Defective Tire Lawsuit for Injuries & Fatalities

The recent tire recalls for millions of automobile tires is a huge problem for manufacturers, but they can also be dangerous to consumers. Auto accidents caused by a blowout can potentially cause injury and even death to the driver and the occupants of other vehicles on the road.

At Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, LLC, our personal injury attorneys are legal advocates for injury victims harmed or suffering wrongful death by defective tires and malfunctioning automotive components. Our legal team will ensure the tire company does not avoid liability in tire defect cases.

Our trial lawyers will fight aggressively on behalf of our clients to ensure they receive the maximum compensation while seeking justice for those who caused a wrongful death or harm to the injured victims.

Contact a product liability attorney today at (888) 424-5757 (toll-free phone number) or use the contact form to schedule a free consultation and case review to discuss your defective tire lawsuit.

All confidential or sensitive information you share regarding your product liability lawsuit remains private through an attorney-client relationship.

Tire Defects

Tires tend to be one of the most overlooked pieces of equipment, even though they bear the entire weight of the vehicle, and without them, the automobile would not be able to go anywhere.

The safety of a vehicle's occupants relies on the quality and dependability of its rear and front tires. But unfortunately, manufacturers hiding their tire defects are far more prevalent than people believe. It is probably due to the sheer number of tires on the road.

The Goodyear tire defect alone may involve approximately 160,000 new tires, potentially costing the company millions of dollars.

Tire blowouts and tread separation are tire defects that cause thousands of accidents yearly. Primarily the tires were well maintained or even new tires in many cases, and the defective tire blew out due to tread separation, tire tread defects, or damaged material rather than improper maintenance.

Main Causes of Tire Failures

The most common tire defects all point to the ability of the tire to bond or adhere to the rim. In addition, defective adhesives, impurities in the materials that the tire comprises, and the tire's age all play a role in the effectiveness of the tire, how it wears while on the road, and the likelihood that it will blow out.

In some tire defect cases, customers are sold old tires exposed to the elements. Heat and friction can cause the materials to degrade, and many tires are stored outdoors where the weather and other factors can negatively affect them.

Some tire defects that contribute to blowouts on most tires include:

• Slow air leaks
• Hauling overweight loads
• Defective tires
• Adverse road conditions
• Improper tire maintenance
• Running over objects

A tire defect is when the tire fails to perform safely and reasonably expectedly and can be due to a design defect or a manufacturing defect.

A tire blowing out due to incorrect air pressure is not caused by a defective product but rather a negligent vehicle owner, with air pressure either being too low or too high.

Common Defective Tires

Many tire blowouts result from defective tires sold by a tire manufacturer. Some of these manufacturing defects and tread separations include:

