MICHELIN RADIAL TIRES Complaints

I HAVE OWNED THIS VEHICLE SINCE MARCH 2009 AND HAVE HAD TO REPLACE 11 TIRES AND 2 WHEELS AND HAVE HAD 3 WHEELS REPAIRED. THIS IS DUE TO LOW PROFILE TIRES WHICH DEVELOP BULGES. *TR

I BOUGHT 4 MICHELIN TIRES (P205/70R 15 X RAD) FOR MY MINIVAN IN JUNE 2006. THIS MONTH THE STEERING WHEEL OF MY CAR STARTED TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY AT LOW SPEED. I BROUGHT MY CAR TO DEALER. I WAS TOLD THAT THE TWO BELTS INSIDE OF THE TIRES SEPARATED. I WAS RECOMMENDED TO REPLACE THESE TIRES. THESE TIRES HAVE A 80,000 MILE WARRANTY, BUT THEY ONLY RUN LESS THAN 40,000 MILES. *TR

BLOWOUT OF REAR TIRE ON DRIVER'S SIDE. WE HAD EXITED THE NEW YORK STATE THRUWAY ABOUT 10 MINUTES PRIOR AND LUCKILY THE BLOWOUT OCCURRED ON A BACK ROAD WHICH WAS NOT HEAVILY TRAVELED. THE MECHANIC SENT BY AAA TO CHANGE THE TIRE ADVISED THE TIRE WAS DEFECTIVE. MY VEHICLE IS A 2007 MERCURY MILAN PURCHASED IN 05/2007 AND AT THAT TIME HAD SLIGHTLY LESS THAN 20,000 MILES SO IT IS STILL UNDER WARRANTY. I TOOK THE TIRE TO THE FORD DEALERSHIP WHERE I PURCHASED THE CAR AND THEY TOOK PHOTOS OF THE TIRE AND SENT THEM OVER THE INTERNET TO RECEIVE APPROVAL TO REPLACE THE TIRE. FORD DENIED THE REQUEST. I CONTACTED A LOCAL MICHELIN DEALER AND WAS ADVISED IF FORD HAD DENIED REPLACEMENT, THERE WAS NOTHING THAT COULD BE DONE. SINCE FORD WOULD NOT HONOR THE WARRANTY, I PURCHASED A NEW TIRE FROM THE MECHANIC WHO HAS DONE ALL MY AUTO REPAIRS FOR ALMOST 20 YEARS. HE ALSO INDICATED THE TIRE WAS DEFINITELY DEFECTIVE. *TR

TIRE FAILURE. TOTAL TREAD SEPARATION. TRAVELING 65MPH ON A CLEAR, STRAIGHT STATE HIGHWAY I HEARD A LOUD BAND AND ALMOST LOST CONTROL. THE RIGHT REAR TIRE BLEW AND THE TREAD SEPARATED ENTIRELY, I WAS ABLE TO RECOVER THE ENTIRE PIECE OF TREAD FROM THE ROADWAY. THE TIRE HAD ONLY 12,000 ON IT AND 10 DAYS EARLIER THE TIRES WERE ROTATED AND PRESSURE CHECKED. RIKEN RAPTOR DOT# Y94CYNRO. *TR

MY CAR, A 2008 INFINITI M35X, EXHIBITED EXTREME TRAMLINING (POOR ROAD TRACKING) ON INITIAL DRIVE. THE CAR WOULD WANDER ALL OVER A LANE WHEN RIDING ON A RESURFACED TAR LINE OR SIMILAR. IT WAS MORE SEVERE AT HIGHER SPEEDS. COMPLAINT TO THE DEALER RESULTED IN AN IMMEDIATE TIRE REPLACEMENT, FROM GOODYEAR EAGLE RS-A TO MICHELIN PRIMACY MXV4 WHICH RESULTED IN SOMEWHAT BETTER ROAD RESPONSE, BUT STILