Originally Posted by
MKE Sam
From the AVIS FAQs:
Country = "USA"
Find a Topic = "Customer Service"
Customer Service, FAQs = "I have vehicle or tire damage, what do I do?"
"You are responsible for any and all loss of or damage to the car resulting from any cause including and not limited to collision, rollover, theft, vandalism, seizure, fire, flood, hail or other acts of Nature. Please call the Avis Emergency Road Service at 800-354-2847 for assistance."
Depending on your insurance and deductible situation, you will probably receive a bill for either repairing or replacing the tire. I have found no benefit to AVIS First; the vehicles are often filthy, poorly maintained, and have 25,000 or more miles on the odometer. I have been renting primarily out of SFO but experienced the same earlier this year at LGA.
While you are certainly responsible for any damage while the car is in your possession, whether caused by you or not, mechanical problems are Avis's responsibility. Since tire failure could be caused by either; nail while you have the car=you; tire failure due to under inflation or a slow leak=Avis. The hard part is proving one way or the other. I know I have read threads in the past where renters were not charged for flats or blowouts. If you haven't heard from them in six months you should be fine. If you do hear from them, push back a bit and see where that gets you.