---
title: "Tire Manufacturer Warranties Compared: 12 Makers’ Terms"
description: "Michelin, Goodyear, Bridgestone, Continental, Pirelli and 7 more tire warranties read side by side: free-replacement windows, proration and mileage rules."
url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-manufacturer-warranties/"
type: "article"
published: "2026-10-07"
modified: "2026-10-07"
site: "Baron Auto"
disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership."
---

# Tire Manufacturer Warranties Compared: 12 Makers’ Terms

> Michelin, Goodyear, Bridgestone, Continental, Pirelli and 7 more tire warranties read side by side: free-replacement windows, proration and mileage rules.

*Detailing & Maintenance · 22 min read · 4,961 words*

## The short version

- All 12 tire makers sell replacement tires under a *limited* warranty for defects in workmanship and materials, not nails, potholes or ordinary wear. It ends at the 2/32-inch wear bars or a time limit, whichever comes first.
- The time limit is 6 years (72 months) from purchase for Michelin, BFGoodrich, Goodyear, Cooper, Continental, General, Pirelli and Hankook, and 5 years (60 months) for Bridgestone, Firestone, Yokohama and Toyo.
- Free replacement usually stops at 12 months or the first 2/32 inch of wear. Bridgestone and Firestone print 3 years, Toyo prints 25% of usable tread within 60 months, and Yokohama prints the first 2/32 inch with no month limit.
- After that you pay a prorated share: usually the share of tread worn times the dealer’s current price. Mileage warranties prorate by miles driven instead, and the price each booklet uses differs.
- A mileage claim needs paperwork: the installation invoice with the odometer reading and, for most makers, rotation records (typically every 5,000 to 8,000 miles), plus evenly worn tread.
- Trial periods run from 30 days (Hankook, Yokohama) to 90 days (Bridgestone, Firestone), and 100 days on Hankook’s iON line, mostly as exchanges for another set of the same brand.

A tire warranty from the maker is a limited warranty with two parts: cover for defects in workmanship and materials for about five or six years, and, on many tire lines, a mileage promise that is paid as a prorated credit if the tread wears out early. On 7 October 2026 we read the current replacement-tire warranty document of 12 makers, straight from each maker’s own site: Michelin, BFGoodrich, Goodyear, Cooper, Bridgestone, Firestone, Continental, General, Pirelli, Hankook, Yokohama and Toyo. That is 11 documents, because Bridgestone and Firestone share one manual. We also read the federal rules that frame them. The tables below put the terms side by side with each document’s edition date. This site has no commercial relationship with any tire maker or retailer, and nothing here is a ranking.

**Figure: Free replacement first, then a prorated charge: where each booklet draws the lines**

For a defect in workmanship or materials on a replacement passenger or light truck tire, the window in which each maker’s booklet replaces the tire free, and when prorated coverage ends.

Source: each maker’s current replacement-tire warranty booklet (Yokohama: its warranty web page), read 7 October 2026. Coverage ends at the 2/32-inch wear bars in every booklet if that comes first. Not a ranking.

## What a tire maker’s warranty actually promises

If a tire fails because of how it was built, the maker replaces it: free early on, then for a prorated charge. Michelin puts it in one sentence: if there is a defect “during the life of the original usable tread, or six (6) years from date of purchase (whichever comes first), your tire may be replaced on a pro rata basis under this warranty.” The “life of the usable tread” ends at “2/32nds of an inch (1.6 mm) of tread remaining,” the height of the wear bars molded into the grooves.

Most makers add a treadwear or mileage warranty on some lines. That is a different promise: if the tread wears out evenly before a stated mileage, you get credit for the miles you did not get. It is never a free replacement. Bridgestone’s manual says of its mileage warranty, plainly, “There is no free replacement period.”

Three things a maker’s warranty almost never covers:

- **Road hazards.** Nails, cuts, potholes and curb strikes are excluded by Michelin, BFGoodrich, Goodyear, Cooper, Bridgestone, Firestone, Pirelli (except Run Flat tires), Yokohama and Toyo. Continental, General and some Hankook lines add limited road hazard cover for the first year, covered below. Store programs, such as the ones we read for [Costco](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/costco-tires/#road-hazard-warranty) and [Discount Tire](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/discount-tire-warranty/#certificates), exist to fill this gap.
- **Uneven or fast wear from the car.** Misalignment, worn suspension, wrong pressure and missed rotations are excluded.
- **Labor and taxes past the free period.** Once a claim is prorated, the booklets that spell it out put mounting, balancing and taxes on you; Bridgestone’s manual adds valve stems and disposal fees.

Federal law explains the word “limited.” Under [15 U.S.C. 2303(a)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2303), a written warranty that does not meet the federal minimum standards in section 2304 “shall be conspicuously designated a ‘limited warranty’.” Section 2304 says a full warranty may not “impose any duty other than notification” on the buyer unless the warrantor shows the duty is reasonable. All 12 documents are limited warranties, and Bridgestone, Continental, General and Hankook say they were designated a “Limited Warranty” under federal law.

## The documents we read, maker by maker

We took the document each maker’s own warranty page links for US replacement tires, not a retailer’s copy, and fingerprinted every PDF so a later change can be detected. Michelin’s (and BFGoodrich’s), Bridgestone’s, Firestone’s and Yokohama’s website terms forbid deep links, so those documents are named but not linked.

**Warranty documents read on 7 October 2026, with the edition each one prints**

| Maker | Document | Edition as printed | Warrantor |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Michelin | Owner’s Manual, Passenger and Light Truck Replacement Tire Limited Warranty | Copyright © 2025; MDW41156 Rev. 05/22 (file labelled February 2026) | Michelin North America, Inc. |
| BFGoodrich | Owner’s Manual, Replacement Tire Limited Warranty | Copyright © 2025; BMW21078 Rev. 04/25 | MNA, Inc. |
| Goodyear | [Limited Warranty, Tire Care and Maintenance Guide](https://www.goodyear.com/en-us/support/tire-warranty) (Goodyear and Kelly) | Printed 10/01/2026; tires bought on or after June 1, 2026 | The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company |
| Cooper | [Limited Warranty, Tire Care and Maintenance Guide](https://www.goodyear.com/en-us/support/tire-warranty/cooper-standard-warranty) (Cooper, Mastercraft, Starfire) | Printed 08/26, ©2026 | Goodyear (owner of Cooper) |
| Bridgestone, Firestone | Warranty Manual, Replacement Market Passenger and Light Truck Tires (one manual; Platinum Pact and Gold Pledge) | Effective Date 01/01/2024 | Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC |
| Continental | [Total Confidence Plan brochure](https://continentaltire.com/warranty) | Cover dates 12/4/2024 and 09/2026 | Continental Tire the Americas, LLC |
| General | [Limited Warranty & Adjustment Policy (Shield+ Advantage Plan)](https://generaltire.com/warranty) | 3/27/2025 (an edition dated 2/1/2025 is also linked) | Continental Tire the Americas, LLC |
| Pirelli | [Limited Warranty, Original Equipment & Replacement Passenger & Light Truck Tires](https://www.pirelli.com/tires/en-us/car/tire-use-guide-warranty/tire-warranty) | Effective 01-May-2026 | Pirelli Tire LLC |
| Hankook | [2026 Warranty Booklet (SureTire Plan)](https://www.hankooktire.com/us/en/help-support/warranty/suretire-plan.html) | ©2026; cover says “Effective 1/25”; tires bought after January 1, 2026 | Hankook Tire America Corp. |
| Yokohama | Warranty Information web page (Standard Limited Warranty and Limited Mileage Warranty) | Last Updated: February 2026 | Yokohama Tire Corporation |
| Toyo | [Passenger and Light Truck Tire Limited Warranty & Owner’s Manual](https://www.toyotires.com/customer-care/warranty-information/) | Effective March 2015 | Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp. |

Yokohama prints its warranty on a web page, with proration tables in a separate manual. Cooper’s own site returned an error page to every request, so we read the Cooper booklet where Goodyear, which owns Cooper, publishes it.

