Is your tire tread worn down? Has a nail embedded itself into your tire? Are you noticing cracks in your sidewalls? It’s understandable that the next question on your mind would be, “Are tires covered under warranty or extended warranty?”
With tires costing upwards of $200, you’ve found yourself in the right place. Here, we’ll discuss how tire warranties work, the pros and cons, and a superior option to keep you on the road and on your way.
Are Tires Covered Under Warranty?
While new vehicles include a “bumper to bumper” manufacturer’s warranty, they cover only the first few years or a specific number of miles for the vehicle itself. Salesmen will also push you to purchase an extended warranty. Often you’ve already taken care of the immediate issues through the manufacturer’s warranty, therefore not having issues again until after the extended warranty has expired, rendering it useless.
You may that that the dealership includes a tire warranty, usually found in a booklet in your glove compartment; but that warranty comes from the tire maker. Most do not cover normal wear and tear or road hazard damage, but instead premature wear or manufacturing defects. You also need to be able to prove you’ve properly inflated and rotated your tires according to their guidelines.
If you have bought a used car, dealerships usually only provide a limited warranty without any coverage for items that wear with time, like tires. Also, an extended warranty isn’t recommended, in general, for a used car.
So, while there may be a basic warranty that comes with a newly purchased vehicle, the tires are under warranty from the tire manufacturer themselves.
Are There Specific Tire Warranties?
Yes, there are! A few different types of warranties that tire manufacturers offer are:
- Road Mileage/Tread Life
- Road Hazard
- Workmanship & Materials
- Uniformity
- Trial Periods
Road milage lasts a few years from the date you purchased, depending on the manufacturer. This means you can expect a particular amount of miles from your tires before needing to replace them. Again, this comes with many stipulations, including even wear on all tires.
Road hazard is offered by a few manufacturers for a limited, one year, time. The tire also cannot be repairable or it may not qualify.
Workmanship & materials will protect you from manufacturing or material issues that arise within five or six years from your purchase date.
Uniformity, like road hazard, is a one-year limited warranty. It covers excessive vibration and ride disturbance, but it’s extremely rare.
The trial period is exactly what it sounds like. Some manufacturers allow you to test drive their tires for around thirty to ninety days. If you’re not satisfied, you can return them for a different set or possibly a full refund.
There may be more that are specific to the manufacturer and dependent on the brand. However, these are the most common ones.
What Do These Tire Warranties Cover?
All of the above options listed include a lot of rules and red tape. Let’s delve a little deeper and take a look at some of those.
Road Mileage/Tread
It was mentioned that the road mileage/tread life warranty has many stipulations. Since that is the most common basic tire warranty, let’s get into those.
In order to be eligible for a road milage/tread life warranty, which is a basic manufacturer warranty, the tires have to be evenly worn to the legal regulation. That means all four tires have 2/32 of an inch tread left.
Additional proof is needed that the tires were properly cared for. Owners need to keep receipts of all tire rotations and maintenance, as well as, the original date of purchase receipt. Even then, the warranty may not cover the full cost of replacement, but the difference in wear in miles instead.
Road Hazard
Road hazard warranties also have some caveats. These damages have to be non-negligent driving. It will cover the cost of damage to a tire from driving over broken glass, nails, or other debris. It will not cover the cost of driver errors like hitting curbs or under-inflating tires.
When you’re looking at $10-$20 for a punctured tire, $6 if you do it yourself, paying $80 for a year of road hazard warranty may not make much sense for you.
Workmanship & Materials
Even a lifetime warranty such as the workmanship & materials has its exceptions. If there was an issue in the manufacturing process or the material, the tires would be eligible for replacement. You just have to prove that the issue was because of the product itself.
That would be a prorated cost for a set of new tires. It wouldn’t be covered completely unless the tread is still above 2/32 inches.
Uniformity
As mentioned previously, uniformity warranty issues are very rare. It does cover issues with balance and vibration. However, two or more tires need a code from the manufacturer to file a claim.
Manufacturers are going to be very stingy with this uniformity claim since it is so rare. They may only approve one or two tires.
All of these warranties can be voided with improper maintenance or general abuse of the vehicle. If you plan on trying to collect on your warranty, make sure you are prepared by having kept the receipts.
Pros & Cons
Let’s take a look at what you can expect from tire warranties. It’s not all bad, but it’s not all good.
Pros:
- Sometimes free and comes with the car/tires
- Will completely replace manufacturer defected tires
- Can reduce the expense of damaged tires
- Can cover the complete cost of replacement tires
- Gives some peace of mind
Cons:
- A lot of loopholes and requirements (tire wear, time-sensitive, etc)
- May charge a percentage of the price of the tire
- Record keeping of receipts for maintenance
- May have to be serviced at original place of purchase
- Sometimes cover only repair
It is important to note that a number of cons were combined to form the first one. Up to this point, you’ve been able to read the breakdowns of why some of these warranties may not be beneficial. It’s up to you to decide!
Treads Option
Why not bypass warranties altogether? The manufacturers put you through the hassle of proving x,y, and z about how and why your tires need replacing. Treads provide you with maintenance services for your tires while also guaranteeing replacement when you need it!
As one of the first tire subscription service in the United States, Treads offers:
- New Tire Replacements
- Tire Repairs
- Full Roadside Assistance
- Mobile Tire Installations & Rotations
With an easy-to-use app, you select your vehicle. Treads helps match you with the best tires for your vehicle and your budget! Gone are the days of standing in a tire shop staring at all the different brands and trying to figure out which tires you should buy.
Then, you schedule when you want a Treads installation van to come install, rotate, or repair your tires. They can come straight to you! If you’d rather go to a physical location, that’s an option too. You don’t have to fit into a shop’s schedule anymore because Treads fits into yours.
Starting at only $10 a month, you pick which plan fits your budget and choose your monthly rate. That means you know exactly how much you’re budgeting for complete tire safety every month! No more worrying and guessing how much is going to be covered or if your warranty expiration date has passed.
An additional perk to the Treads App is that is captures your drives and miles automatically. This way you get an alert when it’s time to rotate or replace your tires.
Final Thoughts
Warranties are good for what they are, but with the number of limitations these warranties give for tires, it’s time to explore a new option.
On March 2nd, 2022, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration wrote an article stating, “The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released its 2020 annual traffic crash data, showing that 38,824 lives were lost in traffic crashes nationwide. That number marks the highest number of fatalities since 2007.”
Tires, old tires, and worn tire treads don’t need to be an addition to those reasons for traffic collisions. Treads has stepped up to the plate to give you and your family a budget-friendly option so the road is a little safer.
Check out Treads subscription plans now to see all of the benefits we include!
