Can't blame GM. Only fair answer to that question would be modified.

I'm not blaming GM. I'm also not celebrating that the people in the Kia could've been killed.

Screw it...I'm blaming GM. It makes me feel good.

I think any and all wheel bearing failure is usually accompanied with miles and miles of some kind of "that's not normal" sound. That thing had probably been howling for months before it finally came apart.

A friend suggested it might have been a bad wheel spacer. Those tires do look like they were sitting wider then factory wheels would sit so maybe a defective after market wheel that failed?

It looks like the rotor is still attached to the wheel. I think that suggests bearing failure.

The rotor is clearly on the wheel. Im sure it will be looked at under a microscope due to the extreme accident.

Yea, were sorta joking about it. But its after the fact and we did not cause it.

The factory big tire chevy trucks do not place the wheel out that far as on this truck. Owner modified, tire shop modified?

That truck would be illegal with the tires sticking out like that in my state.

Truck is probably illegal in most states since the tires stick out so much. Either lots of offset on the wheels or big wheel spacers. If I was investigating the accident I'd start with the assumption that the aftermarket parts caused the failure which caused the accident and then work from there. Seems the most likely explanation to me.

It appears the side impact airbags were already deployed while it was in the air.

I have to wonder did the impact trigger it or did the car figure out it was off the ground and expected a rollover?

I don't work on the airbag systems but I didn't expect them sides to deploy from what was effectively a front end collision when they deployed.

I can say some of the new stuff is pretty tuff, easy to total, but the structure is tough. I broke 1/4" drill bits installing a left hand gas pedal in a Subaru Just drilling trough the floor pan. Not the structure just the approx 18 gauge (less than 1/16") pan. Crazy hard and took forever to drill.

I would suspect that as soon as the KIA had contact with the tire and went airborne, the air bag sensors detected the the vehicle was out of what would be considered a "normal plain" and would go off. I'm sure that once the frontal bags deployed (impact with the tire) all the other air bag sensors were activated to determine if the vehicle had left the "normal" plane. I doubt nose straight up would have been considered as "normal", and for sure, nose down, rear up, and then upside down wasn't normal.

As for the roof structure, I question the model year for the roof reinforcement. Somewhere around 75 I bought a 72 2 door Plymouth Satellite. Within a few months of that purchase I saw a string of 3 or 5 71 & 72 Satellites or Road Runners that had been put on their roofs. I went and looked at every one of them. I know at least two just sort of flopped over on the roof from going into a ditch. All of them had the top windshield header smashed down against the steering wheel. I remember having a less then favorable opinion of the roof structure of that 2 door body style. Fortunately, my car never had that experience.

I drive that stretch of the 118 fwy at DeSoto exit about once a week.

Those trucks with over sized heavy rims kill braking performance and longevity too.

IMHO when it's that jacked up in the air, they should require mud flaps in the back to avoid throwing rocks that damage other vehicles.

I wouldn't, and don't , call that little econ box a SUV

Are you questioning bigdad?

No questions, just the facts, Jack

Cab it is a SUV....... STUPID USELESS VEHICLE=SUV

HAHAHAHAHA !! i have called them that as well for a long time as well !

Good thing that wasn't a convertible.

All these things are equipped with lateral sensors, yaw sensors as well as impact sensors. ALL the modules in that car were well aware it was off it's intended path(drastically) and therefor deployed the bags....as it should!