## Workmanship and materials: how long, and how long it is free

Two clocks run at once in every document, tread depth and time, and coverage ends when the first runs out.

**Defects in workmanship and materials: free-replacement window and end of coverage, as each document prints them**

| Maker | Free replacement | Prorated coverage ends (whichever comes first) | No receipt? |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Michelin, BFGoodrich | Within 12 months, while 2/32 inch or 25% of tread or less is worn, “whichever is more beneficial to you”; mounted and balanced free | Wear bars or 6 years from purchase | Date of manufacture on the sidewall |
| Goodyear, Cooper | First 2/32 inch or 12 months, whichever comes first; mounting and balancing included | Wear bars or 6 years from purchase | Date of manufacture |
| Bridgestone, Firestone | 3 years from purchase (4 from manufacture without proof); mounting and balancing included. Winter tires and temporary spares: no free period | Wear bars, 5 years from purchase or 6 from manufacture; tire under 10 years old | Manufacture date, with the longer periods |
| Continental, General | First 12 months or first 2/32 inch, whichever comes first; mounting and balancing included | Wear bars or 72 months from purchase | DOT date of manufacture |
| Pirelli | First year or first 2/32 inch, whichever occurs first; mounting and balancing included | Wear bars or 6 years from purchase | Date of manufacture |
| Hankook | First 2/32 inch and within one year; mounting and balancing included; not for winter tires | More than 2/32 inch left; 6 years from purchase | 6 years from manufacture |
| Yokohama | While 2/32 inch or less of usable tread is worn (no month limit printed); mounting and balancing free | Wear bars, 60 months from purchase or 72 from manufacture | 72 months from manufacture |
| Toyo | While 25% or less of usable tread is worn, within 60 months; uniformity complaints (out-of-round, pulling) within the first 1/32 inch | Wear bars or 60 months from purchase | DOT date of manufacture |

Watch the “or” and “and.” Goodyear, Cooper, Continental, General and Pirelli end the free window at 12 months or 2/32 inch, whichever comes first. Hankook requires both: within the first 2/32 inch *and* within one year. Michelin and BFGoodrich add a second depth test, 25% of the tread, and let you have whichever is more generous for your tire. By our arithmetic, Bridgestone’s and Firestone’s 3 years is 36 months, 24 more than the 12 months most of the others print; 8 of the 12 makers stop at 12 months.

Toyo’s 2015 booklet works differently again. A tire with “uniformity issues (e.g., out-of-round, ... or pulling)” is replaced free only “within the first 1/32” of tread use,” but other covered conditions get free replacement “when the original usable tread is worn by 25% or less, and within 60 months from the date of purchase.”

Without a receipt, every document uses the earlier date of manufacture. See [how to read the DOT date code](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-long-do-tires-last/#date-code). Bridgestone sets longer limits for that case: 4 years free and 6 in total from manufacture.

## How a prorated replacement is priced

After the free window, every maker replaces a defective tire for a share of the price of a new one. The share is the part of the tread you used. What differs, and what decides the bill, is which price the share is applied to.

