The National Law Journal, "Lawsuits Over Tire-Tread Separations Gain Momentum; Tires 6 years and older, regardless of mileage, are a danger, actions allege"

          Auto accidents allegedly caused by tire-tread separations are sparking lawsuits across the country, with plaintiffs charging that tire manufacturers are selling tires without warning consumers of the potential risk when the tires get older.
          A handful of cases have settled, and about 25 lawsuits are currently pending in several states, including California, Florida, North Carolina and Texas, according to attorneys involved in tire litigation.
          The lawsuits allege that tires older than 6 years -- even if never used -- could cause fatal accidents due to the degradation of the chemical adhesive that bonds tire treads to tires.
          Attorneys for the tire industry counter that many factors could cause tires to deteriorate, and that tire-aging claims are merely a creative way for plaintiffs to present products liability cases. And not all tire-aging cases are plaintiffs' victories or settlements. One case in federal district court in Georgia resulted in a defense verdict in 2003.
          Much like the actions against the tobacco industry, the heart of the litigation against tire makers is the manufacturers' knowledge of the alleged risk of old tires, said Michael Danko of O'Reilly Collins & Danko in San Mateo, Calif. Danko is the plaintiff's counsel in two pending tire-aging cases, including Crane v. Ford Motor Co., which is scheduled to go to trial in January.
          "It's a well-settled legal precedent that a manufacturer has to warn consumers of a risk that makes its product dangerous," he asserted.