2014’s Most Dangerous Tires

2014 was a big year for tire recalls with 55 – the most since 2008. Toyo Tires U.S.A. Corp. had the most tires recalled with 2,454,340 tires spread over 14 recalls. American Pacific Industries Inc. had the most recalls at 18, and ITG Voma Corporation also saw 664,230 tires recalled.

Tire recalls are almost always for safety issues, and the stakes are high – a blowout or loss of traction at high speeds can easily turn into a multi-vehicle collision with serious injuries or even death. While a driver is typically responsible for any accidents caused by their failure to maintain their car, a tire manufacturer is liable both to the driver and to any other involved vehicles when the manufacturer didn’t take reasonable steps to ensure the safety of their tires during the design or manufacturing phases of production.

Tire defects are difficult to prove in the context of a single accident, but when a tire is subsequently recalled over safety issues, it can become much easier to prove a case against the tire’s manufacturer. However, once a car owner is on notice that their tires have been recalled, they need to replace them as quickly as reasonably possible. Otherwise, the liability could rest solely on the owner for knowingly driving with unsafe tires after the manufacturer said to stop using them. For this reason, it’s important to keep up with all recall notices for your vehicle.