**Prorated charge for a defect after the free window, in each document’s words**

| Maker | What you pay | Price it is applied to |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Michelin, BFGoodrich | Percentage of the original usable tread worn | “the current selling price of the replacement tire at the adjustment location”; membership clubs may use “the actual price paid by the consumer” |
| Goodyear, Cooper | Percentage of usable original tread worn off, plus an amount equal to Federal Excise Tax | “the tire’s advertised retail selling price at the time of adjustment” |
| Bridgestone, Firestone | Percent worn, based on used tread wear | “DEALER’S current selling price for the replacement tire(s)” |
| Continental, General | Percentage of the usable tread worn | “the Dealers Price (excluding all applicable taxes) at the time of the adjustment” |
| Pirelli | Percentage of the original usable tread worn | “the current dealer selling price” |
| Hankook | Framed as a credit: the percentage of tread remaining | “the Dealer’s current selling price for the same tire (excluding taxes)” |
| Yokohama | Percentage of usable tread worn | “the dealer’s current retail selling price of that tire” |
| Toyo | (Original usable tread worn) ÷ (Original usable tread) | “Actual current dealer selling price” |

Goodyear prints its own example: a tire that started with 8/32 inch of usable tread and is worn to 4/32 inch remaining means “you have used 50% and therefore must pay 50% of the advertised retail selling price of the comparable tire.” Here is a second case, worked by our arithmetic, on a hypothetical tire with 10/32 inch of usable tread above the wear bars:

- **Michelin and BFGoodrich’s 25% test.** 25% of 10/32 inch is 2.5/32 inch, more than the 2/32-inch alternative, so for this tire the 25% figure is the “more beneficial” one and the free window (inside 12 months) runs a little longer.
- **A prorated claim after 6/32 inch of wear.** 6 of 10 thirty-seconds is 60% worn. Under the percent-worn formulas you pay 60% of the price the booklet names; Hankook expresses the same tire as a 40% credit for tread remaining.

None of the formulas uses what you originally paid, apart from Michelin’s and BFGoodrich’s membership-club alternative, so if prices have risen you pay a share of the higher figure. Our pages on [Costco](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/costco-tires/#maker-warranty), [Sam’s Club](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/sams-club-tires/#maker-warranty) and [Discount Tire](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/discount-tire-warranty/#maker-warranty) cover what each store adds on top of the maker’s warranty.

## Mileage warranties: where the number is printed and how the credit works

The mileage figure changes by tire line, size and sometimes speed rating, so no booklet gives one number. Goodyear, Cooper, Bridgestone and Firestone, Pirelli and Hankook print a table of covered lines; Yokohama lists them on its warranty page; Michelin keeps them in a separate two-page flyer; Continental, General and Toyo point to their websites, and BFGoodrich to its retailers and website. Continental and General print only a ceiling: “up to 80,000 miles” and “up to 75,000 miles” on select products. Get your tire’s figure on the invoice.

**Treadwear (mileage) warranties as each document states them**

| Maker | Where the miles are listed | How the replacement is priced | Different front and rear sizes |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Michelin | Separate flyer; retailer or website | Percent of mileage received times the current selling price or the Michelin Base Price List price, “whichever is lower” | Half the miles on each tire |
| BFGoodrich | Retailer or website | Same formula, with the BFGoodrich Base Price List | Half on each rear tire |
| Goodyear | Table in the booklet | Share of miles delivered times the advertised selling price; up to 6 years | Rear-tire mileage printed for some lines |
| Cooper | Table in the booklet | Same as Goodyear; up to 6 years | A rear-tire figure printed for one line |
| Bridgestone, Firestone | Tables in the manual | Percent of warranted mileage times the dealer’s current price; up to 5 years; projection allowed at 3/32 or 4/32 inch | Rear tires get half |
| Continental, General | Website (“up to 80,000” / “up to 75,000”) | Miles delivered divided by miles warranted, times the current price; 72 months | Rear axle gets 50% |
| Pirelli | Table in the booklet | Current dealer price times the percentage of warranted mileage used | Rear tires get 50%; non-ELECT tires on electric vehicles “up to 80%” |
| Hankook | Table in the booklet | Credit for the percentage of warranted miles not received; projection allowed up to 4/32 inch; 6 years | Half if the tires cannot be rotated every 7,500 miles |
| Yokohama | List on the warranty page | Percentage of warranted miles received times the dealer’s current retail price; 60 months | Rear tires get half |
| Toyo | Product pages | (Actual Miles Driven) ÷ (Amount of Warranted Miles) times the current dealer price; installed within 60 months | Rear tires up to 50% |

