After less than 700 km. in my new Escape the drivers side rear tire went flat.
I assume that unless the flat is due to faulty installation or workmanship I am on the hook for any expenses.
Both dealers I called wouldn't promise to look at the tire for a few days.
My daily commute is about 50 km. (30 miles) return.
If I have to drive for a while on the temporary spare am I risking damage to the vehicle which may not be covered by the warranty?

UPDATE - the dealer found a puncture in the tire caused by driving over something sharp. They patched it up for about $36.
Apparently they still can't fit me in their schedule for installation so I will pick it up and look for a tire shop to install it for
me. I'd rather they do it then just change it myself.

 

I believe the space saver spare tire was intended to allow the vehicle to get to a service facility as soon as convenient. There is a "miles per hour" speed limit printed right on the tire, but no particular distance specified. I am sure there have been instances where both speed and distance were ignored, but how that would play out with an ins. co. in the event of a mishap could become an issue.

 

Let me see if I got what you're saying...

The Dealer had time to:
1. Inspect the tire
2. Find the problem
3. Patch/plug the hole
4. But didn't have the 5 minutes it would have taken to put the repaired tire back on?

I'd stay away from that Dealer.

Who put the spare tire on the vehicle (couldn't that person switch the tires back)?