How to Prevent a Car Crash Caused by a Tire or Tires

Pritzker Olsen attorneys have gained a national reputation and have been interviewed by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Lawyers USA and other publications. To contact a lawyer about a car crash caused by a tire or tires, please call toll-free at 1-888-377-8900 or submit the firm's online form for a free consultation. Read about our multi-million-dollar settlement for a family who lost a loved one in a runaway truck wheel accident.

Tire Maintenance

Our law firm represents victims of car crashes caused by defective tires. In these cases, the consumer is not at fault and car maintenance could not have prevented the accident. We are providing the information below on tire maintenance because we are committed to accident prevention.

Dangerous tire problems, such as blowouts, flat tires, tread separation and punctures can result in vehicle damage and/or car accidents that could cause serious injury or death. Tire safety begins with proper tire maintenance. According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), properly maintained tires improve your car’s steering, stopping, traction and load-carrying ability.

One basic element of tire maintenance is tire pressure. This is the level of air in your vehicle’s tires and is measured in pounds per square inch (psi). Different vehicles have different recommended tire pressure levels, as determined by the vehicle manufacturer—NOT the tire manufacturer.

Tire size is another important factor. It is important to equip your vehicle with the correct tire size, as recommended by the car manufacturer. The correct tire size and tire pressure can be found on the vehicle information placard, the owner's manual, or the sidewall of a tire you may be replacing.

The vehicle information placard may be located on the vehicle door edge, door post, glove compartment door or inside the trunk lid. Other important information found on the vehicle information placard besides tire pressure and tire size includes vehicle capacity weigh (VCW), which is the maximum occupant and cargo weight the vehicle should carry, and the front and rear gross axle weight ratings (GAWR), which describe the maximum weight the axles are designed to carry.

Six Things You Can Do to Prevent a Car Crash Caused by a Tire

Regularly check tire pressure. The NHTSA recommends checking tire pressure once a month. Your vehicle’s recommended tire pressure, measured in pounds per square inch, can be found on the vehicle information placards and vehicle certification labels. For convenience, keep a tire pressure gauge in your car.
Be sure the tires are “cold.” If you have just driven your car, do not check the tire pressure right away, otherwise you will not get an accurate psi reading. Wait for three hours and then check the pressure.
Adjust tire pressure as needed. If the pressure in your tires is higher than the recommended pounds per square inch, let air out of the tires until the gauge reads the correct pressure. Add air to tires that do not meet the vehicle’s recommended air pressure.
Rotate tires regularly. The NHTSA recommends rotating tires every 5,000 miles. Tires should be rotated from front to back and side to side. More detailed information on frequency and patterns of tire rotation can be found in the car’s owner’s manual.
Make sure tires are balanced and wheels are aligned. Have a qualified mechanic or technician balance your car’s tires, which keeps your vehicle from shaking or vibrating as the tires rotate. Wheel alignment adjusts the angles of the wheels.
Repair punctured tires immediately. Have punctured tires inspected, plugged, patched or replaced.

DO YOU HAVE A DEFECTIVE TIRE LAWSUIT?

Our product liability lawyers are available for a free consultation regarding your defective tire case. Fred Pritzker, Elliot Olsen and Eric Hageman have both, once again, been named "Super Lawyers" by Law & Politics magazine (August 2009 edition). Fred Pritzker has also been selected, once again, by other lawyers for inclusion in the current edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

To contact a lawyer at Pritzker Olsen, please call toll-free at 1-888-377-8900 or submit the firm's free online consultation form.

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