How old is my General tire?
Type the dot date code from the General label to see when it was built. General units are built by Continental, so the serials follow that company's format.
Example
- DOTDOT: meets U.S. safety standards
- 16BPlant: 16B = Mt. Vernon Plant of General Tire, Inc., Mt. Vernon, Illinois, United States
- ABCDEFManufacturer's code
- 29Week: 29 (July)
- 19Year: 19 = 2019
Built Week 29 of 2019 (around July)
7 years, 3 months old
In replacement window. Inside the usual 6 to 10 year lifespan, so replacement could come any time. Worth budgeting for it.
How this was read
- "DOT" means the tire meets U.S. federal safety standards. The tire identification number follows it.
- The first three symbols, 16B, are the plant code. NHTSA lists it as Mt. Vernon Plant of General Tire, Inc., Mt. Vernon, Illinois, 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, 2919, are the date code.
- The first two, 29, are the week. The last two, 19, are the year: 2019.
- Week 29 of 2019 runs from Sunday, July 21, 2019 to Saturday, July 27, 2019.
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 General serial number
General Tire is a Continental brand. Continental advises replacing any tire more than ten years old.
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 General
- General Tire was founded in Akron, Ohio, in 1915. Continental took over its tire business on October 30, 1987.
- General built the Mount Vernon, Illinois plant in 1973. It is now Continental’s largest U.S. plant and carries codes 16B and 1A3.
- Continental’s Sumter, South Carolina plant, opened in 2014, also makes General passenger and light truck tires.
Sources: General brand marks '100 Years of Reliability', Mt. Vernon, IL - Continental Corporation USA, Producing tires: Continental plant in Sumter, 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 16B ABCDEF 2919 was built Week 29 of 2019 (around July), so it is 7 years, 3 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.
The full lookup tables are on the Bridgestone page, since General uses the same code.
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 General tires
The two or three symbols right after "DOT" name the factory. These are the plant codes NHTSA lists for Continental, which makes General tires. A code from this list on a General 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.