Sullivan Tire: Road Hazard Plan, Free Services and Who Owns It

Sullivan Tire is a New England tire and car-repair chain of 83 stores, based in Norwell, Massachusetts, and owned by its employees since 2023, according to the company. Tires installed there come with free rotation, rebalancing and a 30-day exchange, but road hazard cover and free flat repair come only with a separately priced Tire Maintenance and Protection Plan. On 9 October 2026 we read Sullivan’s plan, installation-package, warranty, guarantee, price-match, financing, FAQ and store pages, its 2023 ownership release and the terms sheet behind its Ride Guarantee, and set them beside Goodyear’s network warranty as this site recorded it. This site has no commercial relationship with Sullivan or any tire seller.

Who owns Sullivan Tire: its employees, through a 2023 ESOP

Its employees do, by Sullivan’s own account. The About page says: “In 2023, the Sullivan family transferred ownership of the company to its employees through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan,” and adds that “Rather than sell to an outside buyer, the family chose a path designed to preserve Sullivan Tire’s independence.” The company’s release of 3 November 2023 said that “By converting to the ESOP, the company will be 100 percent owned by its nearly 1,500 employees,” with two Sullivan family members staying on as chairman and vice chair, and the chief executive continuing in that role. A year later Sullivan’s own blog quoted a news outlet calling it “a rare case in which a company turned down takeover offers from industry consolidators.”

Under federal tax law, an employee stock ownership plan is “a defined contribution plan” that is “designed to invest primarily in qualifying employer securities,” in the words of 26 U.S.C. 4975. The Labor Department’s Form 5500 search and the Massachusetts corporate database sit behind bot checks, so the ownership facts here are Sullivan’s own. That sets it apart from the other New England chain on this site, Town Fair Tire, which Mavis owns.

The company dates itself to 1955, when Bob and Mary Sullivan opened Bob Sullivan and Sons Tire in Rockland, Massachusetts, 71 years ago by our arithmetic. It has grown partly by taking in local businesses; in 2024 it announced “seven new business units that were formerly Stratham Tire locations” in Maine and New Hampshire.

Two company names appear on the paperwork you are likely to see. The Privacy Policy speaks for “Sullivan Tire Co.”, and the website footer reads “Sullivan Tire and Auto Service, Inc.” We found no state attorney-general, Federal Trade Commission or court consumer-protection case naming Sullivan Tire.

Where the 83 stores are, and what they do

Sullivan’s location list runs to 83 stores, the same 83 its sitemap lists. We counted them by state.

Massachusetts holds 59% of the stores, by our arithmetic. Connecticut shows up in Sullivan’s state lists, and the Why Sullivan page says it has auto repair locations there, but the store list has none; the three Connecticut sites on the website (North Haven, South Windsor and Ellington) are commercial truck centers. Sullivan’s pages count themselves differently, too. The Why Sullivan page offers “70+” locations, a figure 13 below the list. The 2023 release said 79 retail locations and a 2024 post said 83, 4 more, by our arithmetic. Counting truck centers, wholesale outlets, retread plants and distribution centers, the About page claims “more than 125 locations and operating facilities”; the 2024 post’s list adds up to 127.

The stores do full car repair, not just tires: oil changes, brakes, alignments, batteries, diagnostics and more, with a free local shuttle. A few house rules are worth knowing before you book:

• No used tires. “No, Sullivan Tire does not sell used tires,” the FAQ says.
• Modified cars may be turned away. Sullivan will “not sell or service tire and wheel assemblies with non-OEM spacers or wheel-fastening hardware,” and reserves the right to refuse cars with “lift or lowering kits, oversized tires and wheels, etc.”
• Inspections. The FAQ says “All of our New Hampshire and Maine locations are state inspection stations,” plus Newport in Rhode Island and “several” in Massachusetts. The store list marks all 16 Maine stores but none in New Hampshire, so call ahead. Our guide to what a car inspection costs covers state rules.
• Free checks for anyone. Air pressure, alignment (“FREE alignment checks at all retail locations”), the battery and a “free Visual Vehicle Check” on every visit.

Sullivan also sells a Vehicle Health Report, a “160 point exam” priced at $49.95 on its service page, as “a great service to purchase before buying a used vehicle.” Our guide to a used-car pre-purchase inspection explains what to ask.

