MICHELIN ALL SEASON RADIAL TIRES Complaints

MY MICHELIN CROSS TERRAIN TIRE BLEW OUT AT THE SIDEWALL. IT WAS A CLEAR SUNNY DAY, 30 MPH, ON A SMOOTH HIGHWAY. I CHECK MY TIRE PRESSURE REGULARLY SO I KNOW THE TIRE WAS PROPERLY INFLATED. I CONTACTED MICHELIN AND THEY REFERRED ME TO MELODY LAKES TIRE AND AUTO. MY WIFE CALLED AND THE RECEPTIONIST TOLD HER IT WOULDN'T DO ANY GOOD TO COME IN BUT SHE COULD. THE RECEPTIONIST TOLD MY WIFE THE PROBLEM WAS "HEAT INFRACTION?" AND IT WAS NOT COVERED. IT IS INCREDIBLE TO ME A RECEPTIONIST, OVER THE PHONE, CAN DIAGNOSE TIRE PROBLEMS. MICHELIN, NOR THE DEALER HAD ANY INTENTIONS TO DETERMINE WHY A BLOWOUT OCCURRED, LET ALONE TRY TO FIX IT. I WILL FORWARD THIS COMPLAINT TO THE NHTSA AND HOPEFULLY YOU WILL HAVE TO LISTEN TO THEM. I HAVE 4 MORE OF THOSE DEFECTIVE TIRES WHICH I HAVE NO IDEA WHEN THEY WILL BLOW!! UPDATED 02-01-08. *KB

MICHELIN SYMMETRY P205/65 R15 BLEW OUT AT HIGHWAY SPEED. SIDEWALL WAS COMPLETELY SEPARATED FROM THE REMAINDER OF THE TIRE. PICTURES AVAILABLE ON REQUEST. *TR

MY 2004 ENVOY AFTER DRIVING IT FOR A YEAR WITH NO LONG ROAD TRIPS THE TIRES HAD WORN UNEVENLY AND TWO WERE ALMOST BALD. THIS IS A SHORT TIME FOR TIRES AND THEY WERE ROTATED WHEN NEED. THE WARRANTY COVERED REPLACING THE TIRES AND NOW IT HAS BEEN ANOTHER YEAR OR SO AND THEY HAVE DO THE SAME THING. GMC DOES NOT WANT TO REPLACE THEM AGAIN, THEY SAY IT IS NORMAL WEAR. SO MY QUESTION IS HOW MANY PEOPLE REPLACE THEIR TIRES EVERY YEAR? *NM

I HAD TWO INCIDENTS OF TIRE FAILURE ON THE HIGHWAY WHERE THE TIRES JUST CAME APART AT SPEEDS OF 70 MPH. THE FIRST TIRE HAD ABOUT 40K MILES ON IT AND THE 2ND TIRE HAD 50K MILES ON IT. I HAD A CLOSE CALL, BUT NO ACCIDENT. *NM

MICHELIN IS AWARE THAT OLD, UNSAFE MICHELIN TIRES OUTSIDE MANUFACTURER'S SAFETY GUIDELINES ARE BEING PLACED ON VEHICLES BY THEIR AUTHORIZED TIRE DEALERSHIPS YET CLAIMS THAT THEY ARE NOT "LEGALLY CULPABLE" AND CAN DO NOTHING ABOUT THIS PRACTICE OR THE RESULTANT DEATHS AND INJURIES SUSTAINED BY END USERS. MY SITUATION IS AS FOLLOWS: WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH MY RIGHT REAR TIRE BLEW OUT ALMOST SLAMMING ME INTO ANOTHER CAR AND GUARD RAIL. SUBSEQUENTLY I LEARNED THAT THE "NEW" MICHELIN SYMMETRY TIRES I HAD PURCHASED AT AN AUTHORIZED MICHELIN DEALERSHIP 2-1/2 YEARS AGO WERE FIVE YEARS OLD WHEN THEY WERE PLACED ON MY CAR ACCORDING TO THE D.O.T. DATE ON THEM. MOREOVER THE OLD MICHELIN SYMMETRY TIRES THAT WERE PLACED ON MY VEHICLE WERE NOT "H" OR "V" RATED FOR SAFETY AS FORD/LINCOLN MANUFACTURER SPECIFIES. I CALLED MICHELIN AND TALKED WITH MULTIPLE INDIVIDUALS INCLUDING THEIR U.S. MANAGER OF CONSUMER RELATIONS. SHE ADMITTED THAT MICHELIN IS AWARE THAT UNSCRUPULOUS MICHELIN DEALERSHIPS SELL OLD, OUTDATED TIRES AND TIRES NOT PROPERLY SAFETY RATED FOR VEHICLES BUT CLAIMS THAT THERE IS "ABSOLUTELY NOTHING" THAT MICHELIN CAN DO ABOUT THIS PRACTICE. APPARENTLY MICHELIN BELIEVES THERE IS AN "ACCEPTABLE" NUMBER OF CONSUMER DEATHS AND INJURIES THAT WILL OCCUR YEARLY FROM FAULTY, DEFECTIVE MICHELIN TIRES. MICHELIN DISCLAIMS ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR SAFETY BREACHES AT THEIR DEALERSHIPS, PREFERRING TO MEET SALES GOALS AND NET PROFIT MARGINS, LOOKING THE OTHER WAY AND WINKING AT FRAUD AND DANGEROUS PRACTICES BY THEIR DEALERSHIPS, AND HIDING BEHIND "LEGALITIES" TO SHIELD THEM FROM ULTIMATE RESPONSIBILITY. I BELIEVE THAT THE RICO STATUTE CLEARLY APPLIES TO THEM AND SHOULD VIGOROUSLY BE PURSUED. MICHELIN KNOWS THAT UNSAFE PRACTICES ARE CONSTANTLY OCCURRING, BUT CHOOSES TO DO NOTHING TO STOP THE INJURIES OR THE DEATHS OR TO SANCTION OR POLICE THEIR DEALERSHIPS. HOW MANY MORE DEATHS AND INJURIES WILL OCCUR IF NOTHING IS DONE?????*JB

