What does this cost in your state?
California is the costliest state and Arkansas the cheapest; each square shows that state's midpoint of the estimate.
Lower-cost states ($53)MiddleHigher-cost states ($67)
What it shows: CA is the highest at $67 and AR the lowest at $53, across 51 states.
Counts below are complaints filed with NHTSA, not failure rates: a longer bar means more owners reported it.
Is your car affected?
What it shows: The most common band for complaints about this repair is under 50,000 (70%), against 60% for all complaints: the biggest difference between the two.
Is it urgent, and what do owners notice first?
453 owner complaints name this part.
Owners say the dealer could not fix or repeat the problem. If it comes back after a repair, ask what was tested before you pay again.
Which tire on the car fails most often?
Driver-side front leads at 13.
Check that tire first, but look at all four: every position is in the reports.
How old were the tires when owners reported the problem?
2 to 3 years leads at 16.
A tire's age is printed on its sidewall as a four-digit date code (week and year): check yours.
How fast were owners driving when it happened?
55 mph or faster leads at 61%.
Owners reported it most often at highway speed. Tell the shop what speed it happens at, because that narrows the diagnosis.
How serious did it get for owners?
Among the 453 owner complaints naming this part, being towed is the outcome owners report most often.
Outcomes owners reported in complaints about this part. Towed: 8; Crash reported: 7; Injury reported: 1.
Which model years show up most in the complaints?
Among the 405 owner complaints naming this part that state a model year, complaints cluster in a few model years instead of spreading evenly.
What it shows: 2017 is the largest at 69 (17%), followed by 2015 at 53 (13%); the smallest shown is 2025 at 13 (3%).
What do state inspectors fail cars for?
Among 8,738,476 initial safety inspections in North Carolina in 2017, tires caused 8.5 failed items per 1,000 inspections, the most of the four components the state reports.
What it shows: Tires is the largest at 8.5, followed by Lights at 5.2; the smallest shown is Brake components at 1.9.
Has this part been recalled abroad on cars that may share it?
Manufacturers filed 1 foreign recall campaigns that name tire rotation with NHTSA since 2015 (matched by the filing text); the latest, from Chrysler (FCA US in 2016-06.
| Filed | Manufacturer | Foreign recall no. | What the filing says |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-06 | Chrysler (FCA US) | 090 | Spats are necessary to meet the European ECE R26 tire coverage requirement which states "6.7.3. |
Was my tire a known defect, and which tire lines has NHTSA recalled?
NHTSA lists 139 tire recall campaigns filed since 2015 (every tire recall), covering 4,604,281 tires; the largest, Amp Mud Terrain Attack M/T in 2024, covered 673,000.
What it shows: Amp Mud Terrain Attack M/T is the largest at 673,000, followed by Michelin Agilis Crossclimate C-Metric at 542,110; the smallest shown is Bf Goodrich Commercial T/A A/S 2 at 104,000.
Does vehicle age change how underinflated tires are?
NHTSA's 2001 measurement of 11,530 vehicles found 8% of tires on cars 3 years old or newer underinflated by 8 psi or more against 15% on cars over 6 years old, and 12% against 24% on pickups, SUVs and vans.
Share of tires deviating 8 psi or more from the maker's pressure, by vehicle age, measured in 2001. 3 years or newer, pickups and SUVs: 12%; 3 to 6 years, pickups and SUVs: 15%; Over 6 years, pickups and SUVs: 24%.
How many potholes do big-city drivers report each year?
New Yorkers filed 30,624 to 49,909 pothole requests a year to 311 from 2020 to 2024, and Chicagoans filed 43,237 to 132,939 a year from 2012 to 2018; these are requests in two cities, not a national count.
What it shows: Chicago 2014 is the largest at 132,939, followed by NYC 2020 at 30,624; the smallest shown is NYC 2020 at 30,624.
Where are the roughest state highways in Colorado?
Colorado DOT's 2018 pavement survey puts 20.0% of its 11,345 state highway miles in the LOW drivability-life class, with the share highest in Lincoln County (46.4%), Morgan (42.3%) and Jackson (40.1%); this is one state, not a national figure.
What it shows: Lincoln is the largest at 46.4%, followed by Morgan at 42.3%; the smallest shown is Moffat at 30.5%.
Which metro areas drive the most miles per resident?
FHWA's 2022 urbanized-area table shows the most driving per resident in Nashville-Davidson, TN (41.9 vehicle miles a day), Knoxville, TN and Birmingham, AL, against a median of 21.3 across 493 urbanized areas.
What it shows: Nashville-Davidson, TN is the largest at 41.9, followed by Knoxville, TN at 33.0; the smallest shown is San Antonio, TX at 28.0.
Does my car have to have a tire pressure sensor, and when does it warn?
Federal standard FMVSS 138 requires a car's tire pressure warning light to come on within 20 minutes once a tire is 25 percent or more below the recommended pressure, phased in at 20% of cars (2005 to 2006), 70% (2006 to 2007) and every car built from September 1, 2007, so a car from that date forward has a sensor to service.
| Requirement | What the standard says |
|---|---|
| Applies to | cars, multipurpose vehicles, trucks and buses of 10,000 pounds or less (not dual-rear-wheel vehicles) |
| vehicles built October 5, 2005 to August 31, 2006 | at least 20% of a maker's cars had to comply |
| vehicles built on or after September 1, 2007 | every car must comply |
| vehicles built September 1, 2006 to August 31, 2007 | at least 70% of a maker's cars had to comply |
| Warning light | The warning light must come on within 20 minutes once one or more tires is at or below 25 percent under the recommended cold pressure. |
How many miles a year does my kind of vehicle really drive?
