Borg-Warner Corp.: Asbestos History & Liability

About Borg-Warner Corporation

Borg-Warner Corporation was formed in 1928 through the merger of several automotive component manufacturers, including Borg & Beck Company, which had been manufacturing clutch assemblies since the early 20th century. Over the following decades, Borg-Warner grew into a major supplier of drivetrain components — clutches, automatic transmissions, torque converters, and four-wheel-drive transfer cases — to virtually every major American automaker.

In 1987, Borg-Warner underwent a leveraged buyout and was restructured. Its various divisions were reorganized, and the friction products and automotive components businesses that produced the asbestos-containing clutch facings continued under successor entities. Today the company operates as BorgWarner Inc., a publicly traded global automotive supplier headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, focused on powertrain systems for combustion and electric vehicles.

Despite decades of corporate restructuring, BorgWarner has never sought bankruptcy protection from its asbestos liabilities. It continues to be named as a defendant in asbestos personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits filed by former mechanics and industrial workers across the United States.

Borg-Warner Asbestos Products: Clutch Facings and Friction Materials

The primary asbestos products manufactured by Borg-Warner were clutch facings — the circular friction discs that form the core of a manual transmission clutch assembly. In a manual transmission vehicle, the clutch facing is pressed against the engine flywheel by a spring-loaded pressure plate. Every engagement and disengagement of the clutch pedal creates friction between the facing and the flywheel, gradually wearing down the facing material.

Borg-Warner's clutch facings were made with chrysotile asbestos woven into the friction material, which gave the facing its heat resistance and durability. From the 1940s through the mid-1980s, these asbestos-containing clutch facings were standard equipment in American passenger cars and light trucks and were widely used in heavy trucks, buses, farm equipment, and industrial machinery.

How Mechanics Were Exposed to Asbestos During Clutch Work

The exposure mechanism for automotive mechanics working on Borg-Warner clutch components was consistent and well-documented in industrial hygiene research. A clutch replacement is one of the most labor-intensive routine service operations on a manual transmission vehicle, and every step of the job had the potential to release asbestos fibers:

• Removing the old clutch: To access the clutch assembly, a mechanic must remove the transmission, exposing the clutch disc, pressure plate, and flywheel. By the time a clutch is worn out, the facing material has deteriorated significantly — it may be cracked, glazed, or partially disintegrated.
• Scraping the flywheel: Worn clutch facing material bonds to the flywheel surface and must be scraped off before the new clutch is installed. This scraping operation — often performed with a putty knife or wire brush — produced the heaviest asbestos fiber releases documented in automotive repair settings.
• Compressed air blow-off: Many mechanics used compressed air to blow dust from the flywheel and bell housing before installing the new parts. This practice created concentrated asbestos fiber clouds in enclosed shop bays.
• Grinding and resurfacing: Flywheels were often ground or resurfaced on a brake lathe, a process that also released asbestos fibers embedded in facing residue on the flywheel surface.
• Installing new clutch components: Even handling new asbestos-containing clutch facings — trimming them to fit or adjusting the disc — could release chrysotile fibers.

Studies conducted in the 1970s and 1980s found that airborne asbestos fiber counts during clutch removal and flywheel scraping in automotive shops routinely exceeded OSHA's permissible exposure limits. Mechanics who performed this work daily over a career of 20 or 30 years accumulated significant cumulative asbestos doses.

Occupations and Workplaces at Risk

Workers across a broad range of settings were exposed to asbestos from Borg-Warner clutch and friction products:

• Automotive mechanics at independent garages, dealerships, transmission specialty shops, and fleet maintenance facilities
• Truck and bus mechanics who serviced heavy-duty vehicles equipped with Borg-Warner clutch systems
• Farm equipment mechanics who maintained tractors and combines with asbestos clutch components
• Industrial maintenance technicians who serviced machinery equipped with Borg-Warner friction products in plants, mills, and factories
• Military vehicle mechanics — Borg-Warner supplied clutch components to U.S. military vehicles throughout the Cold War era
• Vocational and trade school students who trained on engines and drivetrain components using actual asbestos-containing parts

Secondary (take-home) exposures were also documented: family members of mechanics who laundered asbestos-contaminated work clothing could be exposed to fibers brought home on shop clothes.

