Cars are dangerous. We know that. We are at risk from the mistakes of other drivers and, let’s be honest, our own mistakes on the road that injure and kill far too many of us.
But we expect our tires to be safe. Too often, they are not. We think our tires are a lot safer than they really are and this comes with a real cost. Tire defects cause scores of injuries and deaths in this country every year.
If you or a loved one have been injured or killed in a car accident that you believe is from a defective tire, call us today, and let’s figure it out together – at no cost to you – whether you may have a claim. You can reach out to us at 800-553-8082. Many victims – perhaps most – prefer to begin the dialogue online. You can do that here.
Tire Defects and Auto Accidents
Tires are a vital part of any car, truck, or motor vehicle as they are the vehicle’s only point of contact with the road. This makes them essential for safe handling and braking. If the tires malfunction, the driver may lose control, potentially leading to severe accidents.
While defective tires are not the most common cause of vehicle accidents, they occur more frequently than many realize. According to data from the NHTSA, tire defects or failures are responsible for 35% of accidents caused by vehicle failure (as opposed to driver error).
Accidents resulting from tire failures tend to be particularly dangerous because these failures often occur suddenly and at high speeds. When a defective tire fails at high speed, it typically blows out or disintegrates, leaving the wheel rim exposed. This often causes the vehicle to spin out of control, sometimes leading to rollovers.
What Causes Defective Tires?
Tire defects in design or manufacturing can cause tires to wear out or fail much sooner than expected. Typically, tires are designed to last between 65,000 and 85,000 miles before facing failure or wear-related issues.
Most tire defects stem from problems during manufacturing, known as manufacturing defects. Common defects that lead to unsafe tires include:
– Irregularities during the bonding process
– Contamination of materials
– Under-vulcanization
– Use of outdated or incorrect ingredients or materials
– Improperly sized components
– Air being trapped within the tire layers during production
These manufacturing errors can result in serious tire issues, such as tread separation or blowouts.
Tire Tread Separation
Tire tread separation is the focus of most product liability lawsuits against tire manufacturers. When the tread of the tire separates from the body of the tire, two common problems result, leading to accidents: rollovers and blowouts.
A number of things can cause tire tread separation: over-inflation or under-inflation of the tire, too many turns at crazy speeds and hitting potholes with a vengeance, old tires, and so forth. If this is the problem, you should look for:
- Tread wear on the tire’s shoulder that is worse than the tread wear in its center;
- Marks on the tire’s rim flange;
- Signs of a “bead groove” (beads have pushed too hard against the bead seat on the inside of the tire’s rim); or
- Sidewalls of the tire with physical signs of deterioration, such as discoloration.
But one big cause of tire tread separation or tread-belt separation is tires that are either defectively designed or defectively manufactured.
What happens? There are some reoccurring themes in product liability lawsuits, and tire defect cases are no exception. What happens is that tire companies put profits ahead of people and they start cutting corners in building tires. This leads to poor bonding and/or adhesion of tire components when making the tires. Usually in foreign countries, these tires are made without proper care, and moisture and foreign materials get cured into the tire. Many times tire manufacturers attempt to cut costs and maximize money in their pockets at the expense of your safety by failing to take proper safety measures. In one case, tires were damages by leaks in the manufacturing plant. No one bothered to fix the leak because, well, that would cost money, and the tires had too much moisture to be safe on the road.
The Role of Material Composition and Design
Tire defects, particularly tread separation, are not just the result of improper usage or external damage. A critical aspect of these defects lies in the materials and design choices made by tire manufacturers. Tires are composed of multiple layers, including the tread, belts, and inner liners,. They are all held together by bonding agents like rubber compounds. The performance of these components depends on the integrity of both the materials used and the manufacturing process itself.
One significant technical issue in tire manufacturing is the role of adhesion failures. The bonding process, which secures the tire tread to the steel belts beneath, must be executed flawlessly to ensure tire durability. Any contamination of these bonding surfaces—whether due to foreign materials like dirt, moisture, or poor quality control—can severely compromise the adhesion, leading to tread separation. Studies have shown that inadequate bonding agents or improper curing times during the vulcanization process can also contribute to the breakdown of the tire structure under stress .
Furthermore, modern tires are designed to withstand high-speed travel and significant load variations. However, substandard quality control, particularly in overseas manufacturing plants, often produces tires with improper heat and pressure controls, leading to internal weakening. Over time, these suboptimal conditions can accelerate the breakdown of the tire’s structural integrity. This is especially so under high stress such as long-distance highway driving or heavy loads.
