Posted Feb 2025
Tires are essential for safe driving, including braking and steering a vehicle. However, when they are defective, they can lead to devastating accidents, including rollovers and head-on collisions. Tire blowout accidents often result in serious injuries or even death. Besides the driver and their passengers, these accidents can also injure other road users, including pedestrians and occupants of other vehicles.
If you or a loved one has sustained injuries in a Phoenix tire defect accident due to another’s negligence, Arizona law entitles you to compensation. However, recovering damages against negligent tire companies can be complicated. It is advisable to seek the help of an experienced Phoenix tire defect lawyer to help you seek fair compensation and protect your rights.
Tire defects are due to manufacturing errors, including the use of substandard materials and poor quality control. The tire may be defective in its quality, design, or labeling. Common examples of tire defects include:
These defects increase the likelihood of road accidents for motorists, including unexpected blowouts, rollover accidents, and loss of vehicle control.
Arizona’s product liability laws allow victims of tire defect accidents to hold tire manufacturers, distributors, and retailers liable for injuries caused by their defective products. The law gives the victims the right to recover damages in personal injury claims. Tire defect claims in Arizona often fall into three categories, including manufacturing defects, design defects, and failure to warn.
Manufacturing defects include any errors during production that make tires unsafe like when improper bonding leads to tread separation. Design defects occur when design flaws make tires inherently dangerous like when a tire design is prone to blowouts. Failure to warn claims can occur when manufacturers or retailers fail to provide adequate warnings or instructions on tire safety, including load limits and safe inflation levels.
Typically, tire manufacturers are liable for most defective tire claims. The numerous tire recalls over the years highlight this and the importance of holding them accountable. But, defective tire claims are often complex. The technical aspect of tire manufacturing makes proving liability against manufacturers almost impossible without an expert witness.
There are three grounds under which you can file a defective tire claim, including negligence, strict liability, and breach of warranty. Negligence involves proving that the tire defect is due to the defendant’s carelessness.
The strict liability rule seeks to hold the manufacturer liable regardless of their negligence. In this case, they are liable to pay damages as long as their defective product caused injuries. Breach of warranty occurs when the product fails to meet the manufacturer’s implied or explicit warranty.
Depending on the circumstances of your case, you can use either or all these grounds to prove liability and recover damages. Besides the grounds for filing a claim, you also need to adhere to other Arizona laws during damage recovery, including comparative fault and statute of limitations.
If you are partially to blame for the accident, the comparative fault rule reduces your compensation according to the percentage of your fault. Additionally, the Arizona statute of limitation requires you to file your defective tire claim within two years of the accident.
Tire defect claims can be legally complex and overwhelming. Besides being against powerful corporations, you need to be knowledgeable about some technical manufacturing aspects. The manufacturers know their advantage over you and may be unwilling to take responsibility.
However, a skilled and experienced Phoenix tire defect attorney can help protect your rights and hold the manufacturers accountable. Some of the reasons why you need a defective tire lawyer include:
Besides helping you recover damages, a skilled lawyer allows you to focus on healing from your injuries as they focus on the legal side of things.
Defective tire accidents often lead to severe injuries or even wrongful death. In most cases, tire defect claims in Arizona involve substantial compensation. However, getting compensation is not always straightforward as manufacturers and insurance companies may try to shortchange you. It is therefore advisable to have a skilled defective tire attorney by your side.
If you are in Phoenix, AZ, contact our skilled and experienced defective tire attorney at Huselid & Huselid Law. We will guide you through the often complex damage recovery process, protect your rights, and help you get the compensation you need and deserve. Contact us today for a free consultation and to learn more about our services.