Subject: | Revised General Motors New Vehicle Tire Warranty Program |
Models: | 1996-2008 GM Passenger Cars and Light Duty Trucks |
2003-2008 HUMMER H2 |
2006-2008 HUMMER H3 |
EXCEPT Saab and Saturn Vehicles |
Attention: | "GM of Canada" and "IPC" dealers are not authorized to utilize this service bulletin. This bulletin announces a new tire warranty program. All Service and Warranty personnel connected with tire warranty coverage and claims submission should review this bulletin. |
This bulletin is being revised to include an Important statement in the What Is Covered section. Please discard Corporate Bulletin Number 00-03-10-003L (Section 03 -- Suspension).
GM provides it's customers with comprehensive coverage on OEM new vehicle tires. In many cases this warranty exceeds the coverage provided by the tire manufacturers themselves. The GM new vehicle tire warranty program is designed to offer dealers the required amount of latitude to handle any type of tire concern and repair the customers vehicle with a minimum of approvals. The web based feedback structure for reporting and shipping tire returns remains unchanged.
The sections below detail what conditions are warrantable under the terms of the New Vehicle Warranty. All tire warranty replacements made by a GM dealer are without a mileage pro-rate charge.
Only Original Equipment (OE) tires are covered against defects in material and workmanship. OE tires will have a Tire Performance Criteria (TPC) number molded on the sidewall near the tire size. (Exceptions: Vibe, and Aveo, do not use TPC tires, but are still covered.) Any replaced tire will continue to be covered for the remaining portion of the New Vehicle Warranty. Tires will be warranted without prorated charges for tread mileage.
Important: Tires purchased by consumers beyond the New Vehicle Bumper-to-Bumper coverage or even replaced during the Bumper-to-Bumper coverage for wear out are warranted by the tire manufacturer (including tires purchased through the Goodwrench Tire Program). Contact the tire manufacturer for warranty processing instructions.
Following expiration of GM's coverage, tires may continue to be warranted, on a pro-rated basis, by the tire manufacturer. Review the tire manufacturer's booklet (included as part of the glove box material).
• | Non-original equipment tires (those without a TPC number molded on the sidewall (except Aveo and Vibe) are not covered. |
• | Normal tire wear and wear out is not covered. |
Important: Tire wear greatly varies by both the tire type installed and the driving habits of the owner. OEM tires installed on GM vehicles are evaluated for many different criteria and may have been selected to optimize handling, ride quality, load carrying or traction demands. Different types of tires will experience different rates of wear, resulting from all of the above factors. No warranty is offered on the usable tread life of the tires. |
• | Uneven wear from damaged, worn or mis-aligned suspension components is not covered unless the wear has resulted from a warrantable suspension condition. Tire replacements resulting from these allowable suspension conditions should be included on the same RO#. (If this is not possible the RO# for the tire replacement should reference the RO# the warrantable suspension component/condition is listed on, or be attached). |
• | Road hazard is not covered. This includes punctures, cuts, impact breaks, etc. |
Important: Road hazard is covered by the tire manufacturer on self sealing and run flat tires. |
• | Damage resulting from driving with low tire pressures. |
• | Damage resulting from improper tire repairs. |
• | Damage resulting from extended driving on a flat tire (Except Run-Flat and Self-Sealing Tires). |
• | Damage due to misuse, negligence, lack of maintenance, alteration, racing and vandalism is not covered. |
Tires are returned for evaluation to the original manufacturer of the tire. Tires that do not conform to the warrantable conditions outlined in the section above are then returned to GM for further evaluation. Tires returned to GM for non-warrantable conditions WILL BE CHARGED back to the claiming dealer.
By far the most frequent non-warrantable condition claimed is road damage, followed by improper wear. With the exception of run-flat or self-sealing tires, road damage is NOT a warrantable condition. The following are photos of actual returned tires that DO NOT have warrantable conditions.
The tire shown above has two non-warrantable conditions. This tire is both badly worn on the inside shoulder (over extended mileage) and has suffered air leakage from a screw still in the tread. Neither of these conditions are warranty related and a dealer feedback was generated on this item.
This tire was returned for air leakage. The source of the air leakage is a tire plug installed in a non-approved portion of the tire. This tire has been damaged by a road hazard and does NOT exhibit a warrantable condition. A dealer feedback was issued on this tire.
The next sample tire shows both sidewall wear, and cuts in a circumradial line extending completely around the tire. This damage is the result of extended driving on a tire that is completely flat. The extensive sidewall wear is from contact with the road at that point.
This tire was damaged by extended driving on a flat just as the tire above it was. This photo shows the inside view. Shredding of the inside may not always be accompanied by obvious exterior damage. In either of these cases, this type of damage is the result of abuse and is NOT a warrantable condition.
This final example of common road damage is called a "rim-pinch". The air leak is caused by the tire folding and contacting the rim. Frequently this type of damage will cause a sidewall bulge when the tire is inflated, due to internal cord breakage. It is common for this type of damage to only be visible from the inside of the tire. The pictured tire is properly marked and shows a typical tear in the cord. This type of damage is considered road hazard and is NOT warrantable.
Important: These are only a sampling of the conditions exhibited in warranty tire returns. GM is not responsible for, and WILL NOT replace tires sent in for conditions under the "What is Not Covered" section above.
Please advise customers the importance of regular tire rotations and maintaining suggested air pressure. Vehicle Owners Manuals contain tire rotation requirements. Placards located in the door jamb, glove box or under the trunk lids of GM vehicles state the recommended tire pressures for the vehicle.
