Keeping a watchful eye on tire tread and condition helps reduce tire problems and ensures your safety and that of your passengers.
10 Tire Problems and How to Prevent And Fix Them
Published on Jan. 07, 2025
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Prevention
Avoiding tire problems starts with you, the vehicle driver. The problems listed ahead have unique reasons that cause them. However, each of them can be lessened by performing these basic maintenance steps:
- Visually inspect tires once a week.
- Check tire pressure every month.
- Rotate and balance tires and wheels every 5,000 to 8,000 miles.
- “Getting a wheel (suspension) alignment once a year,” recommends Jim DeLeo, Hunter Engineering Company Northeast Division Manager.
PRO TIP: Driving with under inflated tires is dangerous. Under inflated tires can quickly overheat which can lead to a devastating blowout.
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Why Do My Tires Keep Losing Air?
Unfortunately, over time, tires naturally lose air pressure, but tires can lose air pressure more quickly for various reasons.
What to Look For
- Punctures/slow leak
- Wheel or tire porosity
- Valve stem or valve stem core
- Torn or damaged tire bead or a rusted or corroded bead seat/wheel lip or flange
How to Prevent Tires From Losing Air
- A puncture is almost impossible to prevent, but maintaining proper air pressure and not driving on bald tires reduces the chance of picking up a nail and getting a flat tire.
- Wheel and tire porosity are usually manufacturer defects. But dry rot (see below) can also cause slow, difficult-to-find air pressure leaks.
- Always replace valve stem caps to prevent road salts and debris from attacking and eroding the valve stem seals.
- A tire with a torn or damaged bead (the section that seals the tire to the wheel) usually needs to be replaced. A wheel bead seat damaged from bouncing off a curb or hitting a pothole can cause a tire to lose air pressure. In addition, a damaged bead seat that lets air escape can let moisture in. Moisture that will cause any metal in the wheel to rust or corrode.
How to Fix It
- DeLeo says, “Except for run-flat tires, which you should never attempt to repair, most tires with a small puncture (less than a 1/4 inch) in the main tread area can be fixed.” Although there are several accepted methods for repairing tires, DeLeo only recommends using “a combination plug patch.” This requires removing the tire from the wheel, but he says, “It’s the most dependable and longest lasting (tire) repair.”
- Air seeping through a porous wheel can be sealed with epoxy or an industrial-grade sealer/adhesive.
- A cracked or damaged valve stem will need to be replaced. You can replace the valve core yourself, but you’ll need access to an air compressor to refill the tire. Be aware, I found it is very easy to ruin a tire-pressure monitoring system (TPMS) valve stem by overtightening the valve core. Dorman Products makes an inexpensive valve stem torque wrench that prevents damaging a TPMS valve stem.
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Dry Rotting
Tire dehydration, ultraviolet rays (UV), heat, cold, age and caustic chemicals all attack tires, causing “dry rot.”
What to Look For
Dry rot is usually found on a tire’s sidewall. Inspect for cracking, splitting and tread separation. Dry rot can also be found in a tire’s tread area.
How to Prevent
- Drive your car; a car sitting in one spot for extended periods of time can ruin tires.
- Keep tires clean using tire cleaners (mild soap and water works as well).
- Apply UV protectant.
- Use tire covers and keep in a cool, dry place if you’re storing your vehicle for long periods.
How to Fix It
- Dry rot is not repairable. In my state of Pennsylvania, and as a certified PennDOT Safety Inspection Mechanic, a vehicle cannot pass an annual safety inspection if “a part of (a tire) ply or cord is exposed.”
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Tires Hard To Turn
There are numerous reasons why it can be hard to turn your tires, from low power steering (PS) fluid or an out-of-alignment suspension to a slipping serpentine belt, but from my experience, low tire pressure is the main reason a car’s tires are hard to turn (or the steering wheel struggling to retun to the center position after turning). It’s the same as trying to pedal a bicycle that has flat tires.
How to Prevent
- Check power steering fluid.
- Check serpentine belt tension.
How to Fix It
- Check and set all fluid levels.
- Replace serpentine belt if loose or worn.
- Repair or replace leaking tires and or valve stems/cores.
- Check suspension components for damage or wear.
- Have the wheel alignment checked if the condition persists.
- Replace tires if too far worn.
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Tires Keep Going Bald
Again, there are many reasons why tires might keep going bald. However, Jonathan Stull, ASE and Ford master technician says, “Tire under or over inflation is the number one cause of premature tire wear.”
How to Prevent
- Don’t overload your vehicle by carrying too much extra weight.
- During every oil change, check for loose or damaged suspension components (shocks/struts, wheel bearings, and tie-rod ends are the most likely suspects).
- Stop driving aggressively. Hard acceleration from a stop, constant hard braking and sharp turns at high speeds can all promote faster tire wear.
How to Fix It
- Do not exceed tire maximum load limits.
- Evenly distribute any heavy loads to avoid putting too much pressure on one side of the vehicle.
- Consider tires with a higher load rating (but don’t exceed your vehicle’s recommended load limits).
- Repair any worn or damaged suspension components and have the wheel alignment checked.
- Change your driving habits. Aggressive and reckless driving can have considerable consequences beyond your tires going bald.
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Tires Wearing Unevenly
Driving on unevenly worn tires is dangerous! The tire section that touches the road is called the contact patch or footprint, and it’s designed to match the size and weight of your vehicle. Surprisingly, the contact patch isn’t much larger than the palm of your hand. When tires wear unevenly, the tread contacting the road is greatly reduced, decreasing steering control while increasing stopping distances.
