The failure could be from a number of issues and likely will never be accurately diagnosed. Maxxis tires are warranted for 5 years so you may have some recourse. I have run them for 6 years before without issue. All tires have limitations and are subject to damage/road hazards under the right circumstances. They are still the best ST tires I have owned by far and even when the tire failed it did not explode. I knocked a chunk of rubber from a sidewall on a Maxxis tire to the point you could see the inner belt on a broken concrete curb and travelled another 180 miles without a complete failure. My experience is not without support from other Maxxis owners who have had very good results vs other brands.