Moreover, ozone cracking, which occurs due to prolonged exposure to ozone in the atmosphere, can weaken the tire’s outer layers, further exacerbating the risk of failure. Tire manufacturers are supposed to add protective additives to rubber compounds to mitigate this. But cutting corners in production can result in insufficient protection.
A significant part of litigation involving tire defects focuses on these manufacturing shortcuts, where companies may have knowingly reduced the quality of materials or processes to save costs. These shortcuts lead to preventable failures that ultimately put drivers and their passengers at risk. In tire defect lawsuits, attorneys often rely on engineering experts to inspect the manufacturing history and materials used, looking for these deficiencies.
By analyzing a tire’s inner liner integrity, adhesion between layers, and vulcanization process, experts can pinpoint where the defect originated and demonstrate how poor manufacturing or design choices directly caused the failure. This level of detail is critical for plaintiffs seeking to prove that the defect was not an isolated incident but rather a result of negligent practices by the manufacturer.
Defective Tire Lawsuits
If you are injured in a car or truck accident and can prove that the accident was caused by defective tires that failed, you and other injured parties may file a lawsuit against the tire manufacturer. Like all product manufacturers, tire companies are legally obligated to ensure their products are reasonably safe for their intended use, which includes preventing manufacturing defects.
If a manufacturer produces a defective batch of tires that fail on the road and cause injuries, the company can be held liable for all resulting injuries and damages from the tire failure.
Anyone injured in an accident caused by defective tires may file a lawsuit against the manufacturer or seller of those tires. Plaintiffs must demonstrate that the tires were indeed defective and that the defect caused the tire failure, leading to the accident.
The biggest challenge in most defective tire cases is proving that the tires were defective and identifying how the defect occurred. Sometimes, tire manufacturers will issue recalls after discovering defects in specific tire models. If your tires were part of a recall, proving the defect becomes much easier.
What You Need to Do in Tire Defect Cases
To bring a tire defect case, plaintiffs’ attorneys must present competent expert testimony that a tire which had suffered a tread separation or a tread-belt separation was defective in either its manufacture or design. A determination of whether the separation in a tire is from manufacturing, design defects, or abuse requires an experienced tire engineer expert.
This expert should, when possible, perform a visual and tactile inspection of the tire and sometimes even an x-ray examination of the tire. This is not a casual “looksie” at the tire. It is an exam that can take around 6 hours to complete, using specialized tools like fluorescent lights, microscopes, and other magnifying devices, measuring devices ( calipers and optical comparators), and other various tools to best understand what happened to that tire.
These are some of the tests that an expert might perform on the tire:
- Determine the size of the wheel weight impressions in the tire;
- X-ray the tire;
- Locate bead or compression grooves or bead bends;
- Determine the starting point of the separation;
- Determine whether there are any broken belt cables in the tire carcass;
- Determine whether there are broken ply cords;
- Find marks showing the growth of the separation;
- Determine if the innerliner of the tire was compromised;
- Determine the degree of ozone cracking in the tire;
- Test the valve stem of the tire
Tire Defect Settlement Amounts and Jury Payouts
- 2023, Florida: $2.5 Million Verdict: Three days after purchasing used tires from the defendant tire company, the plaintiff experienced a blowout that caused him to lose control of his vehicle, veer off the road, and roll multiple times. The plaintiff and his three minor grandchildren sustained serious injuries in the crash and sued the tire company, claiming the used tires were defective when sold. A jury sided with the plaintiff and awarded $2.5 million in damages.
- 2021 Florida: $220,261 Verdict: Defects in the rear tire of a motorcycle caused it to rapidly deflate during operation causing the rider to lose control of the motorcycle and crash. A lawsuit was brought against the tire manufacturer alleging that the tubeless design of the tire was defect.
- 2018, Virginia: $37.8 Million Verdict: While on a cement delivery in Chesterfield, Virginia, a driver faced a tragic accident when a tire from Hankook Tire Co. disintegrated, causing his truck to veer off the road, hit an embankment, and overturn, leaving him trapped inside. The driver, 50 at the time, suffered a broken neck, paralysis, rib and arm fractures, among other severe injuries, altering life significantly for him and his family. Lawyers from Coral Gables achieved a verdict of nearly $38 million against Hankook. During the trial, tire expert David Southwell pinpointed manufacturing defects in the nine-year-old tire. While the tire company’s defense focused on a potential earlier impact, the plaintiff’s lawyers effectively refuted their claims.
Contact Our Law Firm If You Believe You Have Tire Defect Claim
If you or someone you love has suffered a catastrophic injury or death as the result of a defective tire, call us at 800-553-8082. Many of our clients today prefer to ask their questions about their case or about us online. If so, you can click here for a free consultation.