Bulge in 19" tire - immediate replacement needed? Warranty work?

Definitely not related to warranty. Personally I'd take it to a local tire shop... Although your in California, so maybe you'd prefer to take it to a Tesla Service center.

BillShepp said:

Hi,

Our Model S with 19" tires has a bulge in the rear passenger tire:

I presume this needs to be addressed ASAP. Does anyone know if there will be full or partial warranty coverage for this (we have 9K miles on the car, delivered May 2013)? Would I get this addressed through Tesla Service or my own dealer?

Thanks!

Bill

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You'll need to have that replaced ASAP.. Only the outer plies of the tire are preventing a blowout, so drive with caution !

Since there is no damage to the sidewall and your TPMS would show if it has been overinflated (which I'm assuming it is not but the service center could check that) I'd take it into a service center since the tire is new (9K miles).

Discoducky said:

Since there is no damage to the sidewall and your TPMS would show if it has been overinflated (which I'm assuming it is not but the service center could check that) I'd take it into a service center since the tire is new (9K miles).

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No visible damage. Clearly there is substantial sidewall damage, but caused by other means than a direct impact to the sidewall. You need to get it to someone ASAP, with as little driving as possible. It could blow out at literally any moment, and if it does, you want to be going as slowly as possible.

This is a pretty common failure case if you hit a pothole. The sidewall essentially folds over itself and fails, leaving no external evidence of damage beyond the bubble. Make sure whoever you get to take a look at it examines the wheel to ensure it's not been knocked slightly out of round or otherwise damaged. With 9k miles, depending on the wear, it's likely you'll need to replace two tires to keep everything balanced.

If you can, you'll preferably want an authorized Michelin dealer or Tesla Service Center to determine if it was caused by a material defect in the tire's construction or was simply damaged by the road, but there's very little chance a failure like this was caused by something covered by the tire's warranty. Then they'll at least be able to order the same tire for replacement, so even if all four don't match in age, at least they're the same brand/model of tire.

Good luck, and be careful.

typical sidewall bubble from hitting a pothole pretty hard. lucky it didn't blow out on you, but it is about to. drive safe, drive slow, or just don't even drive it at all and have it towed (thats what I would do). needs to be replaced ASAP. this is not fixable and VERY dangerous so need to get tire replaced. this is not a warranty item either. it's on you.

Discoducky said:

Since there is no damage to the sidewall and your TPMS would show if it has been overinflated (which I'm assuming it is not but the service center could check that) I'd take it into a service center since the tire is new (9K miles).

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It's lack of air that makes tires susceptible to pothole damage, not too much air. (Assuming that's what the problem is, the evidence will be on either the interior of the tire and/or the shoulder of the tire, which is hidden in the picture.)

jerry33 said:

It's lack of air that makes tires susceptible to pothole damage, not too much air. (Assuming that's what the problem is, the evidence will be on either the interior of the tire and/or the shoulder of the tire, which is hidden in the picture.)

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Presumably he was ruling out tire damage due to over-inflation alone, not over-inflation + pothole. I can't say I know any typical failure cases for over-inflation. The Model S is the only car I've ever owned that came anywhere near a tire's maximum PSI rating.

Really, don't drive it like that. When it blows, and it will, you'll probably wreck the rim when that two ton Tesla lands on it still rolling. Not to mention the worse scenario.

Gizmotoy said:

Presumably he was ruling out tire damage due to over-inflation alone, not over-inflation + pothole. I can't say I know any typical failure cases for over-inflation. The Model S is the only car I've ever owned that came anywhere near a tire's maximum PSI rating.

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The only protection the sidewall of a tire has from potholes, other than careful driving, is the air in the tire. The more air the less susceptible it is. I have no idea why folks are so afraid of putting some air in their tires, but they are. Tires today are not the bias-ply tires of forty years ago.

Consider getting a tire warranty like I did @ Wheel Works (No CA). They let me but it on the OEM tires and I am covered for the tread life of the Goodyears. Cheap at about $20/tire. Includes rotation and balancing and of course puncture repair when repairable.

JPP said:

Consider getting a tire warranty like I did @ Tire Rack. They let me but it on the OEM tires and I am covered for the tread life of the Goodyears. Cheap at about $20/tire. Includes rotation and balancing and of course puncture repair when repairable.

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THIS! Every time you buy a new car, drive STRAIGHT to a trusted place that can sell you road hazard warranty! I just had two GreenX tires replaced under road hazard warranty with just over 2k miles on them. Hit a raised surface in the road and it took chunks out of both right side tires' sidewalls.

I agree, that is internal damage breaking the sidewall. Anything can happen in 9k miles. I would look at the wheel at that location to see if there is a dent in it, as well.

JPP said:

Consider getting a tire warranty like I did @ Tire Rack. They let me but it on the OEM tires and I am covered for the tread life of the Goodyears. Cheap at about $20/tire. Includes rotation and balancing and of course puncture repair when repairable.

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Just FYI, these warranties only prorate the purchase price on a new tire. You definitely don't get a free tire. Most road hazard warranties are a scam.

qwk said:

Just FYI, these warranties only prorate the purchase price on a new tire. You definitely don't get a free tire. Most road hazard warranties are a scam.

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Discount Tire's road hazard warranty was ~$45 per tire. It came in very handy when I replaced two $238(each) tires for $0 last week (2200miles). I happily paid $90 to renew the road hazard on the replacements, too.

My history with cars has been if I don't buy the road hazard, I blow a tire or two. If we buy it, it never gets used. This is the first time I've actually used the warranty and it paid for itself and then some.

I don't feel scammed

qwk said:

Just FYI, these warranties only prorate the purchase price on a new tire. You definitely don't get a free tire. Most road hazard warranties are a scam.

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BTW, I made a big mistake in my original post.. My local No CA tire shop is Wheel Works (also known as Tires Plus in some places). No offense to Tire Rack, also a great place.

FWIW, Wheel Works tire protection plan will replace/not prorated up to a point. I have been a customer for 20+ years and very happy. And they will price match to Tire Rack.