• Inner liner tire defect: Tire makers manufacture tires with an inner liner to protect the tires inside while maintaining air pressure. This layer is typically made from a special rubber to keep the air inside the tire. If this inner liner corrodes or deteriorates, it can cause air leaks and tire failure.
• Innerbelt defect: Tire makers use a belt between the tire's inner liner and its outer rubber exterior to ensure that the unitary tire maintains its shape and has adequate support. If the belt is defective or degrades due to improper adhesives, the tire's integrity will be compromised, leading to air loss and blowouts.
• Wet weather defect: Such a tire defect occurs when there are impurities in the rubber made from the mixture used to make tires. These impurities can make it difficult for the tire to cut through the water, resulting in skidding and blowouts.
• Poor adhesion: Some tires are manufactured with a defective or poor adhesive that fails to bind the rubber layers properly, leading to tread separation. This defect allows the materials to separate during use, putting people at greater risk of serious accidents.
• Improper tire design: Tires are designed to be used on certain roads and under certain conditions. If the tires are unsuitable for the type of road or weather, it can lead to serious accidents, including blowouts.
• Defective body plies: Tires must have body plies to function, allowing them to maintain their shape and support. If the body plies are defective, the quality of the tire will be compromised, which can lead to blowouts.
• Defective steel belted tires: Steel belted radial tires are used in tires to provide strength and support in high-stress areas. If the steel belt is defective, it can lead to blowouts in different ways, causing the tire to deform at high speeds and leading to fatal accidents.
• Incorrect ratio or size of steel belts: The sizing and frequency of the steel belts that are not up to standard lead to tread separation.
• Defective belt skims stock: A tire must be constructed from the correct materials to function correctly. If the belt skims stock is defective or made from inappropriate materials, it can lead to blowouts and loss of control over a vehicle which puts drivers and passengers at risk of serious injuries in accidents.
• Oil-soaked tires: Tires are manufactured using special oils designed to keep them flexible. If these oils are not thoroughly washed away before the tire is made, they can cause blowouts.
• Improper inflation: Tires must be adequately inflated to work correctly and minimize the risk of failure. Under-inflated tires have an increased risk of tire failure, resulting in accidents that cause injuries.
• Missing or defective safety belts: Safety belts are used as a quality control device to ensure tire quality. These devices should be properly installed and working correctly to minimize the risk of failure, which can lead to accidents and blowouts.
• Improper installation: Tires are fitted with various internal components to ensure correct installation and minimize the risk of failure during tire production. If these components are not installed correctly, it can cause a variety of failures that may result in accidents.
• Lack of warning labels: Tires must be labeled with various warnings and instructions to protect consumers from tire defects that lead to accidents and injuries. If tires are produced without these labels, they cannot be determined to be safe for use, putting people at risk of serious injury.
• Defective inner belt gauges: Inner belt gauges are used to test manufacturing defects and measure tire pressure. If the gauge is defective, it can lead to blowouts or other failures that put drivers in danger of suffering injuries in accidents.
• Improper casing ply labeling: Tires are labeled with information about when the company made them during production. If these labels are not correctly attached, they can be pulled off during use and cause a defective tire.
• Incorrect sizing: Tires are measured for width, circumference, and diameter to test quality during production. If these measurements are incorrect, it can lead to blowouts or other tire failures that cause fatal accidents.
• Chemical exposure: Tires exposed to the elements or chemicals wear out faster and may be more likely to fail. It is a problem for tires used in areas with salt in the winter, reducing tire life and making them much more dangerous.

Tread separation or de-treading refers to the peeling away of the tire tread from the tire body when the tire's treads detach from the steel belts underpinning them and the casing or body of the tire. Blowouts and tread separation are different failures, although tread separations can cause blowouts.

Blowout prevention is one area where every tire manufacturer has repeatedly failed consumers. Contact your defect tire lawyers today for a free consultation regarding product liability lawsuits.

A Tire's Age Matters

Aging tires are a tire manufacturing defect, and manufacturers fail to tell customers that the age of their tires plays a significant role in vehicle tire safety. Tires begin to degrade from the moment they are made as the rubber and chemicals degrade over time.

What happens when a defective tire presents itself as a blowout? The driver loses control of the vehicle and may crash, and when you combine speeding, driver inattention, and wet roads, you have a disaster in the making.

Who Is at Fault For A Tire Blowout?

A blowout happens because of a defect in the tire. The tires have not been designed correctly or have manufacturing defects because of poor materials or negligence during the manufacturing process. A damaged wheel rim can also cause a blowout, leading to a car accident.

The tires on your vehicle are safety-critical components and should be routinely checked. If a tire is old, has been under-inflated, has been subject to abuse or neglect in storage and use, or shows signs of damage causing a blowout, immediately replacing it is advised.

Prevent Tire Blowouts

While blowouts are typically unexpected and unpreventable, there are steps that people can take to ensure tire safety in their vehicle, protecting passengers and others.

Ensure vehicle safety by routinely checking for any problems such as:

• Damaged cords
• Aging tires
• Treadwear indicators showing bald tires
• Tread separation or tire separation
• Visible damages
• Internal damage exposing bulges and bumps
• Rubber cracks and cuts
• Fabric breaks

What To Do When a Tire Blows

Should you experience a defective tire blowing out, try to remain as calm as possible:

• Never slam on the brakes.
• Ease your foot off the accelerator and gently apply pressure to the brake.
• Steer in a straight line. If you have to steer, use minimal input on the steering wheel to control the vehicle.
• Do not attempt to stop until you have a clear area ahead of you, free from obstructions or structures.
• Never change tires on the roadside. It is a safety hazard and should only be done in an emergency.
• When you have changed the blown tire, check the other tires for any abnormalities to ensure they were not damaged in the blowout.

