Seasonal Tire Age Policy Change?
Has anyone run into this with Costco Tire Center?
I went in to have my seasonal tires swapped (winter/summer setup). The tires are just now 4 years old, have only about 12,000 miles on them, have been stored properly, and appear to be in very good condition—no cracking, no visible issues, plenty of tread.
The tire center was very reluctant to do the swap and told me they would do it this time, but they would “never do it again” once the tires are 5 years old.
That surprised me, because everything I’m seeing online suggests tire age alone doesn’t automatically make a tire unsafe at 5 years, especially if tread, condition, storage, and inspections are all good. I understand some manufacturers recommend inspection at 5 years and replacement around 6–10 years depending on conditions, but a blanket refusal to mount or swap at 5 years seems arbitrary.
My questions:
- Does Costco have a formal written policy about refusing to install or swap tires at 5 years old?
- Is this a company-wide rule, or something individual tire centers/managers may enforce differently?
- Has anyone successfully escalated something like this or gotten a clear answer from Costco corporate?
- If you’ve had a similar experience, what happened?
I’m not trying to be difficult—I care about safety. I’m just trying to understand whether this is an actual policy or an employee interpretation that goes beyond what’s reasonable.
Appreciate any insight.