Austin Defective Tire Accident Lawyer

A tire blowout at highway speed can turn an ordinary drive into a catastrophic car accident. When a tire fails because of a manufacturing defect, design flaw, or improper service, the driver often loses control entirely — leading to rollovers, multi-vehicle pileups, and head-on collisions. At McFarlane Law, we hold tire manufacturers, retailers, and service providers accountable when defective tires cause serious injuries on Austin roads.

If you or a loved one was injured in an Austin accident caused by a tire blowout or defective tire, call (512) 222-4900 for a free case evaluation. These product liability cases require immediate evidence preservation and expert analysis.

How Defective Tires Cause Serious Accidents

Tires are the only point of contact between a vehicle and the road. When a tire fails catastrophically, the driver instantly loses the ability to steer, brake, and maintain control. On Austin highways like I-35, MoPac, US-183, and SH-130 — where speeds regularly exceed 65 mph — a sudden tire blowout gives the driver almost no time to react before the vehicle veers into adjacent lanes, crosses the median, or leaves the roadway entirely.

Front tire blowouts are particularly dangerous because they directly affect steering. The vehicle pulls sharply toward the side of the blown tire, and overcorrection by a panicked driver often causes a rollover accident. Rear tire blowouts cause the vehicle to fishtail and can lead to loss of control, especially in SUVs and trucks with a higher center of gravity. Large commercial truck tire blowouts are extremely hazardous because the debris field can strike following vehicles and the truck itself may jackknife or leave the roadway.

Types of Tire Defects

Tire defects fall into three main categories under Texas product liability law. Manufacturing defects occur during the production process — contamination of the rubber compound, improper curing, weak adhesion between the tread and steel belts, or foreign objects embedded in the tire during assembly. These defects can cause the tread to separate from the tire casing at speed, resulting in a sudden and violent blowout.

Design defects exist when the tire’s fundamental design is inadequate for its intended use. This may include insufficient sidewall strength, tread patterns that are prone to hydroplaning, or materials that degrade prematurely in high-heat environments like Central Texas where summer road surface temperatures can exceed 150°F. Marketing defects (failure to warn) occur when the tire manufacturer fails to provide adequate warnings about load limits, speed ratings, proper inflation, or other usage restrictions.

Tread separation is one of the most dangerous and common tire defects. When the tread peels away from the tire at highway speed, large pieces of rubber can strike other vehicles while the affected vehicle becomes nearly impossible to control. This type of failure has been the subject of numerous major recalls and class-action lawsuits against tire manufacturers.

Who Is Liable for a Defective Tire Accident?

Texas product liability law allows injured parties to pursue claims against multiple parties in the chain of distribution. The tire manufacturer is typically the primary defendant — companies that produce millions of tires annually have a duty to ensure each tire meets safety standards. The vehicle manufacturer may be liable if they specified or installed defective tires as original equipment. Tire retailers and distributors can be held liable under the strict liability chain in Texas. Tire service providers — mechanics and tire shops — may be liable if improper installation, rotation, balancing, or repair contributed to the failure.

Our attorneys investigate the complete history of the tire, from manufacturing lot records to point-of-sale data to service records, to identify every responsible party. We also check NHTSA recall databases and consumer complaint records for evidence of known defects in the same tire model.

Negligent Tire Service and Maintenance

Not all tire-related accidents involve manufacturing defects. Negligent tire service is a significant cause of blowouts and tire failures in Austin. Improper tire mounting that damages the bead, over-inflation or under-inflation, failure to identify tire damage during an inspection, use of improper tire repair methods (plugs instead of proper patch-and-plug repairs for sidewall damage), mounting the wrong tire size for the vehicle, and failure to properly torque lug nuts can all lead to tire failure and serious crashes. When a tire shop or mechanic’s negligence causes your accident, they — and their insurance carrier — are liable for your injuries.

Injuries from Tire Blowout Accidents

Because tire blowouts typically occur at highway speeds and often result in rollover or multi-vehicle crashes, the injuries tend to be severe. Our clients have suffered traumatic brain injuries from rollover impacts, spinal cord injuries and paralysis, ejection injuries when vehicles roll, multiple fractures of the extremities, pelvis, and ribs, internal organ damage, severe road rash and degloving injuries, burns from post-crash fires, and wrongful death. Catastrophic injuries from tire blowout accidents frequently require extensive surgery, long-term rehabilitation, and ongoing medical care that can cost millions of dollars over a lifetime.

Preserving Evidence in Tire Defect Cases

Physical evidence is critical in defective tire cases, and it can be lost quickly if not preserved properly. The failed tire itself is the most important piece of evidence — it must be stored safely and not discarded, altered, or further damaged. Our attorneys send immediate preservation letters to towing companies, repair shops, insurance companies, and anyone else who may have possession of the tire or vehicle. We also work with tire failure experts who examine the tire under laboratory conditions to determine the cause of failure — whether it was a manufacturing defect, tread separation, bead failure, or other issue.

Vehicle event data recorder (EDR) information, tire purchase records, service receipts, and any recall notices are also preserved and analyzed as part of our investigation.

Compensation for Defective Tire Accident Victims

Product liability cases against tire manufacturers often result in significant compensation because the defendants are large corporations with substantial insurance coverage and assets. Recoverable damages include all past and future medical expenses, lost wages and diminished earning capacity, pain and suffering, permanent disability and disfigurement, loss of quality of life, and in cases of egregious corporate conduct — such as knowingly selling tires with known defects — punitive damages designed to punish the manufacturer and deter future misconduct.

Contact McFarlane Law After a Tire Blowout Accident

If a tire blowout or defective tire caused your accident in Austin, do not discard the tire or allow anyone to dispose of it. Contact McFarlane Law immediately at (512) 222-4900 or fill out the form on this page. We will arrange for evidence preservation, begin our investigation, and fight for the compensation you deserve. Your consultation is free, and you pay nothing unless we win.