What to Look For
- Center wear: Overinflation causes the center tread area to wear faster than the rest of the tire tread. Overinflated tires are prone to impact damage.
- Excessive inner or outer wear: The alignment angles (caster and or toe-in/toe-out) are out of specification if the tires wear only on the inner or outer edge.
How to Prevent
- Check tire pressure once a month and visually inspect the tire for uneven wear once a week.
- Avoid hitting potholes and curbs.
- Check tires are not out of balance.
- Check for loose or damaged suspension components during every oil change.
- Have wheel alignment checked once a year. DeLeo recommends having your car aligned “sooner if your vehicle pulls to one side while driving or braking, steering wheel shakes, the tires are noisy or squeaking while driving, or the steering wheel is ‘off-center’ when driving straight down the road.”
How to Fix It
- Maintain proper air pressure.
- Rotate and balance tires and wheels every 5,000 to 8,000 miles to help even out tire wear.
- Replace any worn or damaged steering components.
- Have the wheels (suspension) aligned.
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Irregular Tread Wear
Different than uneven tire wear, irregular tread wear is just as dangerous.
What to Look For
- Cupping or Scalloping: Patchy worn sections around the tire’s circumference.
- Feather-edge: Your tires will most likely be noisy before you see any wear. Try running your hand across the tire and feel for angled or sharply diagonal tread on one side of the tire.
- Flat spots: Flat spots worn in the middle of a tire.
How to Prevent
- Check for tire imbalance.
- Check for loose or damaged suspension components during every oil change.
- Stop constantly slamming on the brakes.
- Stop making high-speed sharp turns.
- Check for hydraulic brake or mechanical issues causing brake lock-up. Stull says, “A bad anti-lock wheel speed sensor can cause wheel lock-up during normal braking.”
How to Fix It
- Check tire pressure once a month and visually inspect tire for uneven wear once a week.
- Rotate and balance tires and wheels every 5,000 to 8,000 miles.
- Replace any worn or damaged steering or suspension parts.
- Replace brake system components causing wheel lock-up.
- Have wheels aligned once a year.
- Replace tires if feathering or flat-spots have excessive wear, are noisy or causing your vehicle to vibrate.
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Low Tire-Pressure Light Keeps Coming On
Don’t ignore the low tire pressure light. You could be on the verge of a flat tire or, worse, a blowout from overheated tires. However, the TPMS light keeps coming on for a few other reasons besides low tire pressure.
How to Prevent
- Inspect tires and check tire pressure.
- Check tire pressure when temperature changes (colder weather can cause lower tire pressure).
How to Fix It
- Set tire pressure ASAP.
- A faulty, damaged TPMS sensor, or the TPMS sensor has dead battery. Leave these fixes to the pros.
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Can Tires Cause My Car To Vibrate?
Absolutely. Worn, damaged, under/over-inflated or out-of-balance tires cause vibrations and shaking at medium to fast (highway) speeds. Stull adds, “Out-of-balance tires, the suspension out of alignment causing tires wearing on only the inside or outside tread tires, or a bent wheel from hitting a curb or pothole can all cause vibrations.”
How to Prevent
- Rotate and balance tires and wheels every 5,000 to 8,000 miles.
How to Fix It
- Bring your vehicle to your mechanic as soon as you feel any sort of vibrating, especially at highway speeds or stepping on the brake pedal.
- Replace any worn or damaged steering or suspension parts.
- Have wheels aligned
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Sidewall Bulge, Bubbles, Cuts, Tears, or Impact Damage
Tire sidewalls are the thinnest and weakest part of a tire. Damage to a sidewall needs to be closely inspected. To prevent a possible accident causing a blowout, replace the tire if necessary.
What to Look For
- Bubbles or bulges: A noticeable swelling, hump or protrusion. Don’t confuse this damage with “undulations,” which are slight depressions or waves in the sidewall created during the tire manufacturing process.
- Cuts: If extremely shallow, with no cords exposed, must be constantly monitored.
- Tears: Any tire with a tear in the sidewall must be replaced.
- Impact Damage: A tire with a chunk of rubber taken out of the sidewall after an impact must be replaced. Although it’s caused by striking a curb, don’t confuse the scratches and scrapes of “curb rash” with severe impact damage.
How to Prevent
- Avoid hitting potholes and curbs.
- Stop making high-speed sharp turns.
- Don’t overload your vehicle.
How to Fix It
- If you have any doubts about any of these conditions, it’s time to bring your vehicle to your mechanic as soon as you see any type of sidewall damage.
About The Experts
- Jon Stull has been an ASE Master Technician for 27 years. He spent 19 years working as a Ford technician and eight years in the heavy equipment repair industry. Jon left industry to become a Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) certified automotive technology instructor. He is also PDE certified as a diesel mechanic and small engine repair instructor, as well as being a PA Department of Transportation certified state safety and emissions instructor and inspector.
- Jim DeLeo has been in the automotive repair industry for 44 years and held positions as an ASE master technician, shop foreman and service manager, and now is Northeast Division Manager for Hunter Engineering Company.
Resources
- Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT): Vehicle Equipment and Inspection Regulations (2020) Oct. 21, 2024
- Tom Diamond, ASE and Mazda Master Technician (Phone interview October 23, 2024)
- Hunter Engineering: Advanced Tire and Wheel Service Technician Reference Guide, courtesy of Jim DeLeo. (October 28, 2024)
- Kelly Blue Book “What Does ‘TPMS’ Mean on a Car?” (April 12, 2024)