What comes free with tires: the Certified Tire Installation Package

Tires bought and installed at Sullivan come with what it calls the Certified Tire Installation Package. The page prints no price for it. It lists five “Included Parts and Services”: mounting, “Road Force Balancing,” valve service, “Scrap Tire Recycling and Disposal” and TPMS sensor reprogramming. It adds hand torquing of the wheels and “Automatic Department of Transportation Tire Registration. You will be notified in case of a recall.” Then come eight “Additional Benefits”:

• “FREE Lifetime Tire Rotations (recommended every 6 months/6,000 miles)”
• “FREE Alignment Inspection with Report (recommended every 6 months/6,000 miles)”
• “FREE Visual Vehicle Check”
• “30-Day Ride Guarantee”
• “FREE Local Courtesy Shuttle Service”
• “FREE Shipping of your tires to the Sullivan Tire location of your choice”
• “FREE Lifetime Rebalancing”
• “Manufacturer Warranty Processing”

The footnotes narrow four of them. Run-flat and other specialty tires “may have additional mounting charges.” If a TPMS sensor can’t be serviced and needs replacing, “additional charges would apply.” Free shipping is “For tires in stock at a Sullivan Tire location or warehouse only.” And lifetime rebalancing “Does not include dismounted tires.” The FAQ confirms that with the package, “the tire disposal fee is included.”

What’s missing from the list matters as much. Free flat repair is not on it. Sullivan’s tire repair page ties free repairs to the paid plan in the next section: “Did you know if you have purchased the Tire Maintenance and Protection Plan with Sullivan Tire & Auto Service you qualify for free flat tire repairs?” The repair page, which describes a patch-and-plug repair for punctures “at or less than 1/4 of an inch in diameter,” prints no price.

Rotation is free for the life of the tire. The tire-care page says rotation “is FREE for the life of the tire(s) when you purchase and install your tire(s) at Sullivan Tire and Auto Service.” How often depends on which page you read: every 6 months or 6,000 miles in the package, every 6,000 miles on the plan page, “approximately every 5,000-7,000 miles, 6 months, or roughly every other oil change” on the tire-care page, and “every 6,000 - 8,000 miles” in the FAQ. Your car maker’s schedule comes first; our guide to rotation intervals explains why they differ.

Alignment checks are free; alignments are not. The alignment page lists a free “Alignment Inspection” with a printout, then standing per-visit prices: $124.99 for a “Comprehensive Vehicle Alignment” on most cars, $154.99 for a “Performance” alignment on makes it lists, $164.99 for heavy-duty trucks and $244.99 for electric vehicles. The page prints no date; our wheel alignment cost guide covers what decides the price.

Road hazard and flat repair: the Tire Maintenance and Protection Plan costs extra

Sullivan’s road hazard cover is a plan you add when you buy tires. The plan page sets out why: “Manufacturers do not cover damage to a tire due to road conditions. Our Tire Maintenance and Protection Plan picks up where the manufacturer’s limited warranty leaves off. It covers road hazard damage such as potholes, nails, glass, jagged metals, or run flat conditions.” The installation page lists it under “Additional Charges Apply.”

What it costs. “The cost of the Tire Maintenance and Protection Plan depends on the price of the tire and the particular tire size you have,” and “The exact amount is calculated for you when you select a tire from our online tire search feature.” That is the whole published price basis: no figure, no percentage. We entered no vehicle or tire size, so we saw no plan price.

What it includes. “The repairs are free for the life of the tires. Tire rotations are free for the life of the tires (non-transferable),” the page says, and it lists “FREE tire rotations,” “FREE flat repairs” and a “FREE alignment check every 6 months.” If the check finds a problem, “cost of the new alignment is not included in the program.” Rotation and alignment checks are free anyway, so what the plan adds is flat repair and replacement.

