The amount of tread left on a tire has absolutely no bearing on whether or not it’s any good. An 8 year old tire with 0 miles on it is still garbage. Rubber oxidizes, it deteriorates just sitting around.
This. Tires now are not the same as tires from the 70’s. Or the 80’s. Or even the 90’s. Compounds have been greatly improved in terms of performance, and those changes in compounds and composition mean they don’t age like they did 30 years ago. Better performance, shorter lifespan.
Again, the amount of tread has no bearing on condition.
If you treated all your tires the same and there was no “event” that caused the blowout, the only rational conclusion you can make is that the other 3 tires are in exactly the same condition as the one that came apart. Meaning, they’re all garbage just waiting to fail.
Remember the Firestone recall that’s now decades back? Tire date stamping was improved after that to better track tire age, because it was literally killing people. In explorers no less.
The 7 year tire life expectancy is a money related deal, absolutely, but not like most people think as a gimmick to sell more tires. After that, the lawsuits and payouts to family members exceed what the tire companies and car manufacturers want to pay. It’s a liability issue, not a sales tactic. That’s also why some car manufacturers will tell you 6 years, a few of the car manufacturers are even going shorter than the tire manufacturers are. It’s lawsuits, not tire sales.
And if your tire shop will sell you a single tire, they’re sketchy as hell. No reputable tire shop should sell you less than a pair. And if they get that car in and see the age of the tires, they shouldn’t sell you less than 4, or let you leave without buying tires or signing a waiver. Sending your customers out on outdated tires, one of which has already failed, isn’t good service.