Every mileage warranty requires the tread to have worn *evenly*. A tire that wore out on one shoulder is an alignment or rotation problem in the makers’ eyes and is excluded. Most describe the claim as a tire worn down to the bars. Bridgestone and Hankook spell out an exception: both accept a tire pulled early and project the miles it would have reached. Bridgestone’s manual turns away tires “with more than 4/32 inch (3.2 mm) remaining tread depth,” and Hankook those with “more that 4/32nds remaining.” Bridgestone’s own example takes a tire run 45,000 miles to 4/32 inch, projects 60,000 miles and charges 92% against a 65,000-mile warranty.

By our arithmetic, take a hypothetical 60,000-mile tire that started with 10/32 inch of tread and was pulled at 3/32 inch after 42,000 miles. It used 7/32 inch, or 6,000 miles per 1/32. One more 1/32 to reach the bars gives 48,000 projected miles, which is 80% of the warranty. Bridgestone would charge 80% of its dealer’s current price for the replacement; Hankook would give a 20% credit. The other booklets describe a mileage claim on a tire worn to the bars, so ask the dealer before pulling a tire early.

Staggered fitments (different front and rear sizes) cannot be rotated front to back, and most booklets cut their mileage; Goodyear and Cooper print rear-tire figures for some lines only. On a 50,000-mile warranty, half is 25,000 miles by our arithmetic. Michelin’s current booklet applies the cut to “each tire”; BFGoodrich, from the same company, to “each rear tire.” Bridgestone says the front tires keep “the full limited mileage warranty.”

**Figure: Annotated photograph**

Three numbered callouts over a stack of tire treads mark a groove, a moulded code on the sidewall edge and the tread face, with where every maker's warranty ends, how coverage is dated without a receipt, and the rotation rules behind mileage claims.

The twelve tire makers’ warranty booklets and pages, read on 7 October 2026, end coverage at the 2/32-inch wear bars or at the time limit if sooner (callout 1), date coverage from the DOT manufacture date when there is no receipt (callout 2), and tie mileage claims to rotation, typically every 5,000 to 8,000 miles (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative.

## Conditions you have to keep: rotation, records and receipts

Every mileage warranty we read requires regular rotation and proof of the mileage when the tires were fitted, and most want rotation records. Intervals run from every 5,000 miles to every 8,000. Our page on [rotation intervals](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-rotation-cost/#interval) explains why the vehicle maker’s figure can differ again.

**Rotation and record-keeping conditions for a mileage claim**

| Maker | Rotation | What to keep |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Michelin, BFGoodrich | Every 6,000 to 8,000 miles, or the vehicle maker’s interval if less; missing it “voids the treadwear warranty” | Mounting and Rotation Service Record, “fully completed and signed”; installation form; original invoice |
| Goodyear, Cooper | The “prescribed rotation patterns” of the vehicle maker or Goodyear; the care guide says at most every 6,000 miles | Original invoice showing “the tire description, mileage and date the tire(s) were installed” |
| Bridgestone, Firestone | Vehicle maker’s recommendation or every 5,000 miles (maintenance manual) | Proof showing “the date, mileage, and servicing location”; “A sales receipt containing this information will suffice.” |
| Continental, General | At least every 6,000 to 8,000 miles, or sooner if uneven wear appears | Completed Rotation Schedule from the brochure; receipt with the odometer reading at purchase |
| Pirelli | At least every 5,000 to 7,000 miles | Invoice with the odometer reading at installation; Tire Rotation Record completed by an authorized Pirelli dealer |
| Hankook | Every 7,500 miles or fewer | Installation, rotation and removal records |
| Yokohama | Every 5,000 miles | Proof of purchase stating the installation mileage; proof of rotation |
| Toyo | The vehicle owner’s manual interval; Toyo recommends 3,500 miles or less for V-rated and faster tires, 7,500 or less for standard tires | The booklet’s Tire Service Record showing “the times and places” of rotations; original sales invoice |