When a tire can’t be repaired. The plan page states the rule twice. The first version: “If the tire is returned for adjustment within one year from the date of sale and is less than 25% worn, the tire will be replaced at no charge.” Past 25% wear, “the tire will be replaced with a similar or like tire on a pro-rated basis of the remaining tread.” The second: “Free Tire Replacement: Within the first 12 months or first 25% of wear, whichever comes first,” and after that “we’ll offset the cost of a new tire based on how much tread you have remaining.” So free replacement ends at the first anniversary of the sale or when the tire passes 25% wear, whichever arrives first. Either way, “Re-balance, valve, and tire disposal will be the responsibility of the customer.” No page gives the proration formula or the price it is applied to; our page on how tire makers prorate a defect claim shows how a share of tread worn is applied to a price, and how much the price used varies.

What it does not cover. The page lists nine exclusions: theft, vandalism, accidents, abuse, improper maintenance, TPMS sensor replacement, misalignment, sidewall abrasions and the tires’ cosmetic appearance. Then: “Any tires installed on racing vehicles, off the road vehicles or vehicles with commercial plates are excluded in full from the program. The use of aerosol or liquid inflation products on any tire will void this program.”

One tire, one plan. “When a tire is replaced, the Tire Maintenance and Protection Plan on that individual tire is void and is not transferable to the replacement tire, another tire on the vehicle, or another person. A customer may purchase a new Tire Maintenance and Protection Plan for the replacement tire.” A replacement tire has no cover unless you pay again, and the plan doesn’t pass to a later owner.

How long, and where. Sullivan says its plan “covers you for the entire useful life of the tires,” unlike plans that, in its words, “expire 2-4 years after the tire purchase date.” To claim, “Simply call or visit any of our convenient Sullivan Tire and Auto Service locations throughout New England. We can look up your history.” No page says how a plan holder claims outside New England; see the network section below.

Repair warranties: Sullivan’s schedule and the Goodyear network

“Sullivan Tire is part of the Goodyear Nationwide Warranty Network. You can go to any participating dealer across the country for warranty work,” says Sullivan’s Nationwide Warranty page. Its schedule, headed “Sullivan Tire Nationwide Warranty Details,” opens with a limit: “These warranties apply only to parts and labor shown on your invoice,” and “there may be other components in a system that are not covered.”

Each term ends at whichever limit you reach first. The lifetime terms depend on the paperwork: the footnotes say the lifetime parts warranty “must be listed on invoice,” and the wheel-balance line “Must be listed on invoice as ‘Limited Warranty.’” Check the invoice before you leave.

Batteries. Sullivan’s battery page says “our battery, and a ll other services have a warranty and a Nationwide Warranty through the Goodyear Tire & Service Network,” but the schedule has no battery line, and Goodyear’s network warranty, as this site recorded it on 9 October 2026, lists “TIRES, BATTERIES” among its exclusions. Ask for the battery’s warranty in writing; see our car battery warranty guide.

What the network’s own document says. Goodyear’s Tire & Service Network warranty, as this site recorded it, covers listed repair types “for 24 months or 24,000 miles of use, whichever comes first,” and is “extended only to you, the original purchaser.” Claims go back to the shop that did the work, but “If you are more than 25 miles from that location, you must go to the nearest Tire & Service Network outlet,” with the original repair order in hand. Two points don’t line up with Sullivan’s page. The network document covers “Brake system” repairs for 24 months or 24,000 miles, while Sullivan gives its Front Brake Special 6 months or 6,000 miles, and neither page says which term a shop elsewhere would apply. And Goodyear’s document adds 12 months of roadside assistance “at no additional charge” after a network repair, which Sullivan’s page doesn’t mention; ask.

Tires away from home. Sullivan’s page adds a road hazard rule for other network shops: they “will honor optional road hazard warranty coverage purchased by a consumer and administered by Sonsio Administrative Services, Inc., only for Goodyear, Kelly, Cooper, and Starfire products,” and “All other optional warranty coverage” on those brands for 3 years: “YEAR 1: Free replacement YEAR 2: Consumer pays 50% of replacement cost YEAR 3: Consumer pays 75% of replacement cost.” So the cover pays 50% in year two and 25% in year three, by our arithmetic. Goodyear’s own version of that paragraph names “Sonsio Administrative Services, LLC,” lists “Goodyear, Dunlop, and Kelly products” and promises “Tire-based coverage for 3 years” with “Free Replacement.” No page says whether a network shop treats Sullivan’s own plan as “other optional warranty coverage,” and on any other brand of tire, the network rule doesn’t apply at all. Our Goodyear Auto Service page reads the rest of the network’s terms.

