Lexington Defective Tire Accident Lawyer

Legally Reviewed by Stephen Vicari: Sep 12, 2026

A tire failure at highway speed can transform a routine drive into a catastrophic accident in seconds. When a tire blows out without warning, suddenly loses tread, or separates on the roadway, drivers lose control and collisions happen before anyone can react. If you were injured in an accident in Lexington, South Carolina, caused by a defective tire, the consequences were not your fault, and neither was the failure that caused it. Stewart Law Offices has spent decades recovering compensation for injury victims across South Carolina, and our team knows how to hold tire manufacturers and retailers accountable.

Our firm includes Stephen Vicari, a licensed member of the South Carolina Bar with more than 10 years of hands-on experience representing injured clients throughout Lexington County. Stephen approaches every case he handles with genuine attention and a commitment to understanding exactly what happened and what his clients need to move forward.

When you work with a Lexington defective tire attorney from Stewart Law Offices, you get a lawyer who listens carefully to your situation, explains your options honestly, and fights aggressively for the compensation you deserve.

How Do Defective Tires Cause Accidents in Lexington, SC?

Tire failures are far more common than most drivers realize, and the injuries they cause are often severe. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, tire‑related crashes account for thousands of vehicle accidents annually in the United States, resulting in hundreds of deaths and thousands of serious injuries. In 2024 alone, NHTSA data shows that 511 people died in tire‑related crashes, and only 19% of drivers properly inflate their tires, even though properly inflated tires can extend tire life by about 4,700 miles.

The tragedy of these numbers is that many accidents are preventable. Defects in design and manufacturing are within the manufacturer’s control. Retailers and dealers who sell recalled or aged tires knowingly create danger. Yet these accidents continue to happen, affecting innocent drivers in Lexington and throughout South Carolina. Understanding how a defective tire caused your specific accident is the foundation of a successful claim against those responsible.

Drivers depend on their tires to maintain control of their vehicles, especially at higher speeds and in bad weather. When a tire is defective, that control is lost instantly, and the driver cannot prevent the accident because the failure occurred through no fault of their own.

The following are the most common ways defective tires cause accidents:

• Tread Separation: The rubber tread peels away from the underlying structure. At highway speeds, this causes violent shaking and loss of steering control, often leading to swerving across lanes or crossing medians.
• Sidewall Failures: The sidewall ruptures suddenly, deflating the tire instantly. At 60 mph or faster, the vehicle collapses toward the pavement and veers out of control.
• Bead Failures: The connection between the tire and wheel rim breaks, causing the tire to separate from the wheel entirely and triggering immediate loss of control.
• Blowouts: Explosive tire bursts eject rubber debris across the roadway. The following drivers may strike this debris and lose control, creating multi‑vehicle collisions.
• Weak Spot Failures: Defective design or manufacturing leaves areas of inadequate structural integrity. These weak points eventually fail under normal driving conditions, leading to sudden blowouts.

Who Can Be Held Liable for a Defective Tire Accident in South Carolina

Building a successful defective tire claim in South Carolina often requires identifying multiple potentially liable parties. The specific parties depend on the cause of the tire failure and the role each played in the chain of distribution.

• Tire Manufacturers: Tire manufacturers bear primary responsibility when a tire has a design defect or manufacturing defect. South Carolina applies strict liability in product liability cases. This means you do not need to prove the manufacturer was negligent, only that the tire was defective when it left the manufacturer’s control and that the defect caused your injury.
• Tire Retailers and Dealers: Retailers and sellers in the chain of distribution are subject to strict liability in South Carolina. Liability may arise if they sold a recalled tire without disclosure, sold old or damaged tires misrepresented as new, or continued selling a tire they knew or should have known was defective.
• Vehicle Manufacturers: Vehicle Manufacturers may share liability if they designed the vehicle in a way that placed excessive stress on the tires, selected inadequate tires as original equipment, or failed to provide adequate warnings about tire-specific risks for that vehicle model.
• Trucking Companies: Trucking Companies and Fleet Operators can be held liable under a negligence theory if they failed to properly inspect, maintain, or replace tires, ignored recall notices, or failed to follow proper tire inflation and rotation schedules.

South Carolina’s product liability law is rooted in both statutory and common law principles. Because multiple parties can be held responsible, experienced legal representation is essential to identify all potential defendants and preserve evidence against each.

How to Prove a Tire Defect Caused Your Lexington Accident

Proving that a defective tire caused your accident in South Carolina requires prompt action, thorough investigation, and expert analysis. This is why contacting an experienced Lexington car accident attorney immediately after the crash is critical.

Preservation of the Tire

The failed tire is the single most important piece of evidence in your case. It must be preserved in its exact post-accident condition. Many victims lose their ability to prove a defect when the vehicle is repaired or sent to a salvage yard before an attorney can secure the tire. Once the tire is destroyed or altered, it becomes extremely difficult, and sometimes impossible, to prove a manufacturing defect, design defect, or other failure.

Expert Analysis

Your Lexington Defective Tire attorney will arrange for the tire to be examined by qualified tire engineers and forensic experts who specialize in tire failure analysis. These experts inspect the tread, sidewalls, bead area, and internal construction to determine whether the failure resulted from a manufacturing defect, a design flaw, an improper repair, or another issue.

Accident reconstruction experts may also analyze the vehicle, roadway, and crash dynamics to establish that the tire failure was the direct cause of the loss of control and resulting collision.

Supporting Evidence

• Comprehensive medical records documenting your injuries and linking them to the crash
• Photographs and video of the accident scene and vehicle damage
• Federal records from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) regarding recalls or known issues with the tire model
• Maintenance and service records showing prior problems or complaints about the tire

South Carolina law allows victims to pursue compensation against tire manufacturers, distributors, and retailers under theories of strict product liability, negligence, and breach of warranty. Prompt preservation of the tire and other physical evidence is essential to successfully proving your case.

Statute of Limitations for Defective Tire Claims in Lexington, South Carolina

South Carolina law generally allows a personal injury lawsuit to be filed within 3 years of the accident. However, this deadline is absolute. Missing it permanently bars you from pursuing compensation in court. When wrongful death occurs, the statute of limitations begins at the date of death. It’s critical to hire an attorney well before the deadline to ensure your case is filed properly.

Visit Our Car Accident Lawyers for Defective Tire Claims in Lexington, SC

Contact Stewart Law Offices for Your Defective Tire Claim

You shouldn’t have to suffer permanent injuries and financial hardship because a tire manufacturer cut corners on safety. If a defective tire caused your accident in Lexington County, contact Stewart Law Offices today. Attorney Stephen Vicari and our experienced team will pursue every avenue to hold the responsible parties accountable and secure the maximum compensation you deserve.

Call (803) 520-0003 or contact us online to schedule your free consultation. We handle defective tire cases on a contingency basis, meaning you pay no attorney fees unless we win your case. Time is critical in preserving tire evidence, so call today.

FAQs About Defective Tire Accidents in Lexington, SC