Blowouts of most tires occur under maximum stress, including when drivers are at highway speeds, causing the driver to lose control, flip, or roll over. If the driver is not wearing their seat belt, they may be ejected from the vehicle.

In addition, in a defective tire case, those involved in an accident due to a faulty tire can suffer serious injuries such as traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injuries, or even wrongful death.

The tire defect attorneys from our law office will fight to help injury victims due to a blowout or tire failure recover compensation for medical bills and lost wages.

Have your case handled by our team of experienced tire defect attorneys providing you with the personalized attention your personal injury claim deserves.

Our defective tire attorneys will examine all aspects of your case during the free consultation and free case evaluation to determine how best to resolve your claims so that you can receive maximum compensation for financial loss and personal injury.

Impact of Tire Failure on Vehicle Control

Tests have been conducted in which professional drivers were given advance notice of an impending blowout and could not safely maintain control of the vehicle even though they had anticipated the tire failure.

If professionals cannot maintain control of a vehicle in such a situation, regular people who are not expecting a blowout cannot be expected to either.

When a tire blows out, it can make it nearly impossible to steer the vehicle, and it may even cause the vehicle to roll over.

Important First Steps to Take After A Car Accident Caused By Tire Failure

Whenever you are in an accident, it is essential to preserve as much evidence as possible so that your legal representative can determine the cause of the accident.

It is even more important to do this with tire failure because without physical evidence, you cannot prove the tire defect caused the accident.

Do not allow your vehicle or tires to be destroyed or sent to a junkyard after your tire blowout accident. Instead, talk to whoever you need to preserve the car for examination by your defective tire attorneys.

Tire explosions can cause devastating rollover accidents that inflict serious or fatal injuries upon the vehicle's occupants and innocent bystanders.

Ensure that all medical records of injuries are kept for use in a possible personal injury case. Contact defective tire lawyers to assist you in holding the tire company and manufacturer liable for damages caused by the tire.

Holding Tire Manufacturers Financially and Legally Accountable

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), manufacturers are responsible for unexpected tire tread separation that could be a factor when drivers lose control of their vehicles, especially at high speeds.

Tread separation occurs due to design defects, structural failures within the faulty tire or materials, and age. A tire company is responsible for ensuring that its tires hold up under all weather conditions and during prolonged use, ensuring that they can maintain safe speeds.

Many tire manufacturers will deflect the responsibility by blaming the driver, accusing them of not keeping the tire's pressure at the manufacturer's recommendations. However, low tire pressure decreases optimal fuel mileage and increases the risk of a tire blowout accident.

Even so, a tire recall or recall notice have been a significant problem for decades, involving major tire brands, including:

• BF Goodrich
• Bridgestone
• Dunlap
• Firestone
• Cooper
• Continental
• Michelin
• Goodyear tire

Hiring Tire Defect Lawyers to Resolve A Compensation Case

Did your faulty tires fail unexpectedly, leading to a catastrophic accident? The product liability attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, LLC can fight on your behalf to hold tire companies and service centers accountable for injuries caused and ensure that your financial needs are met.

Filing a defective tire lawsuit while recovering from your injuries will be challenging without the help of an attorney.

Call our product liability firm today at (888) 424-5757 (toll-free phone number) or use the contact form to schedule a free case evaluation. Then, let our personal injury lawyers begin working on your product liability lawsuit immediately.

We accept your tire defect case on a contingency fee basis. This promise ensures you pay us nothing until our law firm resolves your case through a negotiated settlement or jury award.

Resources:

• NIH - High-Tech Methods to Detect Tire Defects
• Consumer Reports - Recalled Tires