Complete Guide To Tire Warranties – Are Your Tires Covered?

If you’ve ever bought a new item from a store, two of the many questions you’ll ask are: “does it have a warranty?” and “what is the coverage plan?”

These questions are important to help you know more about the product you are buying. And that if it damages, you can be protected.

Warranty claim also applies to cars. However, you may ask: “Are tires covered under any warranty?”

The answer is: Yes, but by tiremakers. And you are about to find out in this article.

How do tire warranties work?

Before you purchase a new car, there are many things you will have to consider. One of them is to know the things that would be covered under warranty.

More often than not, tire warranties are provided by manufacturers so that you can replace damaged tires under certain circumstances.

Ideally, a new car tire has over 36,000-mileage warranty provided by the tire manufacturer. This warranty, however, covers only manufacturing defects.

That means, if you are responsible for car tire damage, you won’t get wear and tear or road hazard warranties.

It is also a factor that describes how long a tire is expected to last.

What does a tire manufacturer warranty cover?

If you have your tires properly inflated or rotated according to a manufacturer’s guidelines and it damages, then the tire manufacturer would cover it. 

However, you will have to provide shreds of evidence that you did according to what was instructed.

Types tire warranties 

There are different things a tire manufacturer’s warranty covers. They include:

Mileage or Tread Life

The commonest type of tire coverage offered by most tire manufacturers is the Mileage or Tread Life warranty.

As a car owner, you will be compensated if there are defects after following the guidelines provided by a tire brand regarding tire inflations, tire rotations, and wheel alignment.

That means, if your tire reaches the last 2/3 inches of tread depth before the time allotted, you can get a tread life warranty claim.

Tread life warranties’ coverage is often between five to six years for most tire manufacturers.

More so, tire tread life warranties only apply to original tires or vehicle owners.

Workmanship and Materials

Also, tire manufacturers offer workmanship and materials warranty to protect car owners from problems developed as a result of poor materials used in the manufacturing process within the first year of purchase.

You will be able to claim a workmanship and materials warranty if there are issues like excessive vibration, ride disturbance, tire tread separation, and irregular wear.

The tire company provides you with a replacement if any of these ever happens.

Uniformity Warranty

There are also situations where your tire may go out of shape; when that happens, you can claim a uniformity warranty.

Your tire may not be round for different reasons. It could be due to road hazards, accidents, or poor tire maintenance.

However, you will only get a uniformity warranty for a single tire.

Trial Period or Test Drive

Most manufacturers offer a Trial Period Warranty that allows car owners to get a full refund or replacements if their new set of tires is damaged or experiences premature wear within a 30 to 45-day trial period.

Road Hazard

Another warranty claim you can get as a vehicle owner is for Road Hazard.

Road hazards are inevitable but if you ever get in a situation where your tires cannot be repaired because they were destroyed by potholes or sharp objects.

However, you have to get this coverage from car dealerships registered with tire manufacturers providing warranties like these within a particular period.

How to get tires replaced under warranty?

If you want to get tires replaced using warranties, you should know that it is only provided by the tiremaker.

Even if the tires are from a brand new car, you won’t get coverage from the vehicle brand.

That being said, you may have to visit the nearest tire brand’s store around you, a tire shop, OR visit car dealerships registered with the tire company to provide warranties and roadside assistance.

How do tire mileage warranties work?

Before tire purchase, you need to consider reviewing the warranties covered by the tire manufacturer.

For tire mileage warranty coverage, you must have experienced problems with your car tires when changing them.

However, it must have only happened after you followed everything the tire company instructed you to do.

You must be able to provide evidence that your tires were treated exactly how it was instructed for normal driving conditions.

How do I keep my tire mileage warranty in good standing?

You can get a tire manufacturer’s special warranty if you can do the necessary things and meet certain requirements.

  1. Ensure to make sure your wheels are properly aligned. If your wheels are misaligned, it could void the coverage plan and you would have to cover the cost yourself.
  2. Ensure to keep tires properly inflated regularly and follow the guidelines on how to maintain recommended tire pressure.
  3. Constantly keep your tires rotated by following tire manufacturer’s guidelines. Tire rotations are important to tire life.
  4. Lastly, ensure to keep the original receipt of your tire purchase. You will have to provide it when you want to claim a replacement or refund.

Tires with road hazard warranties

If you’ve bought a new vehicle, your mindset could be to check the new car warranty coverage; however, you should also check the tire protection plan.

The reason is so that when you experience tire defects, especially one with road hazards, you can get coverage.

For limited road hazard warranty, Continental, Hankook, Nexen, Bridgestone, and Kumho are the best companies you should see.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Toyota warranty cover flat tires?

Yes, it does.

According to ToyotaCare, the company provides 24-hour roadside assistance. That means you never have to worry a day about tire repair.

So, if you need flat tire changing assistance, you should count on this tire company to help.

For flat tire changing assistance amongst other things, such as fluid delivery, towing, and jump starting, contact 1-800-444-4195.

Does Honda warranty cover tires?

No, it doesn’t.

When you buy a new car – say, a Honda car, you only get warranties for the car and not the tires.

Ideally, every Honda car is covered for its 12V battery, and 3-year or 36,000-miles performance. However, the tires are warranted separately.

The only circumstance where most tires from Honda could be warranted is if they were purchased under specific extra coverage.

Does tire warranty cover nails?

Yes, it does.

Sometimes, improper maintenance isn’t the only thing that gets your tires destroyed; there are other inevitables like nails and potholes classified as road hazards.

To ease you from the liability, some tire companies provide road hazard warranties for situations like this.

You can also get road hazard coverage from third-party insurance organizations.

Are tires warranted on new cars?

No, they are not.

If you have a new car, you don’t get coverage for the tires when they are damaged.

Most car manufacturers offer a limited warranty on specific parts but not the tires. Therefore, if you have a problem with the tires, you would have to contact the tiremaker.

How Long Should A New Car Tire Last?

It should last up to 50,000 miles.

Most manufacturers often hope that their tires undergo normal wear for satisfaction guarantee; however, this may not be so in all conditions.

Unfortunately, car tire wear may be influenced by certain factors.

Thus, in a situation like this, some tiremakers provide a tire warranty plan for their customers.

Final Thoughts – Is A Tire Warranty Worth It?

Yes, a tire warranty is worth it.

Warranties come in different types, depending on the circumstances surrounding the defect.

If you plan to get high performance tires from high-performance any brand, the tire warranty is an important detail to check before you decide to buy them.

And even though most winter tires are covered with special warranties, you should still check.

Overall, your entire safety depends on quality tires; hence, you should get good ones from the best tire companies in the industry. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dean Alvarez, TireForge Head Author

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