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How can I tell if someone punctured my tire?

I came out of the grocery store to find that two of my tires on different sides were deflated. This doesn’t seem like a coincidence, so how do I tell if someone punctured my tire?

avatar
Jim Burg · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
Flat tires are bad enough under normal circumstances, and it only adds to your anxiety if you think someone might have deflated your tires intentionally.
A sign that someone punctured your tire is if there is a clean, straight cut on the tire, especially along the sidewall.
Knife slashes will be small, straight cuts a few inches long—roughly the size of a knife blade. Another hint is if this cut is on the sidewall of your tire.
Road debris almost always cuts your tire in its tread, never the side of your tire.
Additionally, by wedging the valve open with either a tool or a small object like a pebble, someone can deflate your tire without needing to slash it. A clue to indicate this is that you can find damage to your tire when reinflated, and it
holds air
without any repair work.
It’s always important to have your car’s tires inflated properly. It’s also important to have the right
car insurance
.
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