Bulletin No.:

Service Bulletin

Date:

20-NA-159
August, 2020

WARRANTY ADMINISTRATION
Subject:

Warranty Administration – General Motors New Vehicle Tire Warranty Program (U.S.
Dealers Only)

Attention: Warranties for all model years will be handled through Global Warranty Management
(GWM). All service and warranty personnel connected with tire warranty coverage and
transactions submission should review this bulletin.

Brand:

Model:

Buick

GM
Passenger
Cars and
Light Duty
Trucks

Cadillac
Chevrolet
GMC

Model Year:
from

VIN:
to

2021 and Prior

The GM New Vehicle Tire Warranty
The tires supplied with a new vehicle are covered by
General Motors against defects in material or
workmanship under the Bumper-to-Bumper New
Vehicle Limited Warranty.
For vehicles within this warranty period, defective tires
will be replaced on a prorata adjustment basis
according to the following mileage-based schedule:
• 0-12,000 miles: 100% of the replacement tire
value is covered by GM
• 12,001-36,000 miles: The customer contributes to
the cost of tire replacement based on miles. A
sliding scale system starting with customer
responsibility increasing as mileage increases.
See proration chart below for details.
• 36,001-50,000 miles: Coverage continues on
Buick and Cadillac models only with the customer
responsible for 80% of replacement tire cost.
This proration is based solely on mileage. Tread depth
measurements are not required for transaction
submission.
If the tire is not in stock and the vehicle is returned to
the customer while the tire is being shipped, the vehicle
mileage at the time the tires were ordered must be
recorded on the job card and used to determine the
proration amount. Any additional accrued mileage
between ordering and installation should not be
charged to the customer.
Important: Proration applies to the price of the tires
only. Cost plus warranty mark-up must be calculated
before determining prorated amount. No labor charges

Copyright 2020 General Motors LLC. All Rights Reserved.

from

to

—

—

Engine:

Transmission:

—

—

are to be assessed to the customer for tire
replacement. GM will cover 100% of the cost to labor
(mount and balance tires) for tires replaced under the
Bumper-to-Bumper warranty based on published
allowances in the Labor Time Guide.
Tire proration policies and percentages also apply to
tires replaced under Customer Enthusiasm and tires
replaced that were damaged as a result of a
warrantable vehicle component.

GM Tire Warranty Proration Tables
Note: See special tire proration chart in bulletin
#19-NA-078: Warranty Administration - Premature
or Accelerated Tire Wear on Vehicles Equipped
With Various Sizes of Michelin Premier LTX Tires.

Buick/Cadillac Tire Warranty Prorating
Table for 2017 and Newer Model Years

Mileage (mi)

Customer
Participation
(Tire Cost
Including Markup)

Customer
Participation
(Labor — Mount/
Balance)

0-12,000

0%

0%

12,001-15,000

40%

0%

15,000-20,000

50%

0%

20,001-25,000

60%

0%

25,001-30,000

70%

0%

30,000-50,000

80%

0%

50,000+

100%

100%

Page 2

August, 2020

Chevrolet/GMC Tire Warranty Prorating
Table for 2017 and Newer Model Years

Mileage (mi)

Customer
Participation
(Tire Cost
Including Markup)

Customer
Participation
(Labor — Mount/
Balance)

0-12,000

0%

0%

12,001-15,000

40%

0%

15,000-20,000

50%

0%

20,001-25,000

60%

0%

25,001-30,000

70%

0%

30,000-36,000

80%

0%

36,000+

100%

100%

Using the above tables, you should be able to
readily calculate the required customer
contribution for each scenario. Here are a few
examples:
• A 2019 Chevrolet vehicle with 18,475 miles
requires one tire be replaced. The full cost of the
tire including handling allowance is $156.20. In
this example, the customer participation is 50% of
the tire replacement cost. $156.20 x 50% =
$78.10. GM will cover the remaining portion for the
tire ($156.20 - $78.10 = $78.10) and 100% of the
labor to mount and balance the new tire.
• A 2018 Buick vehicle with 14,999 miles on it
requires both front tires to be replaced due to a
warrantable condition. The full cost of each tire
including handling allowance is $172.72. In this
example, the customer participation is 40% of the
tire replacement cost. $172.72 x 2 tires = $345.44
x 40% = $138.18. GM will cover the remaining
portion for the tires ($345.44 - $138.18 = $207.26)
and 100% of the labor to mount and balance the
new tires.
• A 2017 Cadillac vehicle with 42,000 miles on it
requires one rear tire to be replaced. The full cost
of the tire including handling allowance is $215.46.
In this example, the customer participation is 80%
of the tire replacement cost. $215.46 x 80% =
$172.37. GM will cover the remaining 20% of the
tire replacement cost ($43.09) and 100% of the
labor to mount and balance the new tire.

