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Tire failures on 18-wheelers and commercial trucks can turn a routine haul into a devastating, multi-vehicle catastrophe. While drivers and insurers often blame weather or traffic, many truck wrecks are actually caused by a silent killer: blown or failed tires. Whether it’s a shredded trailer tire, an aging retread, worn-out, over-loaded or defective, a truck tire blowout at highway speeds can cause jackknifes, rollovers, underride crashes, and fatal injuries. Additionally, many highway accidents may not involve coming in contact with the truck itself, but the exploding sidewall or tire tread separating from the tire core being propelled into your lane of traffic or hitting your vehicle can cause even the most experienced drivers to lose control and crash or rollover from this sudden and unexpected event.
That’s why federal safety regulations impose strict rules on tire maintenance and inspections — and why trucking companies, tire shops, and tire manufacturers may be held fully liable when they cut corners.
Attorney David P. Willis is a Board-Certified Personal Injury Trial Lawyer (Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization since 1988), with over 40 years of experience litigating serious tire failures, catastrophic injuries, rollovers and trucking injury cases nationwide. A former attorney for the Supreme Court of Texas, Willis leads a team focused on catastrophic injury and wrongful death claims involving tire blowouts, FMCSA violations, and unsafe commercial vehicles. Willis is a nationally recognized litigator in tire blowouts and failures.
In fact, in 2001 Willis was awarded the Steven Sharp National Public Service Award for his help in undercovering evidence that led to the nationwide recall of millions of defective Firestone and Bridgestone tires connected to the epidemic of the deadly Ford Explorer Rollovers. We act fast to preserve failed tires and hold negligent parties accountable from the trucking company, to the tire retreaders, and of course the tire manufacturers in cases of defects.
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Many assume trailer tire blowouts aren’t serious because trailers ride on duals (four rear tires on each side of the trailer in the back) — but that’s a dangerous myth. A single tire failure can cause a trailer to swerve, fishtail, or whip into oncoming traffic. This is especially true if the truck accident is caused by a front steering tire failure. If the driver overcorrects or brakes too hard, the entire rig can jackknife or roll over, especially when hauling heavy or unbalanced loads.
In worst-case scenarios, a sudden blowout can lead to:
That’s why the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) explicitly prohibit using damaged, underinflated, or unsafe tires — and why identifying the cause of failure is critical to your case.
Truck tires degrade over time, even if the tread looks acceptable. Rubber hardens, steel belts corrode, and internal cracks form — especially after years of exposure to sunlight, heat, and heavy use.
Although there’s no federal “expiration date,” most manufacturers recommend replacing tires between 6 to 10 years of age. Some trucking companies dangerously stretch tires far beyond their safe lifespan to save costs.
If it is discovered that the DOT tire code indicates the failed tire was over 10 years old, that’s powerful evidence of negligence.
A tire’s DOT date code (also called by some – the tire’s serial number) is molded into the sidewall of every commercial tire. The last four digits indicate the week and year of manufacture — for example, “2214” means the tire was made in the 22nd week of 2014. This code is essential to proving whether a tire should have been taken out of service. In fact, if an accident occurred in 2025 due to the tire failure, it may be a strong case of negligence as that tire would be at least 10 years old and should not have been in service, NO MATTER HOW MUCH TREAD EXISTS.
In every serious tire blowout case, we demand the tire, the tread, the rim all must be preserved without any alternations, dismantling, or changes so our tire experts along with the defendant’s experts can inspect, X-ray and photograph the tire for litigation.
Retreading (recapping) is common in the trucking industry — especially for trailer tires — but it’s not always safe. When done improperly, retreaded tires can fail without warning.
Federal law prohibits retreads on front steering axles for a reason: a blowout there often causes total loss of control. Yet some companies still run recap steer tires illegally, or use retreads on dangerously worn casings.
Similarly, regrooving is only allowed if the tire is marked “Regroovable” by the manufacturer. Doing it on the wrong tire violates 49 CFR § 393.75 and may create serious legal liability.
A successful claim often depends on identifying all parties responsible for the tire failure:
We investigate each link in the chain of responsibility and secure internal policies, service records, and training documents to show how the failure could’ve been prevented.
Truck tire failure claims rely heavily on FMCSA safety violations. Some of the most critical rules include:
Violating these rules can prove negligence and may justify punitive damages. In truck wrecks, often involving multiple FMCSA violations can be found, not only as to the condition or inspections of the tirtes, but also as to the number of hours of service (HOS) a driver can operate a truck, driver qualifications, driver’s log compliance amongst others
Evidence That Can Win a Truck Tire Blowout Case
Time is critical after a tire failure crash. You must preserve:
Photos alone in a tire failure or truck wreck are not enough. Until our experts have inspected the tire and wheel assembly, the entire truck and trailer likely need to be kept safe to prevent any testing, alteration, or destruction. Truck tires often vanish within days if no one acts. Tow yards may discard torn up or shredded tires. Insurers may sell trailers for scrap at an equipment auction. Maintenance logs get “lost.” That’s why our firm sends spoliation letters to every party involved — the motor carrier, the insurance company, the towing or wrecker company, and any tire shop — to lock down every piece of evidence before it’s gone.We also seek Temporary Restraining Orders (TROs) to prohibit destructive testing and ensure our experts can inspect the tire before it’s altered.
Time is critical after a tire failure crash. You must preserve:
Photos alone in a tire failure or truck wreck are not enough. Until our experts have inspected the tire and wheel assembly, the entire truck and trailer likely need to be kept safe to prevent any testing, alteration, or destruction. Truck tires often vanish within days if no one acts. Tow yards may discard torn up or shredded tires. Insurers may sell trailers for scrap at an equipment auction. Maintenance logs get “lost.” That’s why our firm sends spoliation letters to every party involved — the motor carrier, the insurance company, the towing or wrecker company, and any tire shop — to lock down every piece of evidence before it’s gone.We also seek Temporary Restraining Orders (TROs) to prohibit destructive testing and ensure our experts can inspect the tire before it’s altered.
Blowouts and tire failures are not just “bad luck.” They’re often entirely preventable with proper inspection, replacement, and adherence to FMCSA rules. When companies ignore those responsibilities, innocent drivers and families pay the price.
Our law firm uncovers the truth — from DOT tire codes and recap histories to falsified inspection logs and illegal steer tires — and builds strong cases that hold every negligent party accountable.
If you or a loved one suffered catastrophic injuries or was killed in a truck accident involving a tire blowout, re-cap, retread failure, or unsafe older or worn out tire, contact us immediately.
Attorney David P. Willis is a Board-Certified trial lawyer with 40+ years of experience, licensed in Texas and New York, and is nationally known trial lawyer focused on tire defects involved in truck crashes, and truck rollovers, tire blowouts, tire explosions and tire defects. In fact, Willis was awarded the Steven Sharp National Public Service Award in 2001 for his help in undercovering the famous Firestone Tire Defects along with Ford Explorer Rollovers.
Call now for a Free Case Review. No Fees Unless We Settle Your Case. We’ll investigate the tire, preserve the evidence, and fight for the full compensation you and your family deserve.
Call Us at 1-888-LAW-2040 Today for a Free Consultation.
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