Tires: tires with broken belts, carmax, tire dealer

Question
I was told by tire dealer (I know personally) that I have 3 tires with broken belts on a car I just purchased 6 weeks ago from Carmax.  They won't make it good.  Is there danger in driving if belts are broken?


Answer
Sandra,

First, belts very rarely break.  And when they do, they end up as tread separations.  But many folks misdiagnose various tire issues as broken belts.  Unless you have x-ray eyes, you can't see broken belts.

I suspect you have another issue and it is not broken belts, but I can't tell from your description what it might be.  I also suspect Carmax saw the same thing and came to the conclusion there is nothing unsafe about the tires.

So, yes, driving on tires with broken belts is dangerous, but it is not likely that you have broken belts.  Enough time has elapsed since you purchased the car that Carmax could not be held liable for any resulting accident.

So if you feel that the tires are unsafe, you should replace them, but since Carmax disagrees, you should make the purchase on your own.