MICHELIN MXV4 TIRES Complaints

I PURCHASED 4 NEW TIRES FOR MY VEHICLE ON 7/24/2010 THE TIRES IN QUESTION ARE MICHELIN P245/45R18 PRIMACY MXV4 96V. AFTER ONLY 3500 MILES THE REAR RIGHT TIRE BLEW ON THE HIGHWAY, FORTUNATELY FOR ME THERE WAS HEAVY TRAFFIC AND I WAS NOT DOING OVER 30MPH. THE TIRE WAS REPLACED WITH THE SPARE TIRE AND THEN IT WAS DISCOVERED A 3" GASH FROM THE SIDE WALL TO THE FIRST THREAD. NO FOREIGN OBJECTS WERE FOUND IN THE TIRE TO SUGGEST THAT I PICKED SOMETHING ON THE ROAD,HOWEVER I DID NOTICE THAT THE REINFORCEMENTS WERE RIPPED I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAFETY OF THESE TIRES AND HAVE KEPT THE DAMAGED TIRE FOR INSPECTION FOR ANYONE WHO MAY WANT TO INVESTIGATE. THANK YOU. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 MAZDA 6. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE TRAVELING AT 20 MPH, THE REAR PASSENGER TIRE SPLIT. THE TIRES WERE EXAMINED 3,000 MILES AGO AND THE CONTACT WAS TOLD THAT THE VEHICLE WAS SAFE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS. THE DOT NUMBER WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 8,000.

THE VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING IN THE RIGHT HAND LANE, NORTH BOUND ON ROUTE 8 IN CONNECTICUT (IN THE AREA OF TORRINGTON) AT APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH AT 12:30 PM ON THE JANUARY 10, 2010. IT WAS A CLEAR AND SUNNY DAY WITH TEMPERATURES IN THE LOW TO MID 30'S. THERE WERE TWO PASSENGERS IN THE CAR (IN THE FRONT SEAT) AND TWO SNOW BOARDS AND SOME SNOWBOARDING EQUIPMENT IN THE TRUNK. WITH NO PREVIOUS INDICATION OF A PROBLEM, THE SIDE WALL OF THE DRIVER'S SIDE REAR TIRE FAILED IN TWO PLACES WITH A LOUD BANG AND AN IMMEDIATE LOSS OF PRESSURE. AS SOON AS IT WAS SAFE (ABOUT A HALF MILE AS THIS SECTION OF THE HIGHWAY HAS NO SHOULDER) THE CAR WAS STOPPED AND THE TIRE CHANGED. THE TWO HOLES IN THE TIRE ARE APPROXIMATELY THREE INCHES APART. ONE IS 1" BY 2". THE OTHER IS 1/2" X 1 5/8". BOTH HOLES GO THROUGH ALL LAYERS OF THE TIRE. THE MATERIAL FROM THE FIRST HOLE WAS EJECTED FROM THE TIRE. THE AIR PRESSURE IN ALL TIRES WAS CHECKED AND SET BY KEY HYUNDAI OF MILFORD ON NOVEMBER 14, 2009. THE TREAD WAS CHECKED BY KEY HYUNDAI OF MILFORD ON DECEMBER 30, 2009 AND FOUND TO BE LOW BUT SAFE FOR A FEW THOUSAND MORE MILES. THE EXACT TIRE LINE IS ENERGY MXV4 S8. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 HONDA ACCORD HYBRID. THE DRIVER SIDE FRONT TIRE BLEW OUT WHILE HE WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH. THE TIRE WAS MANUFACTURED BY MICHELIN, MODEL MXV4, SIZE P215/60R1694V, WITH DOT NUMBER B949. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO HIS HOME. UPDATED 02/17/10 *BF UPON DAYLIGHT, THE CONSUMER NOTICED THERE WAS A RING OF DRY ROT AROUND ALL FOUR TIRES. THE TIRES WERE THE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT AND THE VEHICLE DID NOT COME EQUIPPED WITH A SPARE TIRE. THE CONSUMER CONTACTED MICHELIN AND WAS TOLD TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO AN APPROVED MICHELIN DEALERSHIP. MICHELIN OFFERED THE CONSUMER 25% OFF A PURCHASE OF FOUR NEW TIRES. THE CONSUMER DECLINED AND HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED ANOTHER ESTABLISHMENT WHERE HE PURCHASED FOUR NEW BRIDGESTONE TIRES. UPDATED 02/17/10

