Defective Tire Lawyers

Tire Failure Can Cause Serious Accidents. We Serve Their Victims Across the Nation.

Though most drivers will log many hundreds and probably thousands of miles without so much as an air leak, tire failures can and do occur regularly. In many cases, these failures can cause deadly auto or truck accidents. Worse, many of them are preventable, resulting from design and manufacturing defects beyond a driver’s control.

If a tire blowout, tread separation, sidewall collapse, or other failure was to blame for your accident, reach out to our attorneys today. We have helped multiple clients prevail in these claims. In fact, we are so experienced in defective tire cases that we often receive referrals and requests for co-counsel from other law firms. Our skilled and respected attorneys offer free consultations, so do not hesitate to reach out if you believe you have a claim.

To find out if your injuries were caused by faulty tires, contact our experienced tire failure lawyers at (888) 711-5947. We offer free consultations to clients everywhere in the U.S.

Common Causes of Tire Failure

Tires can fail in several ways. Sometimes, with the recognition of early warning signs, tire defects can be spotted and repaired before they cause accidents. However, in most tires that are damaged or faulty due to design flaws or manufacturing defects, failure is unavoidable.

Some of the most common causes of faulty tire failures include:

• Tread separation. This can be a result of both design and manufacturing defects that cause tires to wear prematurely and increase the likelihood of a blowout.
• Tire sidewall collapse. When tire sidewalls are produced with defective or insufficient materials, they can be subject to unexpected collapse and blow out.
• Tire bead failure. When tire beads are not properly reinforced, the integrity of your tire is compromised and may be subject to blowouts due to lost pressure.
• Tire explosion. Tire explosions can occur when multi-piece tire rims are defective.

In many cases, auto accidents caused by these types of tire failures can be traced back to recalled or defective products.

Injured in a Crash Caused by a Tire Blowout?

According to estimates from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), more than 8,000 car accidents each year are caused by tire blowouts. A blowout refers to any situation where a tire quickly and explosively loses air pressure. A driver is likely to lose control of their vehicle and, as the tire deflates, vehicles can become more vulnerable to rollover or veer into oncoming traffic. A devastating collision may ensue, sometimes with more than one other vehicle.

Though improper maintenance can cause a blowout, we recommend you consult with one of our attorneys before taking any action. Depending on the cause of the blowout, you may have grounds to file a legal claim against the tire manufacturer, a distributor, a retailer, or a combination of all these parties in pursuit of fair compensation. Reviewing your situation with our team can help you understand your legal options and choose the most appropriate course of action.

How to Prevent Tire Blowouts

While tire blowouts cannot be anticipated ahead of time, there are certain things you can do to minimize this risk and keep your vehicle safe.

To minimize your chances of a blowout, be sure to regularly check your tires for:

• Breaks in the fabric
• Cracks, cuts, and scrapes
• Bulges and bumps in your tire

It is also wise to keep a close watch on your tires’ age. Industry standards recommend using tires for no longer than 10 years, though more frequent tire changes may be required depending on your average annual mileage.

To check the age of your tires, look for the four-digit date code at the end of the DOT stamping on your tire's sidewall. This will provide you with the week and year that your tires were manufactured. For example, date code 4318 would mean that your tires were made during the 43rd week of 2018.

Determining Liability in Tire Defect Cases

As with any personal injury claim, a tire failure claim will rely heavily on whether you can prove the defect was the actual cause of your car accident. The defendant named in your case may argue any damage to the tire was caused by your crash, rather than the other way around. Unless you are prepared and work closely with an experienced auto product liability attorney like the ones you can find at our firm, the judge or jury may agree with them.

We can help you gather proof and prepare it for presentation.Three strong pieces of evidence in tire defect cases are:

• Photographic evidence: Take pictures of each defective tire and, if possible, a tire that did not contribute to your loss of control. By comparing a functional tire to one that is defective, you can demonstrate the role of a faulty tire in your wreck.
• Eyewitness testimonies: Drivers in adjacent lanes often have the best view of a tire defect, such as a blowout or explosion, as it occurs. If anyone pulls over with you after your accident, ask them if they saw what happened and if they will provide a written statement.
• Product history: Checking the history of your brand of tire can help you determine if the manufacturer may be to blame for your accident. If multiple similar events have been reported, you are almost assuredly facing a product liability issue.

Using these types of evidence and accompanying legal strategies, our attorneys have been able to successfully close tire defect cases for our clients in the past.

What Do I Do If My Accident Was Caused By a Tire Defect?

If you are certain, or even a little suspicious, that your car accident was caused by a defective tire, the first thing you should do is speak to one of our auto defect attorneys. Think of us as your guide through the jungle that is litigation and claims—the sooner we are on your side, the safer you will be from bad-faith manufacturers who are likely to fight back. At The Gilbert Law Group®, we would be proud to advocate for you, whether you live near our Denver office or elsewhere in the country.

Once you have retained trustworthy legal assistance, the next step is determining if you need to file an individual lawsuit or if there is a mass tort case you can opt into. If multiple plaintiffs have experienced injury due to identical tire failures, a mass tort case allows them to band together for a lawsuit, streamlining the litigation process.

Our attorneys can also go review settlements being offered by the tire’s manufacturer or parent company. If their initial offers are fair and cover all your expenses, we can help your case reach a quick resolution.

See whether defective or faulty tires may have contributed to your auto accident. Contact The Gilbert Law Group® at (888) 711-5947 for a free consultation.