In the 2022 National Household Travel Survey, Van owners report driving an average 15,194 miles a year against 13,298 for Pickup owners, and 24.5% of Van owners drive 15,000 miles or more (reported mileage, survey-weighted).
| Vehicle type | Average miles per year | Share driven 15,000 miles or more | Vehicles surveyed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Van | 15,194 | 24.5% | 648 |
| Car | 14,950 | 20.6% | 6,232 |
| SUV | 14,351 | 21.5% | 4,479 |
| Pickup | 13,298 | 22% | 2,331 |
What do owners say?
4 complaints quoted word for word, each with its NHTSA number.
The Lexus dealer indicated that a tire rotation was required at a cost of approximately $100.
The service technician told me that they could not do the tire rotation without replacing my lug nuts at a cost of $100 because the lug nuts were swollen.
The vehicle has less than 30,000 miles and tire rotation has been conducted as set out in the owners manual.
My car had 29000 miles and regular maintenance and tire rotation.
Check your car
A tire rotation on a standard 4-tire car costs $44–$77 in our estimate. What moves it most is whether balancing or a TPMS relearn is added, and how many tires are being moved.
What does the tire rotation price cover, and what does it leave out?
The estimate is for a standard 4-tire car with the tires moved to new positions and nothing else. It leaves out balancing, a TPMS relearn, new lug nuts and any tire repair found once the wheels are off.
Treat a price that sits near the top of either range as a sign something extra may be bundled in, and ask.
How much does each option change the price?
The calculator has two settings that matter: the service you pick and how many tires are on the vehicle. Each row below changes one setting from the default range above.
| Setting | Estimate |
|---|---|
| Rotation plus balance | $99–$176 |
| Rotation, balance and TPMS relearn | $176–$286 |
| 4 tires plus a spare in the rotation | $55–$97 |
| 3-axle or dually truck (6 tires) | $66–$117 |
Balancing more than doubles the default, so it is the line to question. A rotation only moves tires; balancing adjusts weight on each wheel, and a shop should have a reason to add it.
How can you tell what your car actually needs?
A rotation is routine upkeep, so there is no emergency if you are a little late. Balancing is a different fix: it matters when you feel a vibration in the steering wheel or floor at speed, or after a hard curb or pothole hit.
A TPMS relearn is only needed on cars whose tire pressure system has to be told where each sensor now sits. Ask whether yours requires it. If the shop is not sure, check the owner's manual before paying for it.
How do you get a fair quote?
Ask for the job named on the quote: rotation only, rotation and balance, or both plus the relearn. Then compare it with the matching row in the table, not with the default.
If you bought the tires from the shop, ask whether rotations come with them. Ask also whether the shop uses a torque wrench on the lug nuts, since over-tightened nuts can damage the studs.
What does the estimate leave out?
The estimate does not include an alignment, which is a separate service that corrects wheel angles. It also leaves out tires that cannot be rotated, such as staggered setups with different sizes front and rear, and any swollen or damaged lug nuts.
If a shop says it cannot rotate your tires without replacing parts, ask to see the part before approving.
Frequently asked questions
Does a tire rotation include balancing?
Not in the default estimate. Balancing is a separate line, and the rotation-plus-balance row in the table shows what it adds.
Do I pay more for a truck?
Yes, if it has more tires. A 3-axle or dually truck with 6 tires is $66–$117 in the calculator.
Sources
Data shown on this page
- NHTSA owner complaint file (2015-2019 · 2020-2024 · 2025-2026) file downloaded 2026-10-05
- CalcScrape calculator model scaled by BEA Regional Price Parities data from 2024
- North Carolina Division of Air Quality, Vehicle Safety and Emissions Inspection Frequency Study data from 2017
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, Foreign Campaigns (filings under 49 CFR 579.11, public API) file downloaded 2026-10-05
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall flat file (tire recalls, report type T) file downloaded 2026-10-05
- NHTSA National Center for Statistics and Analysis, Tire Pressure Special Study: Vehicle Observation Data (DOT HS 809 317) data from 2001
- NYC Open Data 311 Service Requests (erm2-nwe9, descriptor Pothole) and City of Chicago 311 Service Requests - Pot Holes Reported - Historical (7as2-ds3y) data from 2025
- Colorado DOT, Highway Quality in Colorado 2018 (data.colorado.gov skxn-j975), cond field (drivability life class) data from 2018
- FHWA Highway Statistics 2022, Table HM-72 (urbanized areas: daily vehicle miles per capita) data from 2022
- eCFR, 49 CFR 571.138 Standard No. 138, Tire pressure monitoring systems (NHTSA) data from 2025
- FHWA, 2022 NextGen National Household Travel Survey, vehicle file file downloaded 2026-10
Terms: US government data, public domain.
Observed: records as filed; owner reports are unverified and are not failure rates. Modeled: our estimate, not a quote. Reported: figures as reported by the publisher, not independently verified. Rule: a published legal rule, not a measurement; whether it covers a given repair depends on the car and the facts.
What is our own estimate
The price range comes from our calculator's formula. Its parts prices, labor hours per job and shop-rate tiers are CalcScrape estimates, not a published price dataset. Checked against RepairPal's range ($49–$72) on 2026-10-06: our default's midpoint is 0% above the middle of that range. Methodology