This is a bit of a rant because I am pissed off at TireRack, but I just wanted to let the community know that while Tire Rack claims to have 2 year Road Hazard warranty on their tires, they have no intention of actually paying on it. I bought a bunch of tires from Tire Rack, but this is the first time I wanted to use this warranty. I bought all 4 tires (Continental DWS 06) on my Porsche from TireRack and had about 5-6k miles on them. So I was driving my Porsche on a highway, keeping up with traffic at ~75-80mph, then head an impact noise and the car started pulling strongly to the right. I figured something major just happened so I did what I had to do to regain control of the vehicle. Since there was no shoulder at this spot on the highway, I nursed the car another 1/4 - 1/2 mile or so until I found a safe spot to pull over. Luckily I wasn't injured, which is obviously the most important part. See pic below, the damage is pretty obvious. The entire sidewall is destroyed since I drove it a short distance until I found a safe location. Anyhow, no spare tire, call a tow truck, the wheel looks OK, so I need a replacement tire. Since I purchased all 4 tires on this car less than 2 years ago so figured might as well use the TireRack Road Hazard warranty. They state that it is simple: buy a replacement tire, show evidence of damage, and they refund you for the tire. Well, buying a replacement tire was not a problem, but they sure as hell don't want to pay out the warranty. Initially they told me the incident is not covered because they can't determine the initial point of damage. I called them and spoke to the supervisor and told him to actually look at the picture, there isn't much you can determine at this point given the point of damage. It is clear that at that point nobody actually looked at the pictures, the claim was denied automatically. They asked for additional pictures and I refiled the claim. I give them 2 days and it is crickets, no response. I call again, wait on the phone, and the guy on the phone tells me that the claim is denied because they can't see the manufacturing date on the side wall. I looked on both sides of the tire and the date isn't there because again, the side wall is destroyed. They said that they will review the claim again. A day later they email me with their final conclusion, claim denied because "Damage on tire was not caused by a road hazard incident ". I don't know how they came to this conclusion, but I am sick and tired of dealing with them and it sounds like they simply don't want to pay the claim and will give you a runaround until you simply give up. Ultimately this isn't worth the hassle at some point for a $200 tire, but just wanted to share with the community if you ever decide to make a similar claim, don't count on it.
boris1
TireRack Road Hazard warranty is worthless, just in case anyone believes in it.
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This is a bit of a rant because I am pissed off at TireRack, but I just wanted to let the community know that while Tire Rack claims to have 2 year Road Hazard warranty on their tires, they have no intention of actually paying on it. I bought a bunch of tires from Tire Rack, but this is the first time I wanted to use this warranty. I bought all 4 tires (Continental DWS 06) on my Porsche from TireRack and had about 5-6k miles on them. So I was driving my Porsche on a highway, keeping up with traffic at ~75-80mph, then head an impact noise and the car started pulling strongly to the right. I figured something major just happened so I did what I had to do to regain control of the vehicle. Since there was no shoulder at this spot on the highway, I nursed the car another 1/4 - 1/2 mile or so until I found a safe spot to pull over. Luckily I wasn't injured, which is obviously the most important part. See pic below, the damage is pretty obvious. The entire sidewall is destroyed since I drove it a short distance until I found a safe location. Anyhow, no spare tire, call a tow truck, the wheel looks OK, so I need a replacement tire. Since I purchased all 4 tires on this car less than 2 years ago so figured might as well use the TireRack Road Hazard warranty. They state that it is simple: buy a replacement tire, show evidence of damage, and they refund you for the tire. Well, buying a replacement tire was not a problem, but they sure as hell don't want to pay out the warranty. Initially they told me the incident is not covered because they can't determine the initial point of damage. I called them and spoke to the supervisor and told him to actually look at the picture, there isn't much you can determine at this point given the point of damage. It is clear that at that point nobody actually looked at the pictures, the claim was denied automatically. They asked for additional pictures and I refiled the claim. I give them 2 days and it is crickets, no response. I call again, wait on the phone, and the guy on the phone tells me that the claim is denied because they can't see the manufacturing date on the side wall. I looked on both sides of the tire and the date isn't there because again, the side wall is destroyed. They said that they will review the claim again. A day later they email me with their final conclusion, claim denied because "Damage on tire was not caused by a road hazard incident ". I don't know how they came to this conclusion, but I am sick and tired of dealing with them and it sounds like they simply don't want to pay the claim and will give you a runaround until you simply give up. Ultimately this isn't worth the hassle at some point for a $200 tire, but just wanted to share with the community if you ever decide to make a similar claim, don't count on it.