The 30-Day Ride Guarantee, and the tire makers’ trials

“If you’re not satisfied with your purchase and installation of 4 new tires from Sullivan Tire and Auto Service on or before 30 days of the original purchase, we guarantee an exchange for equal or lesser value tires,” says the Ride Guarantee page. The one-page terms sheet it links adds the rules. On the plus side, the replacement “does not have to be the same brand,” and “Mounting and balancing costs are covered on the exchanged tires.” The limits:

• “Excludes special order tires, commercial application, tires not installed at a Sullivan Tire location, winter tires, and damaged tires due to but not limited to road hazard, racing related activities, vehicle related mechanical problems, and misuse application.”
• “Applies to light truck and passenger tires only.”
• “Tires cannot have used more than 1/32nd of original tread.”
• “One exchange limit per purchase. The exchange is not considered a purchase and the replacement tires are not covered by the 30-day guarantee.”
• “Customer is responsible for payment of the total difference for a more expensive replacement.” If the new set costs less, “the customer will be reimbursed the difference and billed as a manufacturer warranty.”
• “Rebates and promotions do not apply to the exchange.”

The winter-tire exclusion matters in New England: a set of winter tires bought in the fall has no Sullivan trial at all. And the guarantee steps aside for the tire maker’s own: it “Cannot be combined with manufacturer guarantees or trials,” and “Manufacturer guarantees or trials supersede the Sullivan Tire 30 Ride Guarantee.” The page lists nine maker programs, from Bridgestone’s and Firestone’s 90-day Buy & Try to a Goodyear, Dunlop or Kelly “30-Day Pledge” and a Pirelli “30-Day Trial Offer.” Those last two are out of date against the makers’ own documents as this site recorded them: Goodyear’s pages describe a 60-Day Satisfaction Guarantee, and Pirelli’s warranty a 60-day trial period. Check the maker’s own terms; our comparison of tire makers’ trials lists them.

The Tire Price Match Guarantee: a match on the tire price

The home page calls it a “Best Price Guarantee”; the terms page describes a match. “If you find the same tire(s) (make, model, size, ply) for less with any legitimate big box stores, local or online competitors, Sullivan Tire will match the price of that tire.” The rules:

• It “applies to the price of the tire(s) only, plus any applicable delivery or handling fees charged by the competitor.” Installation, alignment and other services “are not included.”
• “In-stock tires only,” the tires “Must be installed at a Sullivan Tire location,” and “No carry-outs.”
• It “can be combined with manufacturer rebate discounts” but not with promotions such as “Instant Discounts” or “Buy 3, Get 1 Free”; Sullivan says it will honor whichever saves you more.
• “Tire Price Match Quotes are valid for 14 days from quote creation,” and the match “does not apply to past purchases.”
• “Sullivan Tire reserves the right to decline a tire price match request at its own discretion.”

You ask through the online appointment form, chat or phone. Because only the tire price is matched, compare installed totals yourself. There is no after-the-sale refund like the 30-day price protection on our Town Fair Tire page.

Paying: two tire-brand cards, no Sullivan card

Sullivan has no store card of its own. Its Financing Options page (“Drive now and pay later. Usable on all tire brands and all services.”) offers two cards made for tire brands:

• The Goodyear Credit Card, which “can be used on all tire brands and services offered at Sullivan Tire,” with “6-month special financing* on purchases of $250 or more.” Goodyear’s own card page, read the same day for our Goodyear page, says “The Goodyear Credit Card is issued by Citibank, N.A.” Sullivan says it is accepted at “over 11,000” Exxon and Mobil stations; Goodyear now says over 11,500.
• The Continental Tire Synchrony Car Care credit card, with “6-Month promotional financing,” “No Annual Fee” and “$0 Fraud Liability.”

The promotional terms printed for the Continental card are deferred interest: “No interest will be charged on the promo balance if you pay it off, in full, within the promo period. If you do not, interest will be charged on the promo balance from the purchase date,” and the minimum payments “may or may not pay off the promo balance.” The page also prints an undated purchase rate, which we don’t repeat; the binding figure is in the application disclosure.

