Defects Associated With Rollover Accidents

Car and SUV rollover accidents can happen in several different ways. Some rollover accidents are the result of the unavoidable forces of inertia that are involved in any serious car accident or truck accident. However, the majority of vehicle rollover accidents are caused by design or manufacturing defects that affect the stability and safety of a vehicle. This is especially true with regard to Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) and pickup trucks.

Since SUVs and pickup trucks account for the majority of rollover accident injuries and deaths in the United States, approximately 54 percent, we will largely focus our discussion on the defects that plague those vehicles. However, many of the defects we will address below, such as defective tires, air bags and seat belts, also frequently occur in cars and can lead to the same devastating consequences if a car rolls over in an accident. Further, the principles of industry accountability and design and safety engineering addressed herein with regard to SUVs and pickups apply equally to other passenger vehicles.

The most common vehicle design and manufacturing defects associated with rollover accidents include lack of vehicle stability, defective tires, defectively weak roofs and component part failures that reduce a vehicle’s crashworthiness such as defective seat belts and air bags. Stability problems and defective tires can directly cause a vehicle rollover accident while the other defects noted generally increase the severity of the accident and subsequent injuries.