I had my right rear tire go completely flat this week, while going down our only 6 lane divided highway. The low air light came on, and I pulled over as soon as I was able. I swapped the tire out and took the flat home. I was unable to find any reason for the tire to go completely flat, and the tire then was able to hold 40 pounds of air over night. trance, right?
So the next morning I took the wheel/tire to a Goodyear dealer. They were unable to find any reason for the flat, but offered to sell me a new one for $305 plus $85 shipping. They said I needed a new one because I drove too long on the flat and ruined it. When they got the tire off the wheel I could see about a cup of tiny rubber pieces, so it is possible that the low air light didn't come on as soon as I thought and I really did drive it too long, but that isn't the real issue.
I said that I thought that the tire should be covered under the Goodyear warranty because it went flat without me having done anything to cause it to happen. This dealer gave me a long story about how I had to start the process by going through the original dealer, which was in Seattle. The shop was not very helpful, so I took the wheel/tire to the local Goodyear truck dealer. They also tried to get the tire to go flat, and in so doing, got the tire inflated up to 60 pounds with no luck. At that point they decided that the tire was defective and replaced it at no cost to me.
I was not able to find any other threads on this sudden and inexplicable kind of flat, but folks should be aware that it can happen. Lessons learned:
1. Always heed the low air pressure warning light, and pull over as soon as it is safe in order to save the tire, and
2. Don't be afraid to use the available manufacturer's warranty. I didn't get the Discount Tire road hazard warranty because there are no shops here in Alaska, and of course that probably would have covered this defect. But keep in mind that there is a Goodyear warranty also.
So the next morning I took the wheel/tire to a Goodyear dealer. They were unable to find any reason for the flat, but offered to sell me a new one for $305 plus $85 shipping. They said I needed a new one because I drove too long on the flat and ruined it. When they got the tire off the wheel I could see about a cup of tiny rubber pieces, so it is possible that the low air light didn't come on as soon as I thought and I really did drive it too long, but that isn't the real issue.
I said that I thought that the tire should be covered under the Goodyear warranty because it went flat without me having done anything to cause it to happen. This dealer gave me a long story about how I had to start the process by going through the original dealer, which was in Seattle. The shop was not very helpful, so I took the wheel/tire to the local Goodyear truck dealer. They also tried to get the tire to go flat, and in so doing, got the tire inflated up to 60 pounds with no luck. At that point they decided that the tire was defective and replaced it at no cost to me.
I was not able to find any other threads on this sudden and inexplicable kind of flat, but folks should be aware that it can happen. Lessons learned:
1. Always heed the low air pressure warning light, and pull over as soon as it is safe in order to save the tire, and
2. Don't be afraid to use the available manufacturer's warranty. I didn't get the Discount Tire road hazard warranty because there are no shops here in Alaska, and of course that probably would have covered this defect. But keep in mind that there is a Goodyear warranty also.
