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Product Liability

Defective Tires

A defective tire can cause unexpected blowouts, tread separation, and other dangerous issues, putting you and your passengers at risk. Regularly checking your tires can help prevent these problems.

Defective Tires

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Tackling Tire Failures

Tires are the only point of contact between a vehicle and the road, making them critical to safe handling and braking. Issues like tread separation and blowouts can cause you to lose control, leading to serious accidents. While tire failure isn’t the top cause of traffic accidents, it’s still a significant and often deadly problem. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that about 35% of crashes caused by vehicle issues involve tire failure. 

Tire failures can have devastating consequences, especially at highway speeds. A blowout or other tire issue can cause your vehicle to roll over, veer into oncoming traffic, or even go off the road, endangering pedestrians and cyclists. In court, tire manufacturers often try to blame the driver, claiming improper inflation or maintenance. If you’ve been in an accident due to a defective tire, our experienced personal injury and defective product lawyers are here to assist you.

Types of Tire Defects

Defective tires can cause serious issues long before they wear out. Blowouts and tread separations (detreads) are preventable if tires are properly designed and manufactured.

A tire blowout is a sudden loss of air pressure in a tire, often causing it to break apart and resemble an explosion. Blowouts can be linked to design and manufacturing flaws, but even well-maintained tires can blow out due to design and manufacturing issues. 

Tread separation occurs when a tire’s treads detach from the steel belts and the tire’s body. It’s the most common failure in steel-belted radial tires and can lead to a blowout, causing loss of vehicle control, accidents, and rollovers. Tread separation is usually due to design or manufacturing defects. Signs of impending separation include a vibrating or wobbling vehicle and visible bulges in the tread. However, it is possible to suffer a catastrophic tread belt separation without warning. 

It is often impossible to detect manufacturing or design defects through a visual inspection. Always have your tires inspected by properly trained tire professionals.

Tire Recalls

If a tire has design or manufacturing defects, manufacturers must alert consumers to the danger. However, recalls often happen only when manufacturers are forced to act, and many consumers and retailers remain unaware of safety issues.

The recall system has flaws: there’s no effective tracking, and it’s hard to identify recalled tires just by looking at them. Recall notices are often sent by third-class mail, which doesn’t forward if you change addresses, and many service centers lack complete recall information.

Tire Safety Tips

Ensuring your tires are in good condition is essential for safe driving. According to the NHTSA, 9% of cars on U.S. roads have at least one bald tire. To stay safe, have your tires checked monthly and before long trips by a tire professional. Ensure they have enough tread, no visible cracks or defects, and are properly inflated. Tips and tire facts below:

  1. Check Tread Depth: A tire is bald if it has 1/16th of an inch or less of tread depth. Most tires have built-in treadwear indicators—raised sections in the tread grooves. When these indicators are even with the tread, it’s time for new tires. You can also use a Lincoln penny: place it upside down in the tread. If you can see the top of Lincoln’s head, it’s time for a replacement.
  2. Monitor Tire Inflation: Bald spots on tires can indicate under-inflated tires. Use an accurate gauge to check tire pressure, as gas station gauges can be off by four psi or more. Always use your own tested and certified gauge.
  3. Regular Inspections: Don’t rely on just looking at your tires to check inflation. Use a reliable tire professional to inspect your tires and follow the proper inflation guidelines in your car’s manual or on a placard in the glove compartment or driver’s doorjamb.
  4. Check Tire Age: Tires older than six years can become brittle and prone to blowouts. Look for the date code on your tires, which tells you when they were made. This code can be found along the edge of the tire where it meets the rim/hubcap. For example, a code of 0806 means the tire was made in the eighth week of 2006.

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