(a)

(1) Subject to subdivision (b), an automotive repair dealer shall not install an unsafe used tire on a motor vehicle for use on a highway, as defined in

Section of the Vehicle Code.

(2) For purposes of this section, “unsafe used tire” means a used tire to which any of the following criteria applies: (

A) The tire is worn to two thirty-seconds of one inch tread depth or less on any area of the tread. (

B) The tire has any damage exposing the reinforcing plies of the tire, through cuts, cracks, punctures, scrapes, or wear. (

C) The tire has any repair in the tread shoulder or belt edge area. (

D) The tire has a puncture that has not been both sealed or patched on the inside and repaired with a cured rubber stem through to the outside. (

E) The tire has repair to the sidewall or bead area. (

F) The tire has a puncture repair of damage larger than one-fourth of one inch. (

G) The tire shows evidence of prior use of a temporary tire sealant to repair a puncture or damage to the tire without evidence of a subsequent proper repair. (

H) The tire has a defaced or removed United States Department of Transportation tire identification number. (

I) The tire has any inner liner damage or bead damage. (

J) The tire shows indication of internal separation, such as bulges or local areas of irregular tread wear indicating a distortion in the tread area when compared to other areas of the tread, or belt separation. (

b) This

section does not apply to tire repairs, tire rotations, tire balancing, or a tire mounted on a wheel or rim that is temporarily removed from a vehicle and reinstalled on the same vehicle. As used in this subdivision, “tire repair” means repairing a puncture in the tire tread area that is no larger than one-fourth of one inch in diameter, has not caused any internal damage to the tire, and is repaired according to industry standards. (

c) Except as set forth in subparagraph (

A) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (a), an automotive repair dealer shall use a visual inspection to determine whether a tire meets the criteria of an unsafe used tire.