Tire Failure Attorneys in Georgia

As tires age, chemical changes reduce their durability, increasing the need for an experienced

. These chemical changes are commonly referred to as oxidation, which simply means that as tire components are exposed to oxygen, oxygen molecules cause the tire’s flexible components to harden and become brittle. Over time, the tire will simply fall apart under normal stress, just like an old rubber band. Because this process occurs naturally, it does not matter if a tire is being used, stored as a spare, or simply waiting on a store shelf for an unsuspecting consumer. In 1973, the average tread life of a passenger car tire was approximately 24,000 miles. This number has quadrupled over the last forty years and some currently sold tires promise 100,000 miles of tread life. As tread life becomes less of a factor in a tire’s service life, oxidation becomes a more serious concern—particularly in hotter climates, like Georgia, which is routinely the fifth-hottest state in the United States.

A large body of scientific evidence supports the view that most tires should be replaced after 6 years from the date of manufacture. This six-year expiration date begins from the day the tire was manufactured at the plant—not the date it was sold to a consumer or the date that it was installed on a vehicle. Tire manufacturers are well aware of this expiration date, but have refused to help consumers identify aged tires. In contrast, many auto manufacturers have taken small steps to warn consumers by placing warnings within the owner’s manual of newer model vehicles. However, these warnings fail to convey the gravity of the risk to consumers and do nothing to warn owners of older model vehicles, which is why it is so important to work with a

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