Tires: Ford Taurus 2008, ford taurus, tire rotation

Question
I recently purchased a 2008 F -Taurus ( 4 weeks) I took it in for my first oil change and tire rotation, the Tech that worked on my vehicle told me that I have choppy wear on the back 2 tires and recommended me going back to the dealer for replacement of all 4 tires because it's a AWD car. So I called the dealer and they told me that " well it passed inspection when it left here less than 30 days ago" I have driven the car about 1500 miles and I wouldn't have known this til I went for my tire rotation. so what are your thoughts about the choppy tires and the dealer being responsible for fixing this? and also is there a bigger problem that I should be aware of. and the tires are Continentals.
-Thanks in advance -Eric

Answer
Eric,

First I am not a lawyer and this touches on issues that are best answered by one.  However, I have some experience in this area, so take what I write with that in mind.

So let's start with the basics:

Tires with irregular wear are not a safety issue.

Tires with irregular wear may cause a vibration or noise, but since you haven't picked up on that, the severity is probably not very high.  This means it isn't an aesthetic issue.

Tires with irregular wear don't violate any laws or regulations.

Tires with irregular wear might mean the vehicle needs to be aligned.

So while there may be some issues, there nothing really "broke", so I don't see anything that would indicate that the dealer is responsible for anything beyond what is in the sales contract.

So what does the sales contract say?  If it said the car was sold AS-IS, that means that once it left the dealer's lot, anything that you discover has to fall under the category of "misrepresentation" - and I don't think it is possible to construct a misrepresentation in this case.

Was there a warranty?  What did it say?  It might not cover tires, but if it does, it probably only covers wearout - and that's not the case here.

Overall, I would advise you to read the contract and whatever warranty documents you got with the car - read them very carefully.  They will indicate what is and what is not the dealer's obligation.

But assuming there isn't anything there, I would suggest you have the tires rotated (if they haven't already been rotated) and perhaps get an alignment, then drive on.  This isn't a very big issue.