Tire Tread Separation and Rollovers

Defective Tires:
A rear tire explosion, blow-out, belt separation or tire tread separation increases the risk of a rollover accident significantly—especially at highway speeds.

Most rollover crashes occur when a vehicle runs off the road and is tripped by a ditch, curb, soft soil, or other object causing it to roll over, but not all rollovers are caused in this manner. When a tire suddenly explodes, blows out, looses its tire tread, or the tire belt peels off and separates, the vehicle may go out of control—especially at highways speeds. These accidents are called single vehicle crashes because the crash did not involve a collision with another vehicle. More than 10,000 people die each year in rollover crashes. The rollover resistance rating, or a vehicle’s rollover propensity, essentially measures a vehicle’s center of gravity and track width to determine how "top-heavy" a vehicle is. The more "top-heavy" the vehicle, the more likely it is to roll over. While rollovers do not occur as frequently as other types of crashes, when they do occur, the result is often serious injury or death. Rollovers accounted for more than 10,000 fatalities in the United States in 1999, which is more than side and rear crash fatalities combined.

Sport Utility Vehicles and Tire Tread Separations

SUV Rollover Accident:
Tire blow-outs and tire tread separations can lead to deadly rollover accidents.

Belt-leaving-belt tread separations, whether or not accompanied by a loss of air from the tire, reduce the ability of the driver to control the vehicle. This is even more dangerous when the tire failure occurs on a rear tire at highway speeds. If the tread separation or pressure loss occurs on the front tire, the driver usually is able to control the vehicle by the use of the brake and the steering wheel. However, when it occurs to the rear tire the loss of control can be serious enough to result in a crash or rollover. The likelihood of a crash, and injuries or fatalities from such a crash, is far greater when the tread separation occurs on a SUV compared to if the tread separation occurred on a sedan or large pickup truck instead. Many SUVs have a higher rollover propensity and are therefore much more likely to roll over and cause serious injuries and even death.

Tire Defects - Serious Accident and Injury Legal Help

If you or a loved one have been seriously injured, or a loved one has been killed, as the result of a tire defect, tire failure, tread separation, tire blowout, rollover accident, or any other serious injury accident, then please call us to discuss your legal rights to a potential product liability lawsuit. Please fill out our online form by following the link below or call us right now: Toll Free 1-800-883-9858.

Click Here for a Free Tire Defect Case Evaluation