Simple flat tire 'non-repairable' ?

If the puncture is too close to the sidewall or has developed into more of a "tear" than a puncture the tire shop may decide that they can't safely repair it.

Otherwise, without seeing it, I can't give you a better answer.

 

I'd get a new set of tires. Sadly, the OEM tires don't seem to last much longer than where you're at currently, especially running the Toyota recommended pressures. Depending upon the tread depth left, it is very possible that it's not repairable. It could also depend on where the nail punctured the tire, too.

Check TireRack.com for tires, or Costco and other warehouse stores if you're a member. I know Michelin is running rebates and possible Bridgestone as well. Make sure they're LRR tires, or you'll take a bit of a hit to the MPG on the car. TireRack lets you compare tires, reviews, etc. and will tell you which are LRR tires.

I'm getting ready to get the Michelin Energy Savers from TR probably this week. I have seen some good reviews on here for them, and the TR reviews seemed pretty good.

 

I'd recommend getting a second opinion on the nail - you never know.

As for the wear - 24k is fairly low, but is at the low end of what can be expected. A lot depends on your driving style and other factors. I got about 40k out of my first set, but a huge amount of that was highway driving.

If you do need new tires I'd recommend the Goodyear Viva Assurance Fuel Max's that Walmart has as an exclusive - I got mine in the fall and have been very happy with the ride and handling all winter. With only about 5k miles driven the only thing that I am not sure about is how long they will last, otherwise I'm very happy. I picked them since I had done a fair bit of research on tires and the Assurance Fuel Maxes line of tires had good reviews and seemed like they would be a good fit - the Viva's were just the lowest cost version in the series - they are all the same construction and materials, just different tread patterns from what I understand - so absent of any other info I figured that I'd go with the lowest cost.

 

I'm just 300 miles into the Assurance Fuel-Max tires available from Goodyear shops. But even without them broken-in yet, I already see a MPG improvement. That in itself says quite a bit. The sound & feel of them is pretty nice too. So, I'd second the suggestion to look into the Fuel-Max tires.
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I think you should be a little suspicious, 24K should not wear out a set of tires no matter where you live. I would take the car to another tire shop and have the tread depth checked, they should also tell you if there are unusual wear patterns caused by an alignment problem.

I agree if you do need new tires go to Costco or get them on line from Tire Rack - Your performance experts for tires and wheels

 

Those factory tires certainly aren't the long-life type. Very low tire-pressure and driving with lots of turns (especially when the wheels aren't in motion) will indeed wear down to the "should replace" level quickly.
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OEM tires, "can" be crap. I had a small pick-up that I bought new, The OEM tires in less than year and 1/2 and less than 24K started picking up nails. Soon about every 6 weeks or less I was taking it in for a flat repair, and even though it was possible, I soon got tired of the CONSTANT flat repairs...the tread appeared decent but the tire was just so undurable that if it got near anything that could possibly puncture, it seemed it would pick it up and puncture.

When I upgraded I know the technician at the Tire Shop was somewhat taken aback because he thought my tires still looked like they had plenty of life left. I told him he could have the tires if he wanted them.

Once I upgraded...absolutely no problems. Same driving enviroment, same driving style..stopped getting flats every 4-6 weeks.

So just my 2 cents...unfortunately often OEM tires are designed to get you off the lot....and really not too much farther...

 

It would be worth your while to pick up a (cheap) tire depth gauge, check your tread depth yourself. In a pinch you can just push a ruler in between the treads to check, as long as it's increments end right at the ruler's end.

New tires typically have somewhere between 9 and 11 32'ths of an inch tread depth.

Borderline would be cases where one tire is flat, likely not repairable, and you have around 4~5/32" depth remaining. Personally I would replace tires as a set if any of them drop below 4/32". Depends to on the season, and whether or not you also have dedicated snow tires.

Legal limit is 2/32" I believe, but they are getting to be very compromised by that point.

With your mileage, it smells like they're trying to make a sale, maybe yes, maybe no. Get a second opinion if possible.

 

You said you saw the nail, where is it on the tire?

Do the tires look worn, feel in the tread for the wear bars, they run across the tread. How much tread above them is left?

As I've always said...tires are THE most important safety feature on a car. They are the only thing that connects you to the road. Unsafe tires, and the whole car ins unsafe...

 

If the puncture is too close to the sidewall, or the tread is too worn, the tire will be considered not safely repairable. Since the tire shop said they were too worn, check the tire for the wear bars. If the tread is worn to the point where it's even with the wear bars, then it's time to replace the tire (even without a puncture). If not, try another tire shop (it wouldn't be the first time a tire shop tried to get a customer to prematurely replace tires).

Regarding the warranty question, unless you purchased a puncture warranty, you're not covered.

 

I would check with another dealer for a second opinion. 24k is not many miles on tires. However, if the tread is bad for some reason it probably would not be repairable. It also depends on long the nail was in the tire when driving it or where the tire was punctured.