Walmart Tire Warranty [How It Works and What It Covers]
Tires are quite expensive, but it is also important to get the best ones you can afford for your safety. In that case, check out Walmart. Walmart offers tires at very competitive prices, and most of them are from great brands. What is the coverage of a typical Walmart tire warranty? What are you protected against, and the return policy of the Walmart tire warranty?
Walmart offers a standard road hazard warranty amounting to $10 per tire. However, the warranty is already included if you get the Value Tire Installation Package. This warranty covers damage due to unforeseen road hazards and flat tire repairs. If the tires are unrepairable, you can have them replaced as long as tread wear has not exceeded 25%.
The warranty only covers tires bought online or in-store at Walmart. Also, note that Walmart branches without tire centers will not process returns. You cannot also send the tires over by mail.
Read on to learn more about Walmart tire warranty and other things before purchasing tires at their tire centers.
Walmart Tire Warranty
There are two types of tire warranties that you can get at Walmart. These include The Road Hazard warranty and the Lifetime Balance and Rotation warranty. Of the two, people usually get the Road Hazard warranty. The reason is that it involves the repair or return of the tires.
The Road Hazard warranty typically costs $10 per wheel of the vehicle. However, this will depend on your state, as some charge a slightly higher fee.
Road Hazard Warranty Coverage
This warranty covers the following:
Repairs Due to Unforeseen Road Hazards
This includes punctured tires from sharp objects on the road. Note that it only covers damage repair if it results from non-negligent driving. In other words, it does not cover damage incurred by driving over a curb or spike strip barriers.
Flat Tire Repairs
These include puncture repair from driving over sharp road debris and the like. Also, if there are issues with leaking valve stems, they will be fixing those for free.
For unrepairable types of damage, Walmart will be replacing the whole tire outright. However, the tire should, at most, have only 25% tread wear or less.
What Is the Walmart Lifetime Balance and Rotation Warranty?
This is the other type of warranty available in Walmart tire centers. Unlike the Road Hazard warranty, this one covers tire maintenance services. This warranty costs $14 per tire and covers tire rotation and tire balancing services.
It will also check your tires for slow leaks and tread wear. You will need to get these services if you want to lengthen the lifetime of your tires.
Types of Unrepairable Tire Damage
If your tires are still relatively new (at least 75% tread left), you are entitled to a new replacement tire. However, note that it must have sustained unrepairable damage from non-negligent driving. Now the question is, what constitutes “unrepairable” damage?
Here are some examples of unrepairable damage that Walmart tire centers accept for tire replacements:
1. Punctured Sidewall
If there are punctures or damage on the tire’s sidewalls, it is no longer repairable. Unlike at the sides with treads, the sidewalls do not have a steel mesh ply.
Even if you patch the sidewall, it will continue to leak air and get worse. There is also a higher chance of the tire blowing out.
2. Puncture Larger Than ¼” Wide
Patches and plugs would only work for small puncture holes. Anything wider than ¼” is too big to repair efficiently.
You can try to plug a large hole, but it will not last that long. These include slash/cuts that penetrated through the tread.
3. Bulging Tire
A bulge on your tire often comes from it hitting a bump or pothole too hard. This damages the ply, causing the air to inflate the rubber layer. This is not impossible to fix. However, it is tough, and even after all the trouble, you will get a tire with a reduced lifespan.
4. Blown Tires
No amount of patchwork will ever fix a blown tire. It is only good for scrap.
If your tires’ condition falls in these categories, you are eligible to receive a replacement tire free. This is possible if your tires still fall within the warranty’s stipulations.
How long Is Walmart Warranty Good For?
Both the Lifetime Balance and the Road Hazard warranties last for the tires’ lifespan. The estimate is around 25,000 miles since purchase.
It will also expire should the owner decide to replace the tires that are still under warranty.
It does not matter how many punctures or air leaks you want to fix. If the tires are salvageable and safe to use, they are still under warranty with Walmart.
Again, how does Walmart Tire Warranty work? You can get a tire warranty from Walmart for $10 per tire. This road hazard warranty covers flat repairs, unforeseen road hazards, and free replacement of non-repairable tires, given that the tires only have 25% tread wear.
How to File a Walmart Tire Warranty Claim
Over the Phone
You can file a Road Hazard warranty claim by calling Walmart Tire Center’s toll-free number (1-800-925-6278).
Tell the customer representative your situation, and they will forward your call to the nearest Walmart Auto Care Center. This will let you set a service schedule, usually during the same day. If not, you can set it for the following business day.
In-Person
If you would like to, you can also go in person to your local Walmart Auto Care Center. This is so you can file a warranty claim and have your tire/s repaired or replaced.
