A warning is being issued about defective valve stems manufactured in China. It could affect as few as 8,000 items or it might be as many as 60 million. No matter the exact number, for one Austin family, it's already been one too many bad tire valve stems.

Kathryne Bosco is still nervous whenever she gets behind the wheel. Recently she had a blow out while driving back to Austin from Houston.

"It just happened so quickly. I was just scared to death. I was hysterical," she said.

A tire valve stem is suspected of causing her accident. On the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website, an investigation traces the defective valve to Topseal, a subsidiary of a Shanghi-based corporation.

Here in the U.S., the valves are distributed by Dill Air Control to major retailers including Discount Tire Stores.

The potential defect is being traced to valves made in China in 2006 -- which were sold between September 2006 and June 2007. On May 2, 2008, Dill issued an advisory about the stem valves. About that same time, Kathryne Bosco took her car to Discount Tire where they found a leak caused by a defective valve stem. She now says her blow out two months later could've been prevented.

"If they had checked the other valve stems. This never would have happened," she said.

Her frightening experience is not an isolated one.

"Depending on whom you talk to 8,600 bad valve stems to as many as 60 million," said Art Bosco, father.

Discount Tire Vice President of Marketing Jeff Stine told KVUE News that valves have been pulled from stores and that customers began receiving notice June 21.

Art Bosco says the company should have done more to detect the faulty valves on his daughter's tires and should do more to warn the public.

"Luckily Kathryne walked away from her accident and I thank God for that. I just don't want to see anyone either killed or injured," he said.

According to the NHTSA investigation, a lawsuit alleges that a fatal rollover crash in November 2007 was also linked to the faulty stem valves.