Malibu Flyer

I just noticed a large bubble in the sidewall of my 2 month old OEM Michelin tire. The tire has only a few thousand miles on it.

I assume this is a problem just waiting to rupture and that it should be replaced for safety reasons. Is this something that would be covered on the Michelin warranty? The tire was purchased from my local Acura dealer. Should they handle the warranty or do I need to deal directly with the manufacturer?

I have attached a picture.

CurrentDraw

If you have a road hazard warranty your Acura dealer will put a brand new tire on, no questions asked. If you don't have the warranty but do have a good relationship with the dealer and take your vehicle there for regular service they'll probably be able to goodwill it for you. Not always the case but happens.

Judging by the witness marks on the wheel right by the bubble, the cause was a nasty pot hole/impact. Good luck sir.

Malibu Flyer

How big a risk is a bubble of that size?

CurrentDraw

I would get it replaced sooner than later. Another hard impact around the bubble area may cause it to rupture. No reason to risk it.

pgeorg

I agree, I would change it asap! Even just driving on the highway can cause it to rupture. The integrity of the tire is definitely compromised.

thoiboi

Michelin should have a warranty on it, you shouldn't have any problems replacing it.

RLX-Sport Hybrid

As a pilot would say, eject, eject, eject. Get that replaced asap. Pgeorg is right, as usual.

TacoBello

In general, if something happens to the sidewall of a tire, it should be replaced as soon as possible. The rolling surface of a tire is engineered to take much more abuse than the sidewalls are. You can repair a puncture on the rolling surface. The same damage to a sidewall means the tire is garbage.

You're tire isn't in an "Oh my God, I need to tow the car now" state, but as mentioned already, I'd look into fixing it as soon as conveniently possible, for the simple reason you may get stuck on the side of the road, having to put your spare on (does the RLX come with a spare anymore?)

Malibu Flyer

Thanks for the opinion. I will get into the dealer this week.

The low profile tires have been a disappointment for me. I have had two sidewall blowouts already plus this bubble in 25,000 miles. It gets expensive.

After my first blowout I added the spare tire kit. A spare tire shouldn't be an option on this car with the ease with which the tires pop their sidewallls. I know they leave it out for weight reasons but still I think it should be included, espically with how hard it is to find replacements due to the unique tire size. Few places stock the OEM tires which means a special order and a wait for them to arrive.

Malibu Flyer

Just to finish off this thread I wanted to let you know that i did take the car into my dealer who was glad to replace the tire "under warranty". I am somewhat skeptical because my service rep said he would mail me the paperwork after he submitted a warranty claim [presumably to Michelin]. I suppose i shouldn't care since I have a new tire for free.