Seattle, Washington-Area Defective Products Attorney - Assisting Victims of Dangerous Tires

Good quality tires are vital to the proper function and safety of any automobile. If a tire fails on the road, especially at high speeds, serious injuries, damage, and even death can result. If you have been in an auto accident that was caused by defective tires and live in the Seattle, Washington area, a defective products attorney at our firm can help you get compensation for your injuries.

• Manufacturing / Design Defects
• Aged / Used Tires Sold
• Incorrect Tires Placed

Manufacturing / Design Defects

Although a tire may appear to be a single piece, it is actually made up of several components. Flaws relating to the points where these components join together create the potential for the tire to destruct. The tire manufacturer has a responsibility to construct the tires in such a way that the chances of the tire coming apart or wearing out too quickly are minimized. If the manufacturer fails to maintain a high standard of quality, large numbers of tires begin to fail and the drivers and passengers relying upon them are put at high risk of injury or death. If you have been the victim of substandard tire manufacturing and live in Seattle or elsewhere in Washington, a defective products attorney from Phillips & Webster can help.

Tire Tread and Belt Separation

The treaded portion of the tire is laid on over a layer of cords, called the belt, which can be constructed of steel, fiberglass, nylon, or other materials. When properly manufactured and designed, the belt adds strength and stability to the tire. If the adhesive used to attach the tread to the belt and to the rest of the tire is not strong enough, has expired, or the manufacturing conditions were too hot, cold, humid, or unclean, the tread may not properly adhere to the belt. Flaws with tread adhesion can seriously compromise the integrity of the tire, triggering the formation of small cracks that grow into larger cracks, which eventually may cause the separation of the tread and belt. When a car is traveling at high speeds and tread separation occurs, the vehicle becomes extremely difficult to handle, often rolling over or colliding with another object. Many passengers and drivers in Seattle and throughout Washington have been victims of accidents caused by tread separation. A defective products attorney from Phillips & Webster can provide expert legal representation if you have been injured or a loved one has been killed in an accident caused by tire tread separation.

Bead Wire Failures

Along the inner edge of a tire, where it connects to the rim, there is a segment of the tire known as the bead. The bead is made of steel wires that are bundled together and encased in rubber. The purpose of this steel hoop is to connect the tire to the rim, hold it in place, and prevent air leakage. Unfortunately, the point where the wires are spliced together to make the hoop creates a weak point in the tire. If something causes this point to fail, the air pressure in the tire will deflate explosively, potentially causing serious injury and damage.

The majority of injuries caused by bead failures involve tire installation professionals. The tire explosion takes place during inflation, after the bead has been seated into the rim. Situations that may trigger a bead failure include:

• Mismatched tire and rim sizes (such as a 16 inch tire mounted on a 16.5 inch rim)
• Lack of proper lubrication on the bead while mounting
• The spliced portion of the bead being the last segment to be seated into the rim

While the first two conditions are preventable, there is no way to know where the bead splice is once the bead wire is encased in the tire.

It is disturbing to many to know that tire manufacturers have the option of using designs that would eliminate this dangerous weak spot, yet the spliced bead wire design is still in use among most passenger car and light truck tires. If you live in Seattle or anywhere in Washington, contact a defective products attorney at our firm who can help if you or a loved one has been a victim of this outdated manufacturing technique.

Multi-piece Rim Failures

Most wheels that are used on passenger cars and light trucks are single-piece rims. However, large trucks commonly have multi-piece rims consisting of two or three separate sections that are designed to fit together while holding the tire in place. These wheels are extremely dangerous to those who install and repair them, as they have caused numerous injuries and deaths. During inflation, repair, or mounting, the tire can deflate explosively, sending pieces of the rim hurtling across a workshop potentially causing property damage or injury to workers. OSHA has instituted strict guidelines as to how to handle multi-piece wheels, but even while following these regulations, fatal accidents can still occur. Although single-piece wheels are a viable option and a much safer alternative, manufacturers continue to make and sell multi-piece designs.

Sidewall / Zipper Failures

When there is a tear in the sidewall of a tire, it is sometimes called a zipper failure, because the opening looks as if it was un-zipped. This occurs when the sidewall is weak, poorly designed, or exposed to excessive stress. Depending on the circumstances under which the tire fails, this kind of rupture can cause damage or injury to the wheel, car, driver and passengers, bystanders, or the person inflating the tire. A defective products attorney from our firm can help you determine if the sidewall failure you experienced resulted from substandard manufacturing. In such cases, you may be entitled to compensation.

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Aged / Used Tires Sold

Most tires are designed to last for at least 60,000 to 80,000 miles. Ideally, the tread should wear down before any other part of the tire. However, a tire that has been driven on under excessive stress or in unusual conditions may be weakened and unsafe to use. This is why it is imperative to always buy brand-new tires to replace ones that are worn out or damaged. Some businesses will re-sell used tires if the tread is still adequate. However, since they do not know how many miles or under what conditions a set of used tires were driven, these retailers cannot guarantee the tires' safety.

It is also important that new tires be newly manufactured as opposed to unused and very old. Unused tires that have been sitting in a warehouse or on a shelf for six years or longer can be dangerous to drive on. The rubber used to construct the tire tends to degrade over time, making the tire more likely to separate under stress. An age code on the sidewall of any tire made since the 1980s can be used to determine whether it is safe to use. In Seattle and throughout Washington, a defective products attorney from Phillips & Webster can ascertain the age of a tire that has failed.

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Incorrect Tires Placed

Tires and wheels are not universal. For each vehicle model, there is a particular size or size range that is most appropriate. If a dealer or repair shop mounts rims or tires that are too large or too small for your vehicle, it will not only affect the accuracy of your speedometer and your handling, but it can cause excessive wear on the tires and the car as well, which can lead to an accident. Businesses that install and repair wheels and tires are responsible for using the correct tire and rim combination on all vehicles. If you have been the victim of an accident caused by incorrectly sized wheels or tires, a defective products attorney from Phillips & Webster may be able to help.

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Contact Washington Defective Products Attorney

Contact our firm's offices in Bellevue, Woodinville, and Seattle, Washington to speak with an experienced defective products attorney. If you have been injured due to defective, damaged, or incorrectly installed tires, we can review your case and help you pursue compensation.

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