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I’d say it’s pretty difficult to determine what caused that failure from the picture, they are pretty specific about the coverage. An impact would cause a sidewalk bubble (and failure) or a bead failure, but you have no sidewall left to see 
In all fairness they would have to just take your word that there was an impact. I believe you but an insurer would be nuts to honor any type of without proof.
I’ve had 2 tires replaced under the insurance, but honestly I’ve found what the insurance actually winds up only covering is damage that wouldn’t necessitate the replacement of a tire so I have stopped purchasing it. Never seems to cover something I need it to.
Glad no one was hurt.
In all fairness they would have to just take your word that there was an impact. I believe you but an insurer would be nuts to honor any type of without proof.I’ve had 2 tires replaced under the insurance, but honestly I’ve found what the insurance actually winds up only covering is damage that wouldn’t necessitate the replacement of a tire so I have stopped purchasing it. Never seems to cover something I need it to.
Glad no one was hurt.
Well, since they claimed there was no road hazard, I would take the position that it is a manufacturing defect. I don't know if that is covered under the road hazard warranty, but I suspect it is a breach of the implied warranty of fitness for a particular purpose, which most states have on the books (unless specifically and property excluded).
I don't think it makes sense to go to court for $200, but bad publicity has a way of getting things done.
Regards,
Jerry
I don't think it makes sense to go to court for $200, but bad publicity has a way of getting things done.
Regards,
Jerry
They make it such a hassle; you must have the tire inspected by an authorized repair facility in order to file a claim, if it can be repaired they will only give you $25, after you pay to have it repaired. If it can’t they will give you a new tire, oh wait, no, they will reimburse you up to the benefit limit, which is not stated anywhere in their literature. Also they will try and find a way not to cover it.
The amount of hurdles you go through for $25 is not at all worth it in terms of time spent in the process, and that just covers the plug, not any of the labor. When I had my 2 tires replaced (was 6 years ago, Brooklyn pot holes) it was literally like pulling teeth to make it happen. Luckily my shop dealt with it, I assume as a retailer for Tire Rack they have more leverage.
Even though it worked for me in that case, I would never buy that protection again, total racket to up charge you. I also don’t buy tires from them anymore.
Upon reflection I retract my previous comment- Boris1’s tire was destroyed, obviously either an impact or defect, there is no other explanation. Tire Rack should either be replacing the tire themselves or getting him a new one covered by the manufacturer. Bad customer service. Go with 1010 tires.
The amount of hurdles you go through for $25 is not at all worth it in terms of time spent in the process, and that just covers the plug, not any of the labor. When I had my 2 tires replaced (was 6 years ago, Brooklyn pot holes) it was literally like pulling teeth to make it happen. Luckily my shop dealt with it, I assume as a retailer for Tire Rack they have more leverage.
Even though it worked for me in that case, I would never buy that protection again, total racket to up charge you. I also don’t buy tires from them anymore.
Upon reflection I retract my previous comment- Boris1’s tire was destroyed, obviously either an impact or defect, there is no other explanation. Tire Rack should either be replacing the tire themselves or getting him a new one covered by the manufacturer. Bad customer service. Go with 1010 tires.
Sorry to read this. I've had the warranty honored twice by TR. Once for two tires that couldn't be balanced and once for a flat. FYI there is nothing to purchase, the coverage is included in the tire purchase.
This is unfortunate. I had four new Michelin Pilot Sport 4S N0 from Tire Rack. I was on a weekend drive with other Porsche owners and had an impact on the freeway. When the drive was over, the tires had less than 225 miles on them. The visible damage to the tire was about 1” of tread separation near the shoulder/sidewalk. I contacted Tire Rack and initiated a claim. I purchased a replacement tire, and they reimbursed me for the tire + mounting/balancing within 2 weeks. This was in May 2022.
