I just bought a new Honda Pilot in February. The front left tire became flat yesterday out of nowheremy question is since the car is new and only has 5,000 miles.should I have to pay for the new tire???
Yes, you should. The flat tire was most likely caused by a road hazard - you ran over something. A nail, a screw, a piece of scrap metal, etc. That's not the tires fault, and its not Honda's fault. Punctures are also not covered under either the vehicle or tire warranties - I guarantee you that since I deal with this sort of thing on an almost daily basis. The good news is that most punctures can be repaired at relatively small expense. Just take it to your local tire shop. ASE Certified Automotive Service Advisor working in the tire industry
Tires are wear items. They are only covered by the tire manufacturer against defects in materials and workmanship. Honda does not warranty the tire at all! Why did the tire go flat? did you get a nail or screw in it? Was the puncture in the tread or the sidewall? Many time a tire can be patched, and be perfectly safe. A patch will cost less than a replacement tire!
I would take the tire to a neutral repair center, notice not to the small corner repair shop. Ask them to inspect the tire, I've never seen a tire just go flat out of nowhere. If you know you didn't hit, curb or run over anything then ask them to check stem valve, rim leaks or for broken belts. Broken belts are seldom seen when dealing with new tires. Also I don't believe a belt really would result in a new tire flat, more possible with high mileage older tires. If you get the a reason (other than you're own idea why) get it in writing and make sure you get the receipt for the cost of their services. Take all this back to the dealer, be ready to compromise with them. This will be needed if one of the reasons for the flat was, looks like you picked something up and it was spit out or something similar. They will stand on the fact you can't prove a bad new tire, but you can always argue with new tires are good tread to hit something that hard would be some thing obviously noticed. As I always say notes, keep notes of who you spoke with by phone or face to face. Write them if needed and never give your original receipts to anyone, make copies at your own cost.
