Home

News

Trending

Man Uses Walmart Tire Warranty. Then A Worker Discovers An Unexpected Loophole—And Says No: ‘Why?’

"Your first mistake is going to Walmart."

Man uses Walmart tire warranty

Photo by: Unsplash.com

Stacy Fernandez

By: Stacy Fernandez

Aug 30, at 4:00pm ET

Add Motor1.com as a preferred source in Google

Comment

You get road-hazard coverage hoping that if the time ever comes when you need it, it’ll make the inconvenience a bit, well, less inconvenient (and expensive).

But one Walmart customer who had the warranty says that when it came time to use it, there were stipulations they never communicated to him that now make the whole thing an even bigger ordeal. Now he’s wondering whether he’d opt in for the coverage again.

Walmart Tire Warranty Issue

In a trending video with more than 16,000 views, content creator @clowcent2020 shared that he bought his tires from Walmart and added Road Hazard coverage but was surprised at how employees handled the situation.

“Walmart tire warranty. It’s a beatup,” the text overlay on the video reads.

In the video, @clowcent2020 explains that his tire went flat, so he removed it from his truck and brought it back to the store expecting Walmart to replace or repair the tire.

“Why Walmart tell me they couldn’t honor the warranty?” he says.

He says an employee told him Walmart needed the entire truck with the flat tire still installed, not just the flat on its own. They do it this way so that the workers can check the vehicle’s mileage and confirm the tire matched the information in their system.

There was one fairly obvious problem. The tire is flat. “I can't—I can't blow it up,” he says, which was why he had taken it off the truck in the first place.

“The only way we can honor your warranty, you gotta bring the whole truck in with the tire on it,” he says the worker replied.

The creator says he asked how he was supposed to get the truck to Walmart in that condition, and the employee suggested using his insurance to have it towed for free.

Yes, you’re hearing that right. In order to make a claim on one flat tire, he would have to call a tow truck for the entire vehicle, even though the damaged tire was already sitting inside the store.

“What kind of sense did that make?” he asks.

Instead of doing all of that, he ended up just getting a new tire installed.

“I will never be getting hazard no more on my tires because, you know, if I gotta buy a tire, just buy a tire, man. It's crazy,” he said about the ordeal.

What Does Walmart’s Road Hazard Warranty Cover?

Walmart’s basic tire warranty covers defects in materials or workmanship, not road damage. Its separate Optional Road Hazard Warranty covers failures caused by nails, glass, impact breaks, and similar hazards.

According to Walmart’s website, the optional plan lasts for the tire’s usable tread life, ending once only 2/32 of an inch remains. Exclusions include: improper repairs, accidents, vandalism, underinflation, overinflation, off-road use, and irregular wear.

The warranty explains that Walmart repairs a covered flat for free, but the customer may still owe installation costs, taxes, and government fees. A tire that cannot be repaired is replaced for free during its first year or first 25% of usable tread, whichever comes first. After that, Walmart provides a prorated credit based on the tread remaining.

Coverage is limited to the original buyer and the vehicle on which Walmart installed the tire. Customers must bring the damaged tire and that vehicle to an Auto Care Center, along with the original invoice and installation record. What the written terms do not clarify is whether the flat tire must still be mounted on the vehicle.

Gallery: What To Do When Your Factory Tires Need Replacing

Is Road Hazard Coverage Worth Paying For?

Maybe. But Consumer Reports recommends checking what is already included before paying for another layer of protection.

Nearly all tires come with a manufacturer warranty for defects in workmanship or materials. Some manufacturers also include road-hazard coverage on certain tire lines at no additional cost. Retailers may provide their own protection for free or sell a plan separately, and those terms can be more generous than what the tire manufacturer offers.

The catch is that a warranty does not necessarily mean a completely free tire. Replacement credits are often prorated, meaning their value shrinks as the tread wears down. Even when the tire itself is covered, the owner may still have to pay for mounting, balancing, disposal, and taxes. Damage tied to misuse, an accident, an improper repair, or a mechanical problem with the vehicle is also commonly excluded.

Consumer Reports suggests choosing a tire based primarily on its performance, then using differences in warranty coverage as a tie-breaker. Paying extra may make sense when the best tire for the driver does not already include road-hazard protection, particularly if the tires were otherwise a good deal. But the price of the plan has to be weighed against its exclusions, service fees, and the declining value of a prorated replacement.

‘That’s Why You Don’t Go Buy Tires At Walmart’

People in the comments section had opinions on why Walmart may make it so hard and how he should avoid making the situation worse for himself.

“That’s why you don’t go buy tires at Walmart they gotcha,” a top comment read.

“Too many people abused the system,” a person theorized.

“Put the spare on,drive to Walmart and get a new tire,” another suggested.

What do you think?

View

Comments

“As a walmart auto tech, thats is correct. We have to scan your vin plate and physically see the odometer. The system forces us to do it,” a self-described Walmart worker shared.

Motor1 reached out to @clowcent2020 via email and TikTok direct message, and to Walmart via email. We’ll be sure to update this if they respond.

We want your opinion!

What would you like to see on Motor1.com?

Take our 3 minute survey.

- The Motor1.com Team

Share this Story

GO TO COMMENTS

(

)

Got a tip for us? Email: tips@motor1.com

View all comments ( )

Popular

Bugatti Restores One-Off Veyron With A Mirror-Like Aluminum Body

BMW Kept This Hatchback A Secret For Decades

Skoda Wants You To 3D Print Pieces Of Your Car At Home

The Gas BMW M3 Isn't Dead: Next-Gen Prototype Roars