What is Covered
•

Original Equipment (OE) tires and PDI installed
Limited Production Options (LPO) tires.
Note: Most OE and LPO tires will have a Tire
Performance Criteria (TPC) number molded on the
sidewall near the tire size.
•

Tires replaced under warranty will continue to be
covered for the remaining portion of the
Bumper-to-Bumper New Vehicle Limited Warranty.
Proration charts would apply based on the
mileage accumulated from the time of the
installation of the replacement tire through the end
of the vehicle’s Bumper-to-Bumper Warranty term.

Bulletin No.: 20-NA-159

What is Not Covered
•

Non-Original Equipment tires (excluding
dealer-replaced tires under the
Bumper-to-Bumper New Vehicle Limited
Warranty).
• Tires on a vehicle after the Bumper-to-Bumper
New Vehicle Limited Warranty expires. Original
Equipment tires may still have prorated warranty
coverage by the tire manufacturer once the
Bumper-to-Bumper expires. Contact the GM Tire
Program at 1-877-728-4737 for more information.
• Tires purchased by consumers beyond the New
Vehicle Bumper-to-Bumper coverage or replaced
during the Bumper-to-Bumper period for
non-warrantable conditions. Replacement tires
would be warranted under the GM Tire Warranty
Program or by the tire manufacturer (including
tires purchased through the GM Tire Program).
Contact the GM Tire Program at 877-728-4737 for
more information.
• Tire wear.
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 (irregular) wear from damaged, worn or
misaligned suspension components. Note: If tire
replacement is necessary due to component(s)
covered under the New Vehicle Warranty, Service
Agents must claim for replacement tires on the
same job card as the defective component(s). See
the example of a tire shown below of irregular
wear; this is a pronounced case of diagonal wear
and serves to illustrate that the wear is irregular as
opposed to even wear or rapid wear. The tire claim
must be submitted using the applicable tire labor
operation and proration schedule listed in this
bulletin. A Tire Pre-Repair Authorization is
required for the tire labor operation.

Bulletin No.: 20-NA-159

August, 2020

5642242

Note: This is a pronounced case of diagonal wear due
to a faulty component. This serves to clearly illustrate
irregular wear, as opposed to even wear, or rapid wear.
•
•
•
•
•
•

•
•

Irregular wear example
Road hazard (punctures, cuts, impact
breaks, etc.).
Damage resulting from driving with low tire
pressures.
Damage resulting from improper tire repairs.
Damage resulting from extended driving on a
flat tire.
Damage due to misuse, negligence, lack of
maintenance, alteration, racing and vandalism.
Flat spotting caused by parking a vehicle for an
extended period of time. See the Transportation,
Vehicle Storage and PDI Policy Manual for tire
care policies while vehicles are in dealer
inventory.
Cold weather cracking on high performance
summer tires. Refer to the latest version of
Service Bulletin 13-03-10-001 for further details.
Some tire weathering and superficial cracking is
normal. Tires must not be replaced under the New
Vehicle Limited Warranty for this condition.

Examples of Non-Warrantable Conditions
Tires replaced under warranty for non-warrantable
conditions are subject to charge back. Inspection of
tires replaced under warranty reveals that the most
frequent non-warrantable condition claimed is road
hazard, followed by improper wear. The following are
photos of actual returned tires that DO NOT have
warrantable conditions and a subsequent chargeback
was processed after inspection.

Page 3

1967355

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.

1967358

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.

Page 4

August, 2020

1967361

The above tire shows sidewall wear 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.

Bulletin No.: 20-NA-159

2034306

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.

1967352

This tire was damaged by extended driving with little or
no air, 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.

4241265

Some tire weathering and superficial cracking is
normal. Tires should not be replaced under the New
Vehicle Limited Warranty for this condition.

Bulletin No.: 20-NA-159

August, 2020

Tire Rotation and Care

Page 5

Tire Chunking on New Vehicles

Please advise customers of 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.

Use of GM Tire Sealant