One privacy term goes with any purchase. The Privacy Policy says that by giving your email address at a purchase, “you have given Sullivan Tire permission to use your email address to create and use social media lookalike audiences” for its ad campaigns. To opt out, it says to ask for your address to be removed from its database.

How Sullivan’s road hazard terms compare

This table sets Sullivan’s plan beside three other sellers’ printed terms, copied from this site’s readings of Town Fair Tire, Belle Tire’s Tire Protection Plan and Goodyear Auto Service, all on 9 October 2026. Documents, not prices; no ranking.

Sullivan’s plan page is the only one of the four to print a free-replacement window and a proration rule; what it doesn’t print is the plan’s price. Our pages on BJ’s tires and Monro read two more sellers’ terms; Les Schwab includes road hazard cover with tires.

Where Sullivan’s own pages disagree

We recorded 19 places where Sullivan’s pages differ from each other or from the Goodyear and tire-maker documents they cite. The ones that matter most:

• Who owns it. The Why Sullivan page still says “family-owned and operated”; the home and About pages say 100% employee-owned since 2023. The 2023 release calls the plan an “Employee Stock Option Plan,” later pages an “Employee Stock Ownership Plan.”
• How many stores, and where. “70+” on one page, 83 on the list; Connecticut named, with no store there.
• Battery cover. Promised through the Goodyear network on the battery page, missing from the schedule, and excluded by the network document.
• Brake terms. 6 months or 6,000 miles for the Front Brake Special at Sullivan; 24 months or 24,000 miles for brake repairs in the network document.
• Away-from-home tire cover. Sullivan and Goodyear name different brands, different company forms for Sonsio and different payouts.
• Maker trials. Goodyear and Pirelli trials listed at 30 days; the makers’ documents say 60.
• Intervals. Four rotation intervals and five alignment-check intervals across Sullivan’s pages; the plan offers a free alignment check “every 6 months” and then recommends one every 12.

The invoice and any written plan terms you are handed, not the website, decide what you can claim.

Before you buy tires at Sullivan Tire

Sullivan says it registers your tires with their maker automatically. Under 49 CFR 574.8, an independent dealer can either hand you “a paper tire registration form” or send it to the maker “at no charge to the tire purchaser and within 30 days,” so ask for confirmation that yours was sent. NHTSA’s recall lookup covers tires; our page on tire recalls and age explains why registration matters. And for any product “actually costing the consumer more than $15.00,” 16 CFR 702.3 requires the seller to make a written warranty’s text “readily available for examination by the prospective buyer.”

Common questions

Who owns Sullivan Tire?

Its employees. Sullivan says the Sullivan family transferred ownership to an employee stock ownership plan in 2023, making it 100% employee-owned; its 2023 release put the owners at nearly 1,500 employees. Sullivan describes itself as independent.

Does Sullivan Tire have free road hazard protection?

No. Road hazard cover is the Tire Maintenance and Protection Plan, sold per tire at a cost that depends on the tire’s price and size. With it, an unrepairable tire is replaced free within 12 months or 25% of wear, whichever comes first, then on a prorated basis.

Does Sullivan Tire fix flats for free?

Only for buyers of the Tire Maintenance and Protection Plan, whose repairs “are free for the life of the tires.” Free flat repair is not among the benefits of the standard installation package.

Does Sullivan Tire price match?

Yes, on the tire price only: the same tire (make, model, size, ply), in stock, from a legitimate store or online seller, before you buy and installed at Sullivan. Quotes last 14 days, and it doesn’t combine with instant discounts.

What is the Sullivan Tire Nationwide Warranty?

Sullivan’s repair warranty schedule, honored by Goodyear Tire & Service Network shops. Most repairs carry 24 months or 24,000 miles on parts and labor, whichever comes first; alignments and the Front Brake Special carry 6 months or 6,000 miles; a few parts carry lifetime cover if it is on the invoice.

Does Sullivan Tire have a credit card?

Not its own. It takes the Goodyear Credit Card, with 6-month special financing on purchases of $250 or more, and the Continental Tire Synchrony Car Care card, whose promotional financing charges interest from the purchase date if the balance isn’t cleared in time.