Michelin, BFGoodrich and Hankook want winter tires used only between September 1 and April 30, with records of each change. Pirelli honors non-ELECT tires on an electric vehicle “up to 80%” of the listed miles, and Yokohama says its mileage warranties “may be lower when mounted on EV’s” unless the tire carries the EV mark. Commercial use, ride-share included, voids mileage cover in the booklets that address it.

## How to make a claim

Every maker handles claims through a dealer, who inspects the tire and fills in the maker’s claim form; Toyo also takes claims on tires bought online, through the merchant or Toyo itself. A tire accepted for a claim becomes the maker’s property in the booklets that address it.

- **Michelin and BFGoodrich:** “Take your tire to any Michelin tire retailer” (or BFGoodrich retailer), with the vehicle, ID, registration, service record and original invoice.
- **Goodyear and Cooper:** an authorized Goodyear or Kelly (or Cooper, Mastercraft or Starfire) service facility, with the claim submitted “on an approved claim form supplied by an authorized” facility.
- **Bridgestone and Firestone:** an authorized dealer; you “Complete and sign the customer section of the Bridgestone Limited Warranty adjustment form.”
- **Continental and General:** “Please return tires to the authorized Continental brand tire dealer where purchased,” with the original sales receipt; General says the same of its dealers.
- **Pirelli:** an authorized Pirelli dealer with proof of purchase; the dealer sends the tire on and “Pirelli’s Tire Inspection Personnel will then authorize the remedy.”
- **Hankook and Yokohama:** an authorized dealer in the United States (Hankook adds Puerto Rico), with proof of purchase.
- **Toyo:** an authorized dealer, with the vehicle, “the original copy of this Limited Warranty, and the original sales invoice”; for online purchases “You are responsible for all of the costs of dismounting and shipping.”

**Where you buy can decide whether a claim is honored.** Michelin says “Unauthorized tire dealers cannot provide the Michelin Promise Plan,” and BFGoodrich says the same of its Standard Manufacturer’s Limited Warranty. Yokohama excludes “Mileage and 30-day trial warranties on tires purchased from unauthorized Yokohama dealers.” Bridgestone warns that wholesale clubs and online sellers “may not service your warranty unless you hold a current membership and/or have purchased your tires at their location,” and Pirelli that some dealers’ terms “differ from the terms of this Limited Warranty.” Before you buy from a marketplace seller, ask who will take the claim.

## Trial offers, road hazard and roadside extras

Most offers are exchanges for the same brand, several cover only listed lines or full sets, and all exclude road hazard damage and misuse.

**Trial and satisfaction offers printed by each maker**

| Maker | Period | What you get, and the main limits |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Michelin | 60 days | Exchange at the place of purchase “for a new set of tires of equal or lesser value”; original receipt; up to 6 tires per customer |
| BFGoodrich | 60 days | Same exchange, “on select BFGoodrich tire lines” |
| Goodyear | 60 days | Exchange for Goodyear, Cooper, Kelly or Mastercraft tires on listed lines; not if worn past the first 2/32 inch; at the store that sold them |
| Cooper | 45 days | Exchange for Goodyear, Cooper, Kelly or Mastercraft tires |
| Bridgestone, Firestone | 90 days | Credit toward a new set of Bridgestone or Firestone tires; sets of 4 or more only; one set per vehicle in any 12-month period. Firestone’s page adds “In-store installation required and costs extra.” |
| Continental | 60 days or the first 2/32 inch | Exchange one or more of a new set of four for Continental tires of equal or lesser value; mounting and balancing included |
| General | 45 days or the first 2/32 inch | Same terms, for General tires |
| Pirelli | 60 days or the first 2/32 inch | Select lines, set of four: exchange for another Pirelli set, or a refund “less taxes and fees” if no suitable line fits |
| Hankook | 30 days | A new set of Hankook tires; 4 to 6 tires only; the iON trial is 100 days, “limited to 1,000 miles” |
| Yokohama | 30 days | Set of four, no more than 1/32 inch worn: “a full refund,” including mounting, balancing and taxes |
| Toyo | 500 miles or 45 days | Sets of four or more from a participating dealer: replacement or refund of the tire price; “Online purchases are not eligible.” Printed on Toyo’s web page, not in its booklet |

