If you’re looking for some explanation for why your tire may look like it has a bubble, you’ve come to the right place. While car tires are very robust and can last quite a long time, there are some things that can happen to them that should be addressed immediately. One of the worst things that can happen to a tire, and the driver, is a blowout. Read on for information on one of the causes for a blowout…tire bubbles.
Vehicle tires today are manufactured to resist a number of road imperfections, and designed to survive for thousands of miles before needing to be replaced. They won’t, however, always survive from major impacts.
An impact is when a vehicle’s tire strikes an object that wasn’t intended to be driven into or over. The impact can be due to a pothole in the road, a speedbump, debris on the road, or even a curb or railroad crossing. While some of these impacts may not at first seem serious, they can cause major problems for a drive down the road if left unattended.
After your tire impacts something of concern, there is a possibility that the sidewall of the tire can be damaged externally.
Internally, there is also potential for the tire to become pinched or have the interior liner be punctured due to the concentrated force caused by the impact.
Consequently, these types of defects can lead to what appears to be a bubble on the outer sidewall, on occasion. If not addressed, these types of bubbles can lead to a tire blowout.
Tire blowouts can cause major damage to vehicles during the blowout, as well as cause serious accidents and injuries.
So, what do you do if you discover one of these defects on your tire? Can you continue to drive it safely?
Unfortunately, this type of failure cannot be repaired due to the structural damage the tire received from an impact.
The first thing you should do is swap the tire out for a spare until you can get it evaluated.
If you don’t have a spare handy, you may need to call a tow truck to have it taken to a shop that can do tire/wheel work.
If you wish to not have the tire replaced right away, you run the risk of the tire failing at any time.
Once the shop has a chance to take a look at both the tire and the wheel it’s mounted to, you’ll have a better idea as to what caused the malfunction. There is a possibility you may have to replace the wheel as well, depending on the extent of the damage received.
You might not have noticed a specific impact that could have been the culprit, but a professional will be able to provide some educated insight. Less frequently, is a manufacturing defect that caused the tire bubble. In this case, you may be reimbursed for damages and should contact your insurance company to ensure everything gets handled appropriately.
Hopefully the seriousness of a tire bubble has been addressed here, and the proper road to correction has been detailed enough. Safe travels, and watch out for those potholes!
