Stop driving. Your car is now unsafe. As Autosquad says, “the tire can suddenly fail catastrophically,” which sounds pretty bad to us.
So what’s happening?
Nothing good. Bubbles, bulges and bumps on a tire cannot be repaired. There is no compound, cure, or kit for $19.99 that can fix this one. Anything that claims to do so is false. You’re looking at a sudden loss of control at best, and a complete tire explosion at worst.
Whose fault is it?
Typically it’s the fault of the driver. Bumping a curb, not refilling the tires with air often enough, running over potholes, and cornering too hard are the usual culprits.
Have you been doing these things your whole life and never had a problem? That’s like saying that you’ve been littering your whole life and never been caught by the police. A lifetime of bad behavior doesn’t make the behavior normal. It just means you were lucky.
Maybe it was the fault of the tire shop or manufacturer?
Unlikely. You know how driver’s ed taught you to check your tires every time you want to go somewhere? No one actually does that, but this is one case where it would have served you well.
It’s good incentive to inspect your tires frequently, and especially if you have new ones put on or some other service work done to them. We know the temptation to get on the road is high, but staying safe is pretty cool, too.
Bottom line: buy a new tire
We know, we know—no one likes to be told that a fix isn’t possible. Chalk this one up to safety and the knowledge that new tires will last you several thousand miles at least.
If you need a consult on tire business, feel free to give our service center a call.