All sorts of dangerous things can happen when you’re in a motor vehicle. You might cross paths with a driver who’s drunk or distracted. You could hit a patch of slick road that results in loss of control over the vehicle. You might even have to swerve because an animal suddenly runs out into the road.
The tires on your relatively new vehicle suddenly popping without any reason likely isn’t on the list of potential problems you have in your head.
You expect that all of the safety-critical components in your vehicle, such as the seatbelt, brakes and tires, will operate correctly in order to keep you safe. However, a recent recall involving thousands of vehicles shows that you may not be able to rely on your tires.
General Motors has recalled 7,500 vehicles because of overcuring
In order to get the right strength and performance out of a tire, it has to be heat cured. Curing is one of the last stages of tire production. Unfortunately, it is possible for tires to wind up overcured during the manufacturing process.
Careful controls in the facility and quality checks of finished products should prevent such problematic components from getting on to your vehicle, but manufacturers don’t always notice their mistakes when they occur.
General Motors has recently learned that the tires on certain 2020 and 2021 models might spontaneously rupture because of overcuring during their production. The failure of the tire could very easily lead to someone losing control of their vehicle and getting in to a crash that wouldn’t have occurred if the tire hadn’t blown out.
You have rights when hurt by a defective product
The failure to properly quality check the tires involved in this situation could produce significant liability for both the manufacturer of the tires and GM.
Individuals who have been injured by defective products may be able to file a lawsuit to seek compensation for their expenses and damages.