The one thing the insurer is hoping you never find out is that "just a pothole claim" can still be a defective-product case. The adjuster will tell you the spring-thaw pothole in Cambridge caused everything, that road damage is not the tire maker's problem, and that if you did not act immediately, you are out of time.

What is actually true in Massachusetts is more specific.

If a recalled tire, wheel, suspension part, or airbag failed or made your injuries worse, you may have claims against more than one party: the manufacturer, the seller/dealer, and sometimes the installer or repair shop if the part was mounted, balanced, or installed incorrectly. Massachusetts product cases are usually brought as negligence and breach of warranty claims, rather than a separate "strict liability" count.

The deadline is often 3 years for personal injury claims in Massachusetts. A warranty claim involving a defective product can also raise a separate 4-year timing rule tied to the product sale or delivery. That means you may still have time even if the insurer says the window is closed.

A recall helps, but it is not required. Check whether the part was listed by NHTSA for vehicle defects, CPSC for consumer products, or FDA for medical devices. Save the tire, wheel, damaged parts, repair invoices, tow records, recall notices, and photos of the Cambridge roadway damage. Do not let a shop throw the part away.

If this happened near Cambridge but involved a road like Storrow Drive or another Massachusetts route with repeated impact hazards, the bad road and the bad product can both matter. A pothole may explain the impact. It does not excuse a tire tread separation, bead failure, or airbag that did not deploy.