GM dealers are required to use the Global Tire Warranty & Claims (GTWC) website to electronically create the Tire Return Form and the UPS e-Label to return the replaced tire(s). The website will also be used to pre-approve the warranty claim once the replaced tire(s) have been picked up by UPS.
The GTWC website is designed to allow GM to collect and monitor data on tires being replaced on all GM vehicles, providing early detection of product concerns. In addition, the website provides a Tire Return Form and e-Label for returning the tire. The website does NOT order the tire.
Each replaced tire must be entered into the GTWC website. When there is more than one tire per vehicle, the additional information must be entered for each tire. To simplify the data entry, the website will populate common information when new screens are used, only the specific tire information will need to be entered. The GTWC system will generate a unique adjustment number for each tire.
A new element of the process is the pre-authorization of the warranty claim by the GTWC website. This will occur once the returned tire(s) are picked up and scanned by UPS. Warranty claims submitted prior to the tire being scanned will be returned. Accurate input of all data into the GTWC website will be required to validate (pre-authorize) the warranty claim. If the Dealer Code, the VIN, the RO number and the RO date are not the same on both the GTWC record and the warranty claim, the warranty claim will reject.
Users may access the GTWC system using any PC that can connect to the Internet. The minimum browser version required is Netscape 4.78 or Internet Explorer 5.0 (with Service Pack 2) or higher. Prior to calling the GTWC Help Desk, please make sure you are using a PC with the appropriate level of browser. Please note that you cannot access GTWC from GM ACCESS.
All tires must be ordered through the GM Goodwrench Tire Program. The only tires not currently available are the Maxxis and Kumho brand tires. These tires must be purchased from a tire retailer.
All tires replaced under the New Vehicle Limited Bumper-to-Bumper Warranty must be returned immediately to the tire manufacturer by the dealership. The UPS e-Label generated from the GTWC website must be used to ship the tire back to the manufacturer. The UPS e-Label will have the unique Adjustment Number on it that matches the Tire Return Form for the tire. A copy of the Tire Return Form and the Repair Order must be attached to the tire. Please note that the tire(s) must be picked up and scanned by UPS before the warranty claim is submitted. Failure to do so will cause the claim to be returned. For UPS pick-up service assistance, use their toll-free number 1-800-PICK-UPS (1-800-742-5877).
The GM Warranty Parts Center (WPC) will NOT be requesting any tires. Do NOT hold tires anticipating they will be requested. Tires should not be held for Area Service Manager inspection unless specifically requested.
When returning tires, follow these steps:
• | Use a tire crayon to mark the tire indicating the reason for replacement or location of the defect. |
• | A printed copy of the completed GTWC Tire Return Form (with the unique Adjustment Number shown at the top and full DOT number ) AND a copy of the dealership repair order must be placed in an envelope and securely taped to EACH tire . |
• | The UPS e-Label must be folded at the line indicated and securely attached to EACH tire being returned. THE BARCODE MUST BE VISIBLE. If the barcode cannot be read, the warranty claim will not be authorized. |
OPERATION DESCRIPTION | OP NUM | Labor Time |
---|---|---|
TIRE, GOODYEAR/DUNLOP-- REPLACE | E0431 | Use Current Published Labor Times |
TIRE, CONTINENTAL/GENERAL -- REPLACE | E0432 | Use Current Published Labor Times |
TIRE, MICHELIN -- REPLACE | E0433 | Use Current Published Labor Times |
TIRE, UNIROYAL -- REPLACE | E0434 | Use Current Published Labor Times |
TIRE, BF GOODRICH -- REPLACE | E0435 | Use Current Published Labor Times |
TIRE, BRIDGESTONE -- REPLACE | E0436 | Use Current Published Labor Times |
TIRE, FIRESTONE -- REPLACE | E0437 | Use Current Published Labor Times |
TIRE, *KUMHO -- REPLACE | E0438 | Use Current Published Labor Times |
TIRE, HANKOOK -- REPLACE | E0439 | Use Current Published Labor Times |
TIRE, PIRELLI -- REPLACE | E0440 | Use Current Published Labor Times |
TIRE, *MAXXIS-- REPLACE | E0441 | Use Current Published Labor Times |
*Maxxis and Kumho tires must be purchased directly and are not currently part of the GM Goodwrench Tire Program.
For any tire replaced because of transportation damage or incorrect parts, use labor code S0030 and submit as a transportation claim. Transportation claims should not be submitted into the GTWC website and do not require approval prior to submission. DO NOT use the tire replace labor codes for any tire replaced due to transportation damage or incorrect parts.
Bridgestone/ Firestone | 1-800-847-3272 (Bridgestone) 1-800-356-4644 (Firestone) |
Continental/General | 1-800-TIRE FIX (1-800-847-3349) |
Goodyear/Dunlop | 1-888-OE SERVICE (1-888-637-3784) |
Michelin/Uniroyal/Goodrich | 1-800-TIRE HELP (1-800-847-3435) |
Kumho | 1-800-335-8646 Ext. 338 |
Hankook | 1-800-426-8252 |
Pirelli | 1-800-747-3554 prompt 1 (1-800-PIRELLI) |
Maxxis | 1-866-509-7067 |
GTWC Website / Phone #: https://gtwc.gm.com / 1-888-337-1010 (prompt #4)
GM Goodwrench Tire Program: 1-866-408-3564
UPS Pick-Up Service Assistance: 1-800-PICK-UPS (1-800-742-5877)