ORLANDO, Fla. – Your tires -- they certainly aren't sexy or exciting. But when you realize they are the only thing holding that car of yours on the roadway, they become very important to your safety.
[WEB EXTRA: Consumer Reports' tire buying guide]
Kim Monson learned how important it is to take good care of your tires when she suffered a blowout at 75 mph on the freeway.
"On a scale of 1 to 10 in terms of fear in my life, it was a seven-and-a-half or eight. It was really scary," Kim said.
The fact is you are three times more likely to be involved in an auto accident if you are driving on under-inflated or badly worn tires, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
National Tire and Battery helped identify the five most common tire troubles, and whether drivers can repair those problems or have to actually foot the bill for a new tire.
Tire Trouble No. 1: A sliced sidewall
"This is usually the result of hitting something pretty hard with your car tire, a pothole, big debris, something like that," said Frank Velasquez, with National Tire and Battery.
Repair or replace? Replace.
"This cannot be fixed for the simple reason that you can't go back and attach the sidewall all back together, something has breached the sidewall," said Velasquez.
Tire Trouble No. 2: Leaking valve stem
"This is a valve stem that has either been cut or has rotted-out," said Velasquez.
Repair or replace? This can be repaired cheaply.
The cost will run between $2 and $15.
Tire Trouble No. 3: A punctured tire
We all know about this one. It's simply a flat tire and yes, it can be repaired for between $15 and $20.
All it requires usually is a tire patch.
Tire Trouble No. 4: Severely uneven tread wear
Repair or replace? Replace. You can't put new tread on a bald tire, unless you are willing to buy retread tires, and that involves buying a different tire.
Tire Trouble No. 5: An impact bubble
This is a problem you might not even notice unless you are looking closely at your tires.
"This is the result of a broken belt on the inside of the tire and the fix is, well, there is none, not this time," Velasquez said.
Repair or replace? The answer is replace.