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Were You Injured In An Accident Caused By Tire Failure?

Defects in tire design and manufacturing errors can result in tire blowouts and tread separations. A tire blowout or tire tread separation can ultimately lead to serious motor vehicle accidents, including car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, bus accidents and bicycle accidents.

We Are On Your Side

If you were hurt in a car accident that was caused by tire defects and failures, contact our law offices today at 312-638-2407 to schedule a free consultation.

Our Chicago area product defect and product liability attorneys handle cases throughout Illinois. We work hard to hold negligent auto parts manufacturers accountable so you can recover maximum compensation for your injury.

Tire-rollover

Tire Recalls

In the 1990s and early 2000s, safety advocates and experts brought to the federal government and public’s attention the dangerous combination of Firestone Wilderness AT, ATX and ATX II tires and Ford Explorer sport utility vehicles (SUVs). The propensity of these Firestone tires to fail at highway speeds led to an alarming number of rollovers and other motor vehicle accidents involving catastrophic injuries and death.

Bridgestone/Firestone eventually recalled millions of these tires. Congress responded by passing the Transportation Recall Enhancement, Accountability and Documentation (TREAD) Act, which intends to increase consumer safety by requiring tire manufacturers and auto manufacturers, among other things, to report possible tire safety defects to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). In the years since, millions of defective tires have been recalled by tire manufacturers, including Bridgestone, Continental, Cooper Tire & Rubber Co., Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. and Michelin, to name just a few.

Tire blowout & tire tread separation

Tire Aging

Tires are made of rubber and, as with any rubber product, degrade over time. The tread wears out, the rubber begins to crack (both internally and externally), and the tires generally become weaker, which makes them more prone to catastrophic failure.

Some tire manufacturers and vehicle manufacturers have started to advise their customers that tires should be taken out of service after five or six years, which is good (but long-overdue) advice. Still, tire manufacturers and auto manufacturers have done a generally poor job of communicating advice regarding tire aging to consumers. Specific and detailed warnings should be provided with expiration dates on tire sidewalls so that every owner of a tire knows when the tire should be replaced, regardless of tread depth.

Tire aging rubber cracking

Design And Manufacturing Flaws

In addition to aging, tires can fail due to design flaws or manufacturing flaws such as the failure to include a cap ply on steel-belted radial tires and poor belt adhesion.

Learn How We Can Help At A Free Consultation

The product liability trial lawyers at Pfaff, Gill & Ports, Ltd., work with a team of experts, including tire experts, engineers and accident reconstructionists, to thoroughly investigate motor vehicle accidents that involve tire failure. We are committed to prosecuting all those meritorious cases against negligent tire manufacturers, auto manufacturers and/or tire retailers where we find that serious injuries are due to defective tires.

If you, a loved one or a client has been injured or killed in a motor vehicle accident that involved a tire blowout or tire failure, contact us today at 312-638-2407 for a free case evaluation to determine if we can help you.