MICHELIN DEFENDER TIRES Complaints

The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Tacoma equipped with Michelin Tires, Tire Line: Defender LTX M/S2, Tire Size: 245/70/R17, DOT Number: (N/A). The contact stated that two weeks after the vehicle was inspected and passed the inspection, while driving at an undisclosed speed and depressing the brake pedal to stop at a stop sign, the vehicle failed to stop and slid past the stop sign. The contact pulled over to inspect the vehicle and saw that the steel belts were protruding from the tires. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and the contact was informed that the vehicle should not have passed the inspection with the tires currently on the vehicle. Additionally, the contact was informed that there was a recall on the vehicle for the back-over prevention camera screen. The contact stated that the back-over prevention screen frequently went blank. The dealer was contacted, and the contact was informed that there was no remedy yet for the recall repair. The vehicle had been taken to the dealer approximately 22 times for three separate failures, but could not be repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failures, and the contact requested a buyback of the vehicle; however, the buyback was declined by the manufacturer. The failure mileage was unknown.

p 215/65 R16 98H SL BSW. date of Manufacture 0919. Made in Canada. What happened the car four tires became a hazard to drive after 6 years from installing the tire . The problem is the deterioation of the rubber was unknowable only by experts. Furthermore, I did not consider my experience enough so I had to confirm it with local shops belle tire and a small local shop . However, In my experience other than the visual.To get accurate analysis I need to apply multiple tests, like chemical component analysis to be verified as manufacture deficiency .Those expansive lab resting over my budget. I had replaced all tires on 06-14-2025 with Cooper tires.P.S. Many drivers don't check their tires they just trust a brand .

1. The tread seperated from the tire at 60mph on highway. small vibration prior to incident. 2. Extremely dangerous to all. Vehicle was towing loaded horse trailer, middle lane. 3. Tried to bring up to Michelin corporate with little help available. 4. I will be taking tire to vender/dealer for inspection. have photos available. 5. only warning was small vibration that became present at 50-60 mph and went away at lower speeds. Vehicle did not vibrate on prior day. thought is was out of balance wheel.

I am writing to bring to your attention a serious issue regarding my Toyota vehicle, which is still under warranty. While my wife was driving to work, the front passenger tire exploded unexpectedly, without any warning lights or messages. This is particularly alarming as the car is new, purchased just 11 months ago, and has only 7,000 miles on it. After contacting AAA for assistance to replace the damaged tire with the spare one, I reached out to Toyota customer service. They advised me to visit the dealership for an inspection. However, upon arrival, the service advisor refused to honor the warranty and informed me that they did not have the tire brand and or model in stock, requesting a full payment of $370 to replace the damaged tire with a new one from a different brand. Concerned for my family’s safety, I opted to replace all four tires at America’s Tires, incurring the expense myself. I believe the original tires may have been defective and pose a risk if such an incident were to occur again. I did report the issue to Micheline without any resolution yet. I kindly request your assistance in addressing this matter. Thank you for your prompt attention to this critical issue.

The contact owns a 2014 Honda Accord equipped with Michelin Tires, Tire Line: Defender, Tire Size: 215/55/R17, DOT Number: (N/A). The contact stated while driving and exceeding 25 MPH, there was an abnormally loud sound coming from the tires. The contact took the vehicle to a local tire dealer, and upon inspection it was discovered that the tires were dry rotted. The tires were taken to a local dealer however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. Additionally, the dealer refused to repair or replace the tires but instead advised the contact to purchase a new set of tires. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The tire failure mileage was approximately 72,000. The vehicle failure mileage was unknown.

