Plaintiffs alleged in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation that they were exposed to asbestos while working at Studebaker Corporation plants in Indiana. This page documents the Indiana portion of Studebaker Corporation’s multi-state operations. For the full corporate summary and plants in other states, see the Studebaker Corporation manufacturer page.
Product and Premises Description
Studebaker Corporation (founded 1852 in South Bend Indiana as a wagon-building partnership; incorporated Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing Company; entered automobile manufacturing 1902; merged with Packard 1954 as Studebaker-Packard; U.S. automobile production ceased 1963 with the closure of the South Bend plant; Canadian production continued to 1966) was through the first half of the 20th century one of the principal independent U.S. automobile manufacturers, producing passenger cars, light trucks, and — during World War II — military vehicles and Wright R-1820 Cyclone aircraft engines.
Product-vector pathways Plaintiffs alleged in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation:
Asbestos brake linings on Studebaker passenger-car and light-truck brake shoes supplied by Bendix, Raybestos, Abex, and other OEM friction manufacturers
Asbestos clutch facings on Studebaker manual transmissions
Asbestos exhaust manifold gaskets and heat shields on Studebaker engines
Asbestos undercoating and body deadener on Studebaker vehicles
Premises-vector pathways at the South Bend manufacturing complex, which at its peak spanned more than 200 acres and included assembly buildings, the Studebaker Foundry, engine plant, body plant, and proving grounds:
Asbestos pipe covering on plant steam, process, and heating piping
Asbestos refractory in foundry cupolas, core ovens, and heat-treat furnaces
Asbestos block insulation on plant boilers and industrial ovens
Asbestos gaskets and packing at process equipment
Asbestos electrical insulation on plant motor and switchgear systems
Studebaker Corporation (and its successors in liability) has been named as a Manufacturer Defendant and Premises Defendant in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation.
Workers Exposed
UAW Local members at Studebaker South Bend assembly, foundry, and engine plants
Auto mechanics servicing Studebaker brake linings, clutches, and engine gaskets
Brake mechanics working Studebaker vehicle brake systems
Foundry workers at the Studebaker South Bend foundry
Insulators (HFIAW Local members) on Studebaker construction and turnaround crews
Construction-trade workforces on Studebaker capital projects
If You Worked With Studebaker Vehicles or at a Studebaker Plant
If you worked with Studebaker brake linings, clutches, or engine gaskets during the asbestos era — or worked at the Studebaker South Bend manufacturing complex — as an employee or as a dispatched contractor trade worker — and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, or another asbestos-related illness, you may have legal rights.
Occupational and premises asbestos exposure like this is a leading cause of mesothelioma, often diagnosed decades later. If you or a family member worked here:
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Firsthand Accounts from the Trades
Did you work at Studebaker Corporation? Add your account.
Records show what a plant was. They don't show what the work was like. If you
were sent there — insulation, pipe, boilers, sheet metal, electrical, laborer — tell us what you
remember: which units or buildings, what you handled, what came down during an outage. Every account
helps another worker or a family understand where exposure happened, and where to look next.
About these accounts: they are personal recollections shared by
workers and their families — individual memory, not records, and not independently verified.
The site history and documented exposure record on this page come from public and regulatory sources.
These accounts sit alongside that record — they add to it, they don't change it.
What asbestos exposure pathways are associated with Studebaker Corporation?
Pathways in this report refer to commonly used asbestos-containing material systems at industrial facilities that may contribute to exposure practices, fiber transfer, and deposition. Activities include maintenance, repair, overhaul, and demolition across these systems.
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Facility History
Operations established during the high-use era of asbestos specification
Demolition, renovation notifications, and certification activity
1990s–Present
Level 1B
Supports material category documentation and trade activity
OSHA / EPA RecordsFederal
Inspections, enforcement, compliance, and regulatory publications
1970s–Present
Level 1B
Includes regulatory records relevant to facility activity and material use
Facility RecordsPrimary
Plant records, permits, reports, and facility specifications
Construction–Present
Level 4
Publicly available facility records and historical documents
If you've been diagnosed with mesothelioma or an asbestos-related disease and worked at Studebaker Corporation, you may have legal rights.
A free, confidential consultation with a licensed attorney costs nothing. O'Brien Law Firm works with attorneys with experience handling asbestos and mesothelioma claims in Indiana — no fees unless we pursue a legal claim for you. Speak with an asbestos and mesothelioma attorney with experience in Indiana ›
O'Brien Law Firm · Attorneys with experience working in Indiana
General Equipment Walkthrough
Equipment systems documented or commonly present at Studebaker Corporation. Each link opens a research crosswalk on AsbestosIndex with manufacturer, trust-fund, and product history.
Equipment list drawn from public litigation records, EPA / state DNR filings, and facility-type defaults. Specific product identification depends on facility records and witness testimony.
Is Studebaker Corporation — Indiana Plant Asbestos Exposure documented in asbestos litigation records?
Yes. Studebaker Corporation — Indiana Plant Asbestos Exposure is documented in public asbestos litigation records, EPA NESHAP filings, OSHA inspection logs, and/or state regulatory databases. Workers at industrial facilities of this era routinely encountered asbestos-containing materials in pipe insulation, gaskets, packing, boiler block, refractory products, floor and ceiling tiles, and electrical components.
Which workers had the highest asbestos exposure at Studebaker Corporation — Indiana Plant Asbestos Exposure?
Trades with documented asbestos exposure at industrial facilities include pipefitters, insulators (laggers), boilermakers, millwrights, electricians, welders, sheet-metal workers, plumbers, carpenters, machinists, painters, and general laborers. Maintenance crews, refractory bricklayers, and shutdown contractors often had the most concentrated exposure during overhaul and tear-out work.
What asbestos products did workers handle at Studebaker Corporation — Indiana Plant Asbestos Exposure?
Asbestos-containing products commonly documented at industrial facilities of this era include thermal pipe lagging and block insulation (steam lines, valves, boilers), asbestos cement, refractory brick and burner-front gun-block, gaskets and braided packing (valves, pumps, flanges), boiler-tube insulation and lagging, vinyl asbestos floor tile, acoustic ceiling tile, and asbestos-containing transite board. Specific product manufacturers are catalogued at AsbestosIndex.
Is there a deadline to file an asbestos claim in Indiana?
Indiana law gives 2 years from the date of medical diagnosis to file a personal-injury asbestos lawsuit. Wrongful-death claims must be filed within 2 years from the date of death. The two deadlines run on separate tracks. The personal-injury clock starts at diagnosis, not at exposure — mesothelioma latency is typically 20 to 50 years.
Who else besides Studebaker Corporation — Indiana Plant Asbestos Exposure workers may have been exposed?
Yes. Spouses who laundered work clothing carrying asbestos fibers and children of workers who returned home covered in dust are recognized in Indiana asbestos litigation as eligible for secondary (household) exposure claims when they have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease. Wrongful-death claims may be filed by surviving family members.
Can workers file both a civil suit and trust-fund claims?
Yes — more than 60 asbestos bankruptcy trusts hold combined funds set aside specifically for victims of asbestos-related disease. Trust-fund claims and civil lawsuits run on separate tracks; both can be pursued in parallel. Each trust has its own filing requirements, exposure criteria, and processing timeline.
Disclaimer: The information in this article is for general educational purposes only and does not constitute medical or legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is created by reading this site. References to companies, products, and facilities are drawn from public asbestos litigation records, court filings, and regulatory databases. Consult a licensed physician for medical guidance and a qualified attorney for legal advice regarding your specific situation.
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