Jury Orders Michelin to Pay $220M After Deadly Ford Tire Failure

A New Mexico jury awarded $220 million against Michelin after a fatal Ford Excursion crash linked to a tire blowout, according to court findings. Read the case details.

A New Mexico jury has delivered one of the most significant product-liability verdicts in recent automotive history, ordering Michelin North America to pay $220 million in a wrongful-death lawsuit stemming from a fatal crash involving a Ford Excursion.

The accident occurred in 2021 on a rural highway in Gaines County, Texas. According to court findings, a catastrophic failure of the front driver-side tire caused the full-size SUV to cross into oncoming traffic, where it collided with a heavy-duty vehicle towing a trailer. The crash claimed the lives of three members of the same family: the driver’s wife, daughter, and teenage granddaughter.

Jurors assigned 100 percent of the blame to Michelin, rejecting the company’s argument that the tire had been damaged during use. At the center of the case was a Michelin LTX M/S2 tire, which plaintiffs argued contained design and manufacturing defects that led to a violent tread separation.

Although the tire was approximately seven years old at the time of the crash and had accumulated around 70,000 miles, figures commonly cited within general replacement guidelines, the jury found that these factors did not outweigh evidence presented about the tire’s condition when it left the factory. The verdict suggests that age and mileage alone were not considered sufficient explanations for the failure.

Background materials referenced during the broader discussion of tire safety highlight that rubber compounds can degrade over time regardless of visible wear. Industry guidance from both American and European organizations typically advises closer inspection after five years of service and replacement after ten years. However, in this case, the focus remained on alleged defects rather than routine aging.

Michelin has indicated that it may seek to overturn the verdict on appeal. Meanwhile, the LTX M/S2 tire line remains on the market. Legal observers note that the size of the award could influence future litigation involving automotive components, reinforcing scrutiny of long-term product performance and manufacturers’ responsibility when failures lead to fatal consequences.