Litigation Status: BorgWarner Is a Solvent Civil Defendant

BorgWarner occupies an unusual position among major asbestos defendants: it has never filed for bankruptcy and has never established an asbestos trust fund. This means that claims against BorgWarner are filed and pursued as ordinary civil tort lawsuits in state courts, rather than as administrative claims submitted to a bankruptcy trust.

For plaintiffs, there are meaningful practical differences:

• No trust submission process: You cannot file a claim online or through a trust administrator. Your claim must be pursued through an attorney who files a lawsuit in a court of competent jurisdiction.
• Full adversarial litigation: BorgWarner defends these cases actively, typically arguing that its clutch products were safe when used as directed, that adequate warnings were provided, and challenging the plaintiff's specific product identification and exposure history.
• Potential for significant verdicts: Because the cases are tried rather than resolved by a trust schedule, successful plaintiffs can pursue jury verdicts that may significantly exceed typical trust payment amounts. BorgWarner has faced substantial jury verdicts and has settled many thousands of cases over the decades.
• Multiple defendants: Asbestos lawsuits typically name many defendants based on all the products a plaintiff was exposed to. BorgWarner would be one defendant among several — which can affect overall settlement and trial strategy.

Because BorgWarner remains financially solvent and fully capable of paying judgments, claimants do not face the risk of an insolvent defendant or a depleted trust fund.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What asbestos products did Borg-Warner make? ▼

  Borg-Warner manufactured asbestos-containing clutch facings and friction products for automotive transmissions and industrial machinery. The clutch facings were made with chrysotile asbestos woven into the facing material, giving them heat resistance and durability. These products were used in passenger cars, trucks, farm equipment, and industrial machinery from the 1940s through the mid-1980s. Borg-Warner also produced torque converters and transmission components that incorporated asbestos friction materials.

• Is there a Borg-Warner asbestos trust fund? ▼

  No. Unlike many asbestos defendants that filed for bankruptcy and established Section 524(g) trusts, BorgWarner Inc. remains a solvent, publicly traded company. Asbestos claims against Borg-Warner are filed as civil tort lawsuits in state courts rather than as trust fund claims. BorgWarner is an active defendant in asbestos litigation and continues to defend and settle cases through the court system.

• Who was exposed to asbestos from Borg-Warner clutch products? ▼

  Automotive mechanics who performed clutch replacement and transmission service were the primary population exposed to Borg-Warner asbestos products. Removing a worn clutch assembly — which involves scraping away deteriorated facing material from the flywheel — released clouds of chrysotile asbestos dust. Mechanics at automotive shops, dealerships, garages, and fleet maintenance facilities were exposed throughout their careers. Industrial maintenance workers who serviced machinery with Borg-Warner friction components were also at significant risk.

• How do I file an asbestos lawsuit against Borg-Warner? ▼

  Because BorgWarner is solvent and has not established an asbestos trust, claims are filed as civil lawsuits in state court. An asbestos plaintiff's attorney will name BorgWarner as one of multiple defendants based on the specific products you were exposed to. Cases proceed through discovery, depositions, and either settlement or trial. BorgWarner has settled large numbers of cases and faced substantial verdicts. Statutes of limitations vary by state — typically 1 to 3 years from diagnosis — so consulting an attorney as soon as possible after a mesothelioma diagnosis is critical.

• Does working around brakes as well as clutches increase my asbestos claim? ▼

  Yes. Most automotive mechanics who performed clutch work also performed brake service, which involved its own set of asbestos-containing products from other manufacturers (Bendix/Honeywell, Raybestos-Manhattan, and others). The cumulative nature of asbestos exposure means that every source contributes to your overall dose. Your attorney will identify all the product manufacturers whose asbestos-containing products you worked with and will name the appropriate defendants — or submit claims to the appropriate trusts — for each one. A higher total exposure history generally supports a stronger case for damages.