I've warrantied out maybe 4-5 tires through tire rack, most recently being 2 in the fall of '21 and never had an issue. All were bubbles in the sidewall from potholes.
I own a Porsche as well - the rear tires are very wide and they are more prone to road debris. I’ve found the best way to have road protection honored is to have the local Porsche dealer order and install the tires. I’ve had several flats lately and with road hazard protection I pull in and they swap them no questions asked.
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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Just to follow up on this. I recently had a warranty replacement completed without issue. I didn't even need to show pics of the damage. All I stated was something like 'hit pot hole, wheel compressed, tire made contact with body, body cut 1/4 gouge in tire on sidewall, sidewall is compromised and unsafe'.
This is precisely why warranties in general mean absolutely nothing. All they do is give you the right to sue someone when they deny the warranty claim, all the while spending your money on attorneys' fees that you typically cannot recover. I've been practicing law with an AmLaw 40 law firm for nearly 32 years now and haven't once seen a successful warranty claim enforced. Not once.
Partee Racing provides no warranties whatsoever. Does that mean we don't stand behind our builds? Exactly the opposite. I don't need a piece of legal inanity such as a warranty to incentivize me to make something right for a customer. So what really matters is the IDENTITY AND CHARACTER of the person or company with which you are doing business, NOT the terms of a warranty. Unfortunately, it seems like Tire Rack does not have the requisite character, as evidenced by its complete disregard of the customer's claim here, all to avoid paying a de minimis amount of money. They must really care about their customers and must really want their business. NOT.
--Peter
PS: It looks like Tire Rack got its act together in recent times and is honoring the warranty as it should. Great to hear.
Partee Racing provides no warranties whatsoever. Does that mean we don't stand behind our builds? Exactly the opposite. I don't need a piece of legal inanity such as a warranty to incentivize me to make something right for a customer. So what really matters is the IDENTITY AND CHARACTER of the person or company with which you are doing business, NOT the terms of a warranty. Unfortunately, it seems like Tire Rack does not have the requisite character, as evidenced by its complete disregard of the customer's claim here, all to avoid paying a de minimis amount of money. They must really care about their customers and must really want their business. NOT.
--Peter
PS: It looks like Tire Rack got its act together in recent times and is honoring the warranty as it should. Great to hear.
Tire Rack's road hazard warranty is provided by an insurance company, not by TR itself. It's included in the price of the tires, courtesy of TR.
I have been buying my tires at TR for over twenty years, usually about three or four sets a year, including track tires. I have had to avail myself of the warranty twice, and both times it went without a hitch.
I have found their customer service to be just fine, although truly, I've pretty much limited my personal interactions to asking the dates on the sidewalls for race tires. I just order from the website, which has much better data than other suppliers . The tires always arrive on time, with free shipping.
The warranty claims are handled through the insurance firm, not Tire Rack. Realistically, if they're sent a picture of a totally destroyed tire, this certainly doesn't prove a road hazard. It proves only that someone drove on a completely flat tire. One should hardly badmouth TR, who paid the insurance warranty for free, just because the insurer refused a claim because of lack of evidence.
I have been buying my tires at TR for over twenty years, usually about three or four sets a year, including track tires. I have had to avail myself of the warranty twice, and both times it went without a hitch.
I have found their customer service to be just fine, although truly, I've pretty much limited my personal interactions to asking the dates on the sidewalls for race tires. I just order from the website, which has much better data than other suppliers . The tires always arrive on time, with free shipping.
The warranty claims are handled through the insurance firm, not Tire Rack. Realistically, if they're sent a picture of a totally destroyed tire, this certainly doesn't prove a road hazard. It proves only that someone drove on a completely flat tire. One should hardly badmouth TR, who paid the insurance warranty for free, just because the insurer refused a claim because of lack of evidence.
While the warranty may not be "free" I've found that while other suppliers or shops can match TR prices, they can't match the warranty at that price. There are plenty of exceptions, I'm sure, but that's just what I've experienced.
Fair enough. I'm glad to hear that since the original post, people's experience with the warranty has been so positive.
--Peter
--Peter
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