A few makers add cover that has nothing to do with defects. Continental’s brochure replaces a tire with “an unrepairable road hazard condition during the first 2/32nds of an inch (1.6 mm) of treadwear or first 12 months from date of purchase,” and calls it goodwill, “not a warranty.” General prints the same cover for tires bought on or after 2/1/2025. Hankook replaces listed tire lines after a non-repairable road hazard within one year and the first 2/32 inch, once per tire, and not for run-flat or LT-metric tires. Pirelli covers road hazards only on its Run Flat and RunForward tires, for the first year or 2/32 inch.

Michelin includes roadside assistance for 3 years, with towing “up to 150 miles” if no inflated spare is available. Continental offers 3 years of flat-tire roadside help (3 covered events) and trip interruption cover with a “Limit $200.00 per day maximum benefit, and a total annual maximum benefit of $500.00,” both only after you register the tires online.

Repairs need care. Continental and General say that if a tire’s failure “is in any way associated with a repair, the manufacturer’s warranty is invalidated,” and Bridgestone that “Improper repair voids this Limited Warranty.” Sealants and balancing compounds added after the factory are excluded by Michelin, Goodyear, Bridgestone and Pirelli among others. See our page on [run-flat repairs](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/run-flat-tires/#repair). Weather cracking has its own cutoff: 4 years from purchase at Goodyear and Cooper, 48 months from purchase at Continental, General and Yokohama, 4 years from manufacture at Bridgestone and Hankook, and 5 years from manufacture at Toyo; Michelin excludes “Minor cosmetic ozone or weather cracking.”

## What federal law adds

**Tie-ins.** [15 U.S.C. 2302(c)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2302) bars a warrantor from conditioning a warranty on the buyer using a branded article or service unless it is provided free, and [16 CFR 700.10(c)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/16/700.10) says no warrantor may condition the warranty “on the use of only authorized repair service” for non-warranty maintenance. Most booklets ask for proof of rotation without saying who must do it. Pirelli’s treadwear conditions say “Your servicing tire dealer must be an authorized Pirelli dealer and must have completed the Tire Rotation Record.” How the rule applies to that condition is a question for the FTC or a lawyer.

**Implied warranties.** Under [15 U.S.C. 2308](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2308), a supplier that gives a written warranty may not disclaim implied warranties, but may limit their duration “to the duration of a written warranty of reasonable duration, if such limitation is conscionable.” Pirelli and Yokohama use that kind of wording, and Michelin says its warranty “limits the length of all express and implied claims.” Goodyear’s booklet states that Goodyear “HEREBY DISCLAIMS” all other warranties, express or implied, and Toyo’s that it “DISCLAIMS ALL OTHER WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED.”

**Seeing the terms first.** [16 CFR 702.3](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/16/702.3) requires the seller of a warranted product to make the warranty text “readily available for examination by the prospective buyer,” on display or on request before the sale. Michelin’s booklet makes claims subject to binding arbitration at either party’s election, and Bridgestone’s offers to “advance the first $250 of the filing and hearing fees” for an arbitration you bring.