However, there is no guarantee that they will accommodate you immediately. They might just set an appointment at a later date.
As mentioned earlier, you cannot send the damaged tire for repairs via mail. For one thing, the logistics costs would be more expensive than the repairs. Walmart does not also have this as an option.
Cost of Tire Repairs at Walmart
If you don’t get Walmart’s Road Hazard warranty, you can still have your tires repaired at their Auto Center. However, you will need to pay for the repairs, and the costs will vary depending on the kind of repair.
Here are some of the tire repair services that you can get from Walmart Auto Centers:
Tire mounting for specialty tires – $5/tire
Tire mounting for tires bought elsewhere – $10/tire
Valve stem replacement/installation – $3/tire
Flat tire repair (tubeless tires) – $15/tire
Tire rotation – $10/set
Replacement lug nuts – $2/nut
These prices are some of the most competitive that you will find among commercially-owned tire repair shops. You might get a better deal with your local mechanic. However, Walmart Auto Centers often have better equipment and well-trained staff to do the work.
Is Walmart Tire Warranty Worth It?
If you consider the cost of tire repair, paying $10 additional per brand new tire is reasonable. Think about how many times you’ve had to fix your tires in the past couple of years. Do you think paying in advance for those repairs is worth it?
Statistically speaking, the average driver would experience flat tires around five times. Most of the time, a tire needs repairs if it has gone beyond its warranty period anyway. This means you will be paying for tire repairs anyway.
So, in my opinion, getting a Road hazard warranty is not worth the money. You will be saving a lot of money just by not getting it. If you have a bit of room in your budget, you can consider getting this extended warranty.
Is There a Scenario When Tire Warranty Makes Sense?
I don’t necessarily recommend getting the Road Hazard warranty unless you live in a place with terrible roads. However, getting this extended warranty makes sense if you buy low-profile tires.
Low-profile tires may look nice, but they can get damaged because of small sidewalls.
For instance, because of the thinner sidewalls, if the tire hits a bump too hard, it could damage the ply. This may cause it to bulge. If you get a set of expensive low-profile tires, give it more protection using a Road Hazard warranty.
Manufacturer or Material Warranty
Manufacturer’s Warranty Automatically Covers All Walmart Tires
The manufacturer’s warranty automatically covers all tires bought from Walmart Auto Centers. This does not come at an extra cost to the customer. Also, this warranty works if tire failure is not the driver’s fault or the road condition. It should be because of the material of the tires themselves.
Sidewall Cracks
An example is if the tires are still under warranty, but the sidewalls have large cracks all over the surface. If the crack is deep enough and dangerously near the treads, it is at risk of blowing out while driving. This damage is not the owner’s fault at all. It is the result of the material failing by itself.
Tread Block Coming Off
Another type of damage eligible for the manufacturer’s warranty is if a tread block or two comes off the tire. The same is also possible if the surface ply is starting to separate from the other parts of the tires.
Requirements for Walmart’s Tire Warranty
Bring the damaged tire/s and the printed receipt to any Walmart Auto Center to claim your manufacturer’s warranty. You will then choose to get an outright replacement or a complete refund of your tire purchase.
To learn more about the Walmart service costs for tire installation, tire rotation, and oil change, see Walmart Tire Installation Cost, Walmart Tire Rotation Cost, and Walmart Oil Change Cost.
Cases Wherein Walmart Can Deny the Tire Warranty Claim
Abused Tires
If you neglect proper maintenance or outright abuse your tires, you will void your warranty. The biggest issue that you need to be careful with is improper maintenance.
Over or Under-inflated Tires
If the crewmember found evidence that the tires were over or under-inflated, it would void the warranty. The same is true for tires that were not rotated and misaligned.
An Unauthorized Service Center Previously repaired tires
You might also void the tires’ warranty if you had them previously repaired by an unauthorized service center. An example is your local mechanic.
Other Cases
Other things that will void your tires’ warranty include, but are not limited to:
Vandalism
Racing
Off-roading if you have road tires
Damage from snow chains
Some signs that the Walmart crew member will be looking for include improper tread wear and excessive tread wear.
Conclusion – Walmart Tire Warranty Explained
For an additional $10 per tire, you can get Walmart’s Road Hazard tire warranty. The Road Hazard warranty is already built into it if you paid for the Value Tire Installation package. This covers unforeseen damage resulting from road hazards and flat tire repairs.
If the tires are unrepairable, Walmart will replace them for free. This is possible if they are still relatively new or the tread wear has not exceeded 25%.
However, not all people would find that the Road Hazard warranty is worth the added cost. It would cost you less to pay for the repairs if and when you need to. Still, if you buy low-profile tires, consider the added warranty as a layer of protection for the fragile radials.
