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Posted in Products Liability Blog

Fatal rollover crash blamed on defective tire valve stem, recall announced

July 8th, 2008 by John Simon

A lawsuit claiming that a cracked stem on a tire valve led to a fatal rollover crash has triggered a federal investigation and the recall of six million valve stems, Lawyers Weekly USA reports.

In “Defective tire valve sparks suit,” reporter Nora Lockwood Tooher writes that up to 36 million of the allegedly defective tire stems were made in China by Shanghai Baolong Automotive Corp. between July 2006 and November 2006.

It is claimed that the allegedly defective tire stem led to the death of Robert Monk. Last November, Monk was driving his 1998 Ford Explorer when the right rear tire failed and led to a rollover crash.

Dill Air Control Products, a U.S. distributor of the tire stem, was named as a defendant in the lawsuit. Dill notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of the problem after it was sued. The NHTSA opened up an investigation of the matter on May 15.

In May, Dill issued an advisory bulletin to tire retailers asking them to return all valve stems made in 2006 and to inspect valve stems installed from September 2006 through June 2007. The bulletin warns of surface cracks near the rim hole. The bulletin states:

“High speeds and an unsupportive rim profile allow the rubber valve to flex at a greater angle and may cause these cracks to propagate, leading to a slow leak of air.”

Another U.S. distributor of the tire stems, Tech International, announced a recall of six million valve stems on May 23.

Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to trace the tire stems once they leave the distributor’s warehouse.

If you have been injured or a loved on has been injured or killed in an SUV rollover accident, contact John G. Simon toll free at 1-877-767-3108.

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