**The treadwear grade is not a warranty.** The number after “TREADWEAR” on a passenger-car tire comes from NHTSA’s grading rule, [49 CFR 575.104](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/49/575.104). It is “a comparative rating based on the wear rate of the tire when tested under controlled conditions on a specified government test course” of about 400 miles: “a tire graded 150 would wear one and one-half (1 1/2 ) times as well on the government course as a tire graded 100.” It promises no mileage; only a maker’s mileage warranty does.

## Where the documents disagree with themselves

- **Michelin changed its staggered-fitment rule.** The 2022 edition we read for our Costco page halved the mileage on “each rear tire” and its service record said “rotated every 7,500 miles”; the edition Michelin links now halves it on “each tire” and drops the 7,500 line. Its back cover prints “Rev. 05/22” beside “Copyright © 2025.”
- **Michelin on registration.** The inside cover says registering makes you “eligible for the benefits of the Michelin Promise Plan”; a later page says “Tire registration is not required for warranty coverage.”
- **Goodyear and Cooper dates.** Goodyear lists its booklet as “Effective 06/02/26” while the booklet covers tires bought “on or after June 1, 2026.” The Cooper booklet listed as effective 08/01/26 covers tires “purchased on or after June1, 2024.”
- **Hankook.** The 2026 booklet’s cover says “Effective 1/25” and its pages carry “2025” headers. Its web page says mileage cover runs “up to 90,000 miles,” while the booklet’s table starts at “100,000 Optimo H727.”
- **Toyo** still links a booklet “Effective March 2015.”

## Before you buy: a checklist

- **Ask for the booklet.** The seller must show it before the sale; check its edition date against your purchase date.
- **Get the mileage figure in writing.** The figure for your exact line, size and speed rating, with the odometer reading, belongs on the invoice.
- **Buy from an authorized dealer,** or ask an online seller who takes warranty claims.
- **Rotate at the shorter interval** of the booklet and your vehicle manual, and get every rotation dated, with mileage and the shop’s name.
- **Expect half the miles on staggered fitments** (on the rear tires, or on all four under Michelin’s current wording).
- **Register the tires** for recalls, and keep the receipt.
- **Know the trial terms** before you rely on them: exchange or refund, full set or not, and the wear limit.

## Common questions

### How long is a tire warranty?

For defects, 6 years from purchase at eight of the makers and 5 years at Bridgestone, Firestone, Yokohama and Toyo, or until the tread reaches the 2/32-inch wear bars if that comes first. Mileage warranties run for the miles listed for your tire line within those limits.

### Does a tire warranty cover a nail or a pothole?

Not under most makers’ standard terms: road hazards are excluded. Continental and General replace a tire with an unrepairable road hazard in the first 12 months or 2/32 inch, Hankook does for listed lines in the first year, and Pirelli for Run Flat tires. For anything later, look at the store’s program, such as [Costco’s road hazard warranty](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/costco-tires/#road-hazard-warranty) or [Walmart’s tire terms](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/walmart-tires/).

### How is a tire mileage warranty prorated?

By the share of the warranted miles you used. Continental’s example: 45,000 miles on a 60,000-mile tire is 75%, so you pay 75% of the current price for the replacement. Michelin and BFGoodrich use the lower of the store’s price and their base price list; Hankook gives the unused share as a credit.

### Do I need receipts and rotation records?

For a mileage claim, yes: every booklet asks for proof of the mileage at installation, and most for rotation records. For a defect claim, the receipt sets the start date.

### Is a tire warranty transferable if I sell the car?

Generally not. The documents cover the original purchaser or original owner, and Cooper’s and Yokohama’s say the warranty is “not transferable.” Goodyear words its defect cover around “the owner or authorized agent of the owner,” but its Tread Life warranty “applies only if you are the original purchaser.” Moving the tires to another vehicle also ends most mileage cover.

## Sources and further reading

- [15 U.S.C. § 2308 (Implied warranties)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2308)
- [16 CFR Part 702 (Pre-Sale Availability of Written Warranty Terms)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-702)

Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it.

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