If someone slashed your tires, you can file a claim with your car insurance provider for coverage. To successfully get your insurance to cover the replacement of your tires, you must have comprehensive coverage — also known as other than collision or OTC coverage.
Comprehensive coverage isn’t required by law and is typically an optional add-on to a basic car insurance policy. It covers damage caused to your vehicle from non-accident related events such as vandalism, theft, natural disasters and fire. If you have this optional add-on and someone slashed all four of your tires at once, it could be covered under this type of policy.
If the incident occurred in a parking lot or some other private area that isn’t regularly monitored by security cameras, contacting the police may be helpful but not necessary (unless a crime was committed while they were slashing your tires).
If your tires are damaged, you should get copies of the police report and pay for the damage.
If your tires are damaged, you should get copies of the police report and pay for the damage. Then file a claim with your insurance company. If you have comprehensive coverage, your insurance will cover the cost to fix or replace the tires (minus your deductible). The other driver’s insurance won’t step in because this is considered an act of vandalism.
If the incident occurred in a public place, get witnesses.
In the unfortunate event that your car is vandalized, you may be able to obtain compensation for the damages if you’ve taken preventative steps. The most important thing you can do is to get witnesses to support your claim that your tires were slashed while they were parked. If there are no witnesses or other proof of vandalism, it will be hard for an insurance company to know whether somebody slashed your tires maliciously or if they actually went flat on their own due to normal wear and tear.
When reporting a tire slashing incident:
- Take photos of the damage—this will help when trying to push for repairs later on.
- If it was hit-and-run, get a license plate number if possible. If not, try to write down as many details about the other car as possible (e.g., make, model).
- Report any vandalism incidents—even relatively minor ones like a dented bumper—to local police immediately; this will help establish proof of malicious intent and avoid suspicion that it might have been accidental damage.
You must have comprehensive coverage on your car insurance policy.
To file a claim for vandalized tires on your auto insurance, you must have comprehensive coverage on your car insurance policy. Comprehensive coverage is an optional portion of your auto policy that covers damage to your car from noncollision related incidents, including vandalism, fire and theft. If you don’t have comprehensive coverage on your policy, you won’t be able file a claim for the damaged tires. You may still be able to file a personal injury claim against the person who slashed your tires if they are still at fault for the damage you’ve incurred.
If the incident was intentional, you may be able to file a personal injury claim against the person who slashed your tires.
A personal injury claim is a lawsuit that is brought by an injured individual against the person who caused the injuries. Personal injury claims are governed by the substantive laws of each state, and may be heard in civil court.
Personal injury law covers any wrong or damage done to another in his person, property, rights, or reputation. Injuries can happen at work, in a traffic accident, because of a faulty product or a faulty repair, because of a mistake during medical treatment (medical malpractice), or because you slipped and fell on pavement or on a wet floor.
The requirements for filing a personal injury claim vary from state to state. The following criteria must generally be met when filing:
- Have suffered an injury
- Show that someone else was negligent (for example their actions caused the harm)
- Prove that your injuries were directly caused by the negligence of another party
Your auto insurance will most likely cover at least part of the cost to fix or replace your tires.
What happens if someone slashes your tires? Will insurance cover the cost of replacing them?
The good news is, most of the time, insurance will cover at least part of the cost to fix or replace your tires.
If you have comprehensive coverage and your tires were slashed while they were in a public place, your auto policy should cover the cost to repair or replace the tires. However, keep in mind that any damage to vehicles that you own falls under a specific coverage (comprehensive) and has a separate deductible. Your policy may also include other conditions that limit how much of your tire replacement costs will be covered by insurance, such as:
- When you bought the vehicle: If you bought it within six months, there may be some restrictions on what’s covered.
- Deductible: You’re responsible for paying any deductibles before repairs are done. The higher your deductible is set on this coverage, the more out-of-pocket expenses you’ll pay before benefits kick in.
- Age and wear & tear: If all four tires are worn out at once due to normal use and aging, insurance probably won’t pay for them—a car accident would have had to occur for it to be considered an abnormal situation.