Michelin Defender Tire with ~90% tread exploded with no indicators or warning. VDOT repairman indicated that it had exploded from the side. Incident happened on the highway 2/24/24 going 60mph. Jeep did not observe any potholes, road debris, or curbs. I do not do off-roading. Tires had 35psi. I drive average 6000 miles a year. Tire: LT 285/70R17 121/118R dot 1b7 bf 005x 2922 load range E. Wheel: PRC 7069/AT L 13+JK 17X9 33X12.50 R17 employee from tirerack.com confirmed tire/wheel are a match. Tire is available for inspection. Will have tire shop take it off the wheel and inquire to see if they can evaluate what happened. Tire has only been inspected by VDOT employee on site of incident. No sign of warnings or dashboard light before incident until after it blew up which produced a low tire pressure indicator. Has not been reproduced or confirmed by dealer or independent service center. Safety was put in risk to driver and other drivers on highway going highway speed. Was able to control car to a stop. Jeeps are at higher risk of rolling over. Luckily nobody was hurt and no damage to vehicle other than the Tire.

235/70R16 I purchased 4 Michelin defender LXT tires, on 02/06/2024. I had to have all the tires rebalanced. The tire shop. Said said all tires were 1 1/2 to 2 oz off. This problem should not be occurring in such a short period of time. Repair was made on 02/20/2024

I purchases a set of new Michelin Defender LTX M/S LT265/75R16 (123/120R) tires for my 1999 Chevrolet Suburban K2500 in June 2023 and I am attempting to register the tires with Michelin. None of the tires have a date code on them. The DOT code of these tires is 1M3 4N 00KX, there is NO date code on any of the four (4) tires.

I bought my truck August 17, 2016 brand new from Crown Dodge - Chrysler with 7 miles on the odometer. When I bought my truck it had Good Year tires on the truck. At about 35k to 40k miles I replaced those tires with Michelin Defender LTX M/S that I purchased from Delta World Tire shop located 1629 Popps Ferry Road, Biloxi, MS 39532. Initially Delta World Tire shop could not correctly balance the rear tires. After a couple of complaints and rebalancing the tires, both within a 4 week time period, the manager rode with me on a road test. At this point, he ordered 2 new tires, however that did not take care of the problem. Since then I have twice had the tires rotated and aligned and supposedly balanced by the same tire shop that I purchased them from. After about putting about 5 thousand miles on these tires the tires felt like they were scraping across the pavement when turning from a stop, like when I was taking a right or left at a corner at a stop sign. The scraping feeling is more noticeable when taking a right. I have repeatedly talked to the manager at the shop asking about a possible recall on these tires, their method of balancing the tires or possible remedies, all I have been told is that they will not replace the tires or refund me anything for these tires. The manager suggested that there must be a problem with struts or something, however they wouldnt commit to that. At this point I spoke with an auto mechanic and he knew exactly what I was speaking of and said that it is the tires. I purchased Michelin tires for a previous vehicle that was a GMC Envoy from the same tire shop and that SUV drove like it was on rails. This was even more reason why I went with Michelin Tires. At this point, I will never buy Michelin Tires for any vehicle or trailer again in my lifetime. I also go out of my way to tell clients and inspectors how bad these tires are. Are Michelin Tires now made in Mexico or "Made In China" like all the other items that are junk???

I purchased 4 new Michelin P245/70 R16 from Costco 12/5/2011with 31250 miles. I am a career auto mechanic for 39 years at an independent auto shop (retired, due to disability, 9/2011). I noticed sidewall cracking within about 2 years, but dismissed it because I have never heard/seen an air pressure loss due to sidewall cracking. The cracking worsened over the years, but the air pressure was even for all 4. Fast forward to 2020, I noticed my RF tire very low, looked for punctures, none found while submerged in water. November 2022 the RF tire was totally flat (parked). I found the sidewall had failed. This was a first for me in my experience. I certainly do not trust the remaining tires. I found a recall on the same brand/model but not my size. I have only 13350 miles on these tires. Tread is very good. I don't drive this truck often, but I maintain my vehicles well. Air pressure has been maintained at 40PSI, 4PSI under the max. pressure. In my opinion this is an obvious case of a defect in materials. I have not contacted Michelin yet.