How old is my Kumho tire?
Type the dot date code from the Kumho label to see when it was built.
Example
- DOTDOT: meets U.S. safety standards
- 000Plant: 000 = Kumho Tire Georgia Inc., Macon, Georgia, United States
- ABCDEFManufacturer's code
- 23Week: 23 (June)
- 21Year: 21 = 2021
Built Week 23 of 2021 (around June)
5 years, 4 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, 000, are the plant code. NHTSA lists it as Kumho Tire Georgia Inc., Macon, Georgia, 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, 2321, are the date code.
- The first two, 23, are the week. The last two, 21, are the year: 2021.
- Week 23 of 2021 runs from Sunday, June 6, 2021 to Saturday, June 12, 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 Kumho serial number
Kumho tires carry the same DOT date code as every other brand sold in the U.S.
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 Kumho
- Kumho opened its U.S. plant in Macon, Georgia, on May 2, 2016. Work there had started in 2008 and stopped during the recession.
- The Macon plant makes passenger tires, and Kumho planned 80% of its output for new-car fitment.
- NHTSA lists code 000 for the Macon plant. Kumho tires from Korea, China or Vietnam carry other codes.
Sources: Kumho Tire Production Begins in Georgia, 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 000 ABCDEF 2321 was built Week 23 of 2021 (around June), so it is 5 years, 4 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 Kumho tires
The two or three symbols right after "DOT" name the factory. These are the plant codes NHTSA lists for Kumho. A code from this list on a Kumho tire is a good sign it is genuine.
| Code | Location | Operator | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1K2 (K2) | Binh Duong Province, Vietnam | Kumho Tire (Vietnam) Co. Ltd. | Listed |
| 1D0 (D0) | Changchun, China | Kumho Tire (Changchun ) Co., Inc. | Listed |
| 1FE (FE) | Changchun, China | Kumho Tire(Changchun) Co., Inc. | Listed |
| 1Y0 (Y0) | Gokseong-Gun, South Korea | Kumho Tire Inc, Goksung Factory | Listed |
| 1H2 (H2) | Gwangsan-gu, South Korea | Kumho Tire Company, Inc | Listed |
| 000 | Macon, Georgia, United States | Kumho Tire Georgia Inc. | Listed |
| 022 | Nanjing, China | Nanjing Kumho Tire Co., LTD. | Listed |
| 14T (4T) | Nanjing, China | Nanjing Kumho Tire Co., Ltd. | Listed |
| 17U (7U) | Nanjing, China | Nanjing Kumho Tire Co., Ltd Tbr | Listed |
| 127 (27) | Pyeongtaek, South Korea | Kumho Tire Co., Inc. Pyeongtaek Factory | Listed |
| 1C0 (C0) | Tianjin, China | Kumho Tire Tianjin Co., Inc. | Listed |
Old two-symbol codes are in brackets. Source: NHTSA vPIC tire plant codes, checked October 2026.