BOSTON -- Drivers who don't pay attention to the age of the tires on their car could be putting themselves at risk for a serious danger.

Team 5 Investigates uncovered how tires that look new could be vulnerable.

How To Decode Your Tires

Mechanics examined a 2001 Chysler Sebring that appeared to be in good condition, but they found the car is actually an accident waiting to happen.

Despite only 30,000 miles of driving, the car's tires were more than seven years old and rotting.

"The tread looks good, but this is where it's rotten," explained Tom Langan, a service manager at the Brigham-Gill dealership in Natick. "And it's coming from the inside out."

"If you take a look at the inside of the tire, you can see the two steel belts," said Sean Kane, a tire safety expert. "When it ages, the material between the steel becomes less elastic."

It also starts to fall apart, usually after six years, but often the tire looks good. You can't see the danger.

"If you actually run your hand across it, you can feel bumps and heaves from inside the tire," Langan said. "So it actually is ready to go."

"To protect yourself, you need to be sure about the age of the tires," Kane said.

Look on the tire's sidewall. Team 5 Investigates has posted a guide to help you decode the age of the tire.

"Even though it could be brand new, it might not be a suitable tire based on its age," said Richard Gill, the owner of Brigham-Gill.

Of course, most people change tires well before six years. But what about your full-size spare?

The spare on Newcenter 5 anchor David Brown's SUV was manufactured in 2001.

"I had no idea that the tire could use as my spare is not functional and could be a hazard to me," Brown said. "Everything else has an expiration date. Why don't tires?"

Kane has proposed that change to Congress, which could force tire manufacturers to be more upfront about the age of the tire.

"We're used to seeing expiration dates on all types of consumer products ranging from washing machine hoses to our bottles of milk," he said. "We need to have the same kind of expiration date on a product like a tire."