VOIDS AND PEELING OF TREAD ON ALL FOUR TIRES. IT APPEARED AS IF THERE WERE LARGE AIR BUBBLES TRAPPED IN THE TREAD AT MANUFACTURING. THIS WAS NOTICED AFTER HAVING ONLY 30,000 MILES ON TIRES. HAD TO REPLACE WITH ALL NEW TIRES DUE TO MFG. DEFECT. MICHELIN ONLY ALLOWED 50% TOWARD NEW TIRES. I WAS FORTUNATE NOT TO HAVE BEEN KILLED WHILE DRIVING WITH THESE TIRES. THIS HAS REALLY EMOTIONALLY UPSET ME CONSIDERING I HAD JUST DRIVEN FROM FL TO NH WITH THEM. *NM

THE FRONT SUSPENSION/BRAKING/TIRES SYSTEM'S UNDER PERFORM DURING SLIPPERY ROAD CONDITIONS. ON THREE SEPERATE OCCASIONS MY VEHICLE HAS SUSTAINED DAMAGE IN EXCESS OF $1,000 PER EVENT FOR THE VEHICLES' UNDER PERFORMANCE BASED ON THE "OPTIONAL" TRACTION CONTROL" PEFRORMANCE SPECIFICATIONS SUPPLIED BY THE MANUFACTURER FOR TYPICAL TURNING CONDITIONS UNDER SLIPPERY ROAD CONDITIONS. *JB

(1-3) VEHICLE DELIVERED WITH ONE TIRE AT 40#, OTHERS VARIED 20-30 #. THEY CONTINUE TO LOSE AIR PRESSURE, IE 3-5 POUNDS/ MONTH. NO ACCIDENTS BUT AM CONCERNED. TALKED WITH BOTH FORD SELLING DEALER AND MICHELIN TIRE DEALER. WERE ROTATED AT 6000 MI. REPAIR (NAIL) OF LEFT FRONT TIRE AT ABOUT 2000 MI BY MICHELIN DEALER. TIRES: MICHELIN P215/60HR 16, TOURING CONTACT AS. VEHICLE 2003 FORD TAURUS STATION WAGON NEW 10/ 2003.

FRONT PASSENGER SIDE TIRE PRODUCED A BUBBLE. HOWEVER, THE SECOND AND THIRD TIRES PRODUCED THE SAME BUBBLES. *AK *LA

WHILE I WAS DRIVING MY 1999 OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA FELT LIKE A TIRE HAD GONE FLAT.. AFTER NOTICING THE PROBLEM I WENT TO PULL OVER AND THE ENTIRE SUV PULLED TO THE RIGHT ALMOST HITTING A PARKED BOAT. WHEN I EXITED THE VEHICLE I NOTICED THE PASSANGERS SIDE TIRE WAS SIDEWAYS.. HALF UNDERNEATH THE TRUCK. I CHECKED WITH THE DEALERSHIP WHO I BOUGHT THE TRUCK FROM AND THERE NOT WILLING TO HELP FOR FREE AS I DONT HAVE A WARRANTY.. EVEN THOUGH THIS IS THE SECOND PROBLEM IVE HAD WITH THE VEHICLE SINCE I BOUGHT IT 8 MONTHS PRIOR. I CHECKED WITH A MECHANIC AND THEY SAID THE AXLE WAS BROKEN AND THE BEARINGS AND BALL JOINTS COULD BE BUSTED. LUCKY FOR ME I WASN'T ON THE HIGHWAY WHERE I HAD BEEN 20 MINUITES PRIOR AND HEADING BACK TO.*AK