MICHELIN PAX SYSTEM TIRES ON A 2006 NISSAN QUEST SE. WE HAVE THE MICHELIN PAX TIRES ON OUR MINIVAN AND THEY ARE CONSTANTLY LOSING AIR, ARE VERY LOUD AND STIFF, AND WORST OF ALL ARE VERY POOR AND DANGEROUS IN SNOW. WE HAVE NOT HAD GOOD LUCK THIS PAST WEEK MANEUVERING OUR MINIVAN IN ANY TYPE OF SNOW OR ON ANY SLIPPERY ROAD SURFACE. OUR VEHICLE CAN NOT HAVE ANY OTHER TYPE OF TIRE BECAUSE OF THE SYSTEM THAT IS INSTALLED FROM FACTORY AND WE ONLY HAVE 21,000 MILES ON THE VAN AND NEED NEW TIRES WHICH COST ON UNBELIEVABLE AMOUNT OF MONEY (OVER $1200) FOR REPLACEMENT TIRES WHEN THEY ARE STILL VERY NEW!!! NO DEATHS OR INJURIES YET AND WE HOPE THERE NEVER ARE. HOWEVER, WE ARE NOT ABLE TO REPLACE OUR TIRES EVERY YEAR FOR THAT COST AND FROM SOME OTHER PEOPLE WE HAVE TALKED TO AT THE TIRE STORES AND AT THE DEALERSHIP, IT SOUNDS LIKE WE WILL HAVE TO GET NEW TIRES ABOUT EVERY 20-30K AND THAT THE TIRES DO NOT HANDLE WELL IN SNOW OR RAIN. WELL, SOUNDS UNSAFE TO ME! NOR DO THEY HOLD AIR VERY WELL SO MY LITTLE KIDS AND I ARE ALWAYS TRYING TO GET AIR IN THE TIRES AT THE LOCAL GAS STATIONS. ABSURD! PLEASE HELP. *TR

A SET OF MICHELIN TIRES WAS PURCHASED FROM COSTCO AND MOUNTED ON MY 2006 MERCEDES ABOUT ONE YEAR AGO. THE MORNING AFTER THE FIRST 6,000-MILE TIRE ROTATION, THE FRONT TIRE ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE COMPLETELY SEPARATED FROM THE VEHICLE ON I-40 WEST OF ALBUQUERQUE, NM. COSTCO PAID FOR A REPLACEMENT TIRE AND DAMAGE TO THE RIM. THEN, ON MAY 13, 2009 ANOTHER ONE OF THE ORIGINAL SET OF MICHELIN TIRES SEPARATED IN A SIMILAR FASHION AGAIN ON I-40, NEARLY CREATING A MAJOR TRAFFIC FATALITY. THREE SEMI-TRUCKS ADEPTLY SWERVED TO AVOID COLLIDING WITH MY VEHICLE. THIS TIME, I HAD TO PAY $1,724 TO REPAIR DAMAGE TO THE SHOCK ABSORBER AND WHEEL WELL ON THE REAR END OF THE PASSENGER SIDE. THE COST ALSO INCLUDES $880 THAT I PAID FOR A NEW SET OF MICHELIN TIRES FROM THE MERCEDES DEALERSHIP, WHICH INFORMED ME THAT THEIR TIRES WERE NOT COMPROMISED BY EXTENDED STORAGE IN WAREHOUSES (I.E., DRY-ROTTING). COSTCO OFFERED TO PUT ANOTHER NEW SET OF THEIR TIRES ON MY VEHICLE, BUT I REFUSED TO TAKE THE RISK OF HAVING OLD DRY-ROTTED TIRES PLACED ON MY VEHICLE AGAIN. CONSEQUENTLY, COSTCO REFUSED TO PAY ANY OF THE $880 CHARGE FOR THE NEW MERCEDES DEALERSHIP TIRES. NOTE: THE FIRST INCIDENT WAS REPORTED TO THE POLICE AND AAA TOWED THE CAR ON BOTH OCCASIONS. *TR

