The difference between a tire tread separation and a tire blowout is that a tire tread separation occurs when the tread detaches from the body of the tire, while a tire blowout happens when the tire pops due to internal pressure. Tread separations are much more common than tire blowouts, which virtually never happen in modern tires.
Hot weather and improper maintenance can contribute to tire failures, but sometimes the issue involves a manufacturer tire defect. If you have ever suffered from a tire failure while driving at high speeds, you know how terrifying the experience is. Even if you do everything right, you may lose control of the vehicle and suffer serious injuries or even death.
How to React During a Tire Failure
Tread separations occur more frequently than tire blowouts in modern tires and can cause serious injuries.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) advises drivers to take the following steps during a tire failure:
- Do not panic.
- Avoid slamming the brakes or removing your foot from the accelerator too quickly.
- Maintain the vehicle’s speed if you can, and gradually remove your foot from the gas pedal.
- Steer as necessary to regain control of the vehicle.
- Continue to decrease your speed and pull over when you can do so safely.
Sometimes you will lose control of the vehicle during a tire failure regardless of what you do. Tire problems contribute to 11,000 crashes a year, according to the NHTSA.
Tread separations can strike without warning and put your family’s lives at risk. You may not realize it, but manufacturing defects can sometimes be the cause of these life-threatening incidents.
How Tread Separations Happen
Tread separations are the most common type of tire failure in newer tires. One of the differences between tire tread separation and tire blowouts are that tire blowouts occurred more frequently in older tires but are rare in modern steel-belted radial tires.
In modern tires, the tread attaches to two steel belts that surround the tire. The tread bonds to the sidewalls of the tire. Insufficient bonding can cause the tread to separate from the rest of the tire while driving, particularly at high speeds.
Hot Weather and Manufacturing Defects
Product liability attorneys refer to summer as “tire season” because tire failures frequently occur during hot weather. The hot asphalt and high temperatures can degrade tires and increase the risk of a tread separation.
Poor design and manufacturing practices can contribute to tread separations. Cheap materials or improper quality control procedures can put consumers at a higher risk of serious injury or death from a tread separation.
If you experience a tread separation, you should attempt to preserve as much evidence from the crash as possible. This evidence will be critical if you decide to bring a product liability lawsuit to seek compensation for your injuries.
After the Crash: Preserve Evidence to Strengthen Your Case
Lawsuits against tire manufacturers typically require evidence from the scene of the incident. Keeping all the evidence intact will help you strengthen your defective product case.
You should attempt to preserve your vehicle, the remnants of the tire, and the tire tread. These could all be key pieces of evidence in your case.
You should also have a photographer come out to the scene of the crash. It is even better to have a survey team come out to document and record all the evidence.
Product Liability Lawyers Can Help
If you need assistance with these steps, contact a product liability attorney. We can help you locate and preserve the evidence you will need in your case.
Time is a critical factor after a tread separation incident. If you do not document everything right away, evidence can be destroyed or go missing, and you may have a harder time proving your case.
Technical experts can analyze the tire tread and other evidence to determine what caused the tread separation. If the evidence shows that faulty design or manufacturing contributed to the tire failure, you may have a case for seeking compensation from the manufacturer.
If injured in a tread separation incident, contact a product liability lawyer as soon as possible to discuss your experience. You deserve to know the cause of the tire failure and what your legal options are.
Tell Us About Your Tread Separation Incident
At Newsome Melton, we help injured consumers seek justice when defective products cause them harm. If you or a loved one suffered serious injuries or death from a tire tread separation incident, we want to hear your story.
Call us at 888-808-5977 to set up a free case evaluation with one of our product liability attorneys. If you have a defective product case, we can help you seek compensation for your injuries.