morocco | Listed |
| 11H (1H) | Cuenca, Ecuador | Continental Tire Andina S.A. | Listed |
| 1CU (CU) | Hannover, Germany | Continental AG Werk Stoecken | Listed |
| 230 (3Q) | Hefei City, China | Continental Tires (China) Co., Ltd. | Listed |
| 1LF (LF) | Hefei, China | Continental Tires (China) Co., Ltd. | Listed |
| 1VL (VL) | Kaluga, Russia | Continental Kaluga | Listed |
| 1CP (CP) | Korbach, Germany | Continental Reifen Deutschland GmbH | Listed |
| 1AF (AF) | Lousado, Portugal | Continental Mabor | Listed |
| 1L6 (L6) | Meerut Up, India | Continental India Limited | Listed |
| 137 (37) | Moscow, Russia | Zao Continental Tires of Moscow | Listed |
| 1A3 (A3) | Mount Vernon, Illinois, United States | General Tire & Rubber Co. | Listed |
| 16B (6B) | Mt. Vernon, Illinois, United States | Mt. Vernon Plant of General Tire, Inc. | Listed |
| 11L (1L) | New Brighton West, South Africa | Continental Tyre SA (Pty) Ltd | Listed |
| 1HW (HW) | Otrokovice, Czech Republic | Continental Barum S.R.O. | Listed |
| 235 (3S) | Ponta Grossa Pr, Brazil | Continental do Brasil Produtos Automotivos LTDA. | Listed |
| 16Y (6Y) | Púchov, Slovakia | Continental Matador Rubber, S.R.O. | Listed |
| 1CN (CN) | Sarreguemines Cedex, France | Continental France S.N.C. | Listed |
| 1B2 (B2) | Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia | Continental Sime Tyre Pj SDN Berhad | Listed |
| 076 | Sihanoukville, Cambodia | GENERAL TIRES TECHNOLOGY (CAMBODIA) CO., LTD. - Sihanoukville | Listed |
| 1VY (VY) | South Sumter, NC, United States | Continental Tire - Sumpter | Listed |
| 1A9 (A9) | Bryan, Ohio, United States | General Tire Co | Closed |
Old two-symbol codes are in brackets. Source: NHTSA vPIC tire plant codes, checked October 2026.