Tennessee Tire Blowout Accident Claims

If a tire blowout caused your crash, you may have a claim in Tennessee against more than just another driver. Depending on what failed, responsibility can fall on the tire’s maker, a shop that sold or installed a defective or aged tire, a trucking company that ignored maintenance, or a driver who ran on bald or underinflated tires.

The key is figuring out why the tire came apart, and that starts with saving the tire itself. When someone else’s negligence or a defect caused the blowout, you can seek compensation for medical bills, lost income, and pain and suffering.

What Causes a Tire Blowout?

Blowouts and tread separations come from a mix of defects, aging, and poor maintenance:

• Tread separation, where the tread peels away from the tire body, often after years of use
• Manufacturing or design defects, like trapped contaminants or weak belt bonding
• Tire aging, since rubber breaks down over time even with good tread
• Underinflation and overloading, which build heat and lead to failure
• Improper repair or mounting, such as the wrong size or a bad patch

NHTSA notes that some vehicle and tire makers recommend replacing tires that are six to ten years old regardless of how the tread looks. You can check a tire’s age using the DOT Tire Identification Number stamped on the sidewall.

Who Can Be Held Liable?

A tire blowout claim can involve one or several responsible parties:

• The tire manufacturer, if a design or manufacturing defect caused the failure
• A tire shop or retailer, if it sold a dangerously old tire, mounted the wrong tire, or installed it improperly
• A repair shop, if negligent service contributed to the failure
• A trucking company, if it skipped required tire inspections and maintenance
• A driver, who kept driving on bald, damaged, or badly underinflated tires

Because a big rig blowout can be catastrophic, truck accident claims often focus on a carrier’s maintenance records and federal inspection duties.

Defect Claim or Negligence Claim?

The path your case takes depends on the cause.

• Product liability applies when the tire itself was defective. You would pursue the maker, and sometimes the seller, under Tennessee’s product liability law. You do not have to prove the company was careless, only that the tire was unreasonably dangerous and caused your harm.
• Negligence applies when a person or business failed to act with reasonable care, like a shop that sold a tire it knew was too old or a carrier that ignored maintenance.

Sometimes both apply at once. A shop that installed a defective tire it should have flagged can share responsibility with the maker.

Why Saving the Tire Is Everything

In a blowout case, the failed tire is the single most important piece of evidence. Without it, proving a defect becomes far harder.

• Do not discard the tire, and do not let the vehicle be junked or crushed
• Keep all four tires if possible, along with the wheel
• Save receipts and service records showing when and where the tires were bought and serviced
• Photograph the tire, the vehicle, and the scene

A tire failure analyst can examine the tire for tread separation, defects, aging, or signs of poor maintenance, and can read the DOT date code to determine its true age. That analysis often decides who is responsible.

What Compensation Can You Recover?

A successful tire blowout claim can seek:

• Economic damages with no cap, including medical bills, future care, and lost earnings
• Noneconomic damages for pain and suffering, capped at $750,000, or $1 million for catastrophic injuries
• Wrongful death damages if the crash was fatal
• Punitive damages where a company knew about a danger and sold the product anyway

Tennessee uses comparative fault, so if you share some blame, you can still recover as long as your share is under 50 percent, with your award reduced accordingly.

FAQs

Can a blowout really be someone else’s fault?

Yes. Many blowouts trace back to a defect, an aged tire that should not have been sold, or skipped maintenance, all of which can shift responsibility to a company.

What if I do not still have the tire?

Your case is harder without it, but not necessarily hopeless. A lawyer can look for records, other tires, and vehicle data. This is why preserving the tire early is so important.

How long do I have to file in Tennessee?

Generally, one year from the crash for a personal injury claim (Tennessee Code Section 28-3-104). Product cases also have longer outer deadlines, but the injury deadline usually controls.

How do I know how old my tires are?

Read the DOT Tire Identification Number on the sidewall. The last four digits show the week and year the tire was made.

A Blowout Crash May Not Be Your Fault

A blowout crash can leave you with serious injuries and a totaled vehicle, and the cause is rarely obvious at the scene. The failed tire holds the answer, so preserving it and acting quickly can make or break your claim.

The Higgins Firm investigates tire blowout and car accident claims across Tennessee. Use our contact page for a free case review.