I OWN A NISSAN QUEST WITH THE MICHELIN PAX RUN-FLAT TIRE SYSTEM. THE PAX RUN-FLAT TIRE SYSTEM IS A DEFECTIVE PRODUCT. I PURCHASED THE CAR IN NOVEMBER 2007. BY 13 MONTHS, AT 18,000 MILES, 2 OF THE TIRES HAD WORN TO THE POINT WHERE THE DEALER SAID THEY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. AT 20,600 MILES WE HAD ALL 4 TIRES REPLACED. IN 32NDS OF AN INCH, SEARS MEASURED THE TREAD AT : LEFT FRONT - 1,0,0, RIGHT FRONT - 2,2,1, RIGHT REAR - 3,3,4, LEFT REAR WAS SIMILAR TO RIGHT REAR BUT HAD ALREADY BEEN REPLACED DUE TO A NAIL IN IT. MICHELIN HAD TO COURIER A COMPLETE TIRE AND WHEEL ASSEMBLY TO MY HOME ON THE NAILED TIRE BECAUSE THERE IS NO TIRE DEALER WITHIN 20 MILES OF US IN DOWNTOWN CHICAGO THAT CAN WORK ON THE PAX TIRES OTHER THAN PERHAPS A HONDA DEALER WHO TOLD US THEY WOULD NOT WORK ON A NISSAN. OUR NISSAN DEALER IS NOT EQUIPPED TO WORK ON THIS TIRE. OUR SITUATION IS NOT UNIQUE. A WEB SEARCH TURNS UP MANY PEOPLE WHO HAVE WRITTEN ABOUT PREMATURE WEAR AND BLOWOUTS WITH THE PAX TIRE SYSTEM. THERE ARE 2 CLASS-ACTION LAWSUITS RELATED TO THE PAX SYSTEM, ONE AGAINST HONDA AND MICHELIN AND ONE AGAINST NISSAN AND MICHELIN. WITH THE WHEELS ON OUR NEW CAR WE CAN ONLY HAVE PAX TIRES SO EITHER WE NEED TO SPEND THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS TO REPLACE THE WHEELS, POTENTIALLY VOIDING OUR WARRANTY, OR CONTINUE TO REPLACE OUR TIRES EVERY 20,000 MILES, ASSUMING WE CAN GET THEM. IT TOOK A WEEK TO HAVE REPLACEMENT TIRES SHIPPED TO CHICAGO. I CAN ONLY IMAGINE THAT THE PROBLEM WILL GET WORSE THE LONGER WE OWN THE CAR. MICHELIN HAS END OF LIFE THE PRODUCT AND ONLY MANUFACTURES NEW PAX TIRES FOR THOSE ALREADY ON THE ROAD. THIS DECLARATION WAS MADE BY MICHELIN A MERE 4 MONTHS AFTER WE PURCHASED OUR CAR NEW. THE MICHELIN PAX TIRE SYSTEM NEEDS TO BE RECALLED FOR HONDA ODYSSEY AND NISSAN QUEST VEHICLES FOR PREMATURE WEAR, DANGER OF BLOWOUTS AND LACK OF PEOPLE THAT CAN SERVICE THEM. NISSAN AND HONDA NEED TO BE FORCED TO REPLACE THE PAX WHEELS WITH WHEELS THAT CAN ACCEPT NORMAL TIRES. *TR

IN A GROCERY STORE PARKING LOT, HAD TO SWING WIDE TO AVOID A TRUCK TURNING INTO A ROW OF PARKED CARS. IN DOING SO, THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE RAN OVER THE LAST FOOT OF A ROUNDED CURB ISLAND AT ABOUT A WALKING SPEED. THE SIDEWALL OF THE TIRE EXPERIENCED A 2 INCH L SHAPED BLOWOUT. THIS TIRE WAS ON A NEW CAR WITH LESS THAN 1200 MILES. I HAVE NEVER IN 50 YEARS HAD A TIRE HAVE THIS TYPE OF BLOWOUT WITH SUCH A LOW SPEED CURB ROLLOVER. THERE WAS NOTHING IN THIS AREA TO CAUSE A PUNCTURE. *TR

WHILE GOING AROUND A CORNER OFF A HIGHWAY MY REAR DRIVERSIDE TIRE BLEW OUT CAUSING MY CAR TO GO OFF THE SIDE OF THE ROAD HITTING A SIGN AND CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE ENTIRE DRIVER SIDE OF MY VEHICLE. *TR

I WAS DRIVING ON THE LEROY SELMAN EXPRESSWAY THROUGH THE SUNPASS LANE AT ABOUT 25-30 MILES PER HOUR WHEN I HEARD A BANG AND MY TIRE WENT FLAT. SOMETHING CAUSED A SLASH IN THE TIRE AND PUT A SOFTBALL SIZE HOLE IN MY METAL RIM. I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED BUT IT RUINED BOTH THE TIRE AND RIM. *TR