Outer Limits 4x4 Board

I found this while cruising the net the other day. Might be of some interest
to those people on BFG Tyres.


Jury Hits MNA for $12 Million in Tyre Case
A Texas jury returned a $12 million judgment against Michelin North America, finding that a manufacturing flaw “substantially contributed” to a 31 December 2006 crash that killed six and left a 12-year-old boy paralysed. The Willacy County, Texas, jury awarded the plaintiffs $11.96 million, ruling that a BFGoodrich brand tire failed due to manufacturing errors, causing the 2002 Ford F-250 pickup truck the victims were riding in to swerve into oncoming traffic and crash head-on into a Chevrolet Suburban. “The jury found that broken air conditioners and leaky roofs cause moisture to get on tires, which led to this tread- belt separation,” Mikal Watts, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said. “We are grateful the jury saw the evidence as it was. There was a manufacturing defect in this tire, and Michelin needed to pay for the damage it caused.

That's a small fine for six dead and one paralysed

“The jury found that broken air conditioners and leaky roofs cause moisture to get on tires, which led to this tread- belt separation,” ???

Dont get this bit unless it relates to the factory of manufacture..?

Bazzle

bazzle wrote:“The jury found that broken air conditioners and leaky roofs cause moisture to get on tires, which led to this tread- belt separation,” ???

Dont get this bit unless it relates to the factory of manufacture..?

Bazzle

yep

Hmmm, seems kinda weird they attributed air con condensate and water from the roof too cause tyre seperation. Why didn't they blame general weather conditions?

Why not sue Ford for the leaky air con as well?

TheOtherLeft wrote:Hmmm, seems kinda weird they attributed air con condensate and water from the roof too cause tyre seperation. Why didn't they blame general weather conditions?

Why not sue Ford for the leaky air con as well?

The leaks were in the factory. I guess the tyre had moisture trapped inside when manufactured...

dogbreath_48 wrote:

TheOtherLeft wrote:Hmmm, seems kinda weird they attributed air con condensate and water from the roof too cause tyre seperation. Why didn't they blame general weather conditions?

Why not sue Ford for the leaky air con as well?

The leaks were in the factory. I guess the tyre had moisture trapped inside when manufactured...

Oh OK gotcha. Makes sense now.

Tyres are manufactured in a climate controlled enviroment, so any kind of moisture during manufacture would have caused the belts to rust.
This rusting would have caused the bonds between the belts and rubber to deteriorate quite rapidly, this would have definitely led to the separation.

It works in the same manner as a puncture, once any moisture or outer elements get into the belts, rusting of the belts can occur which can eventually lead to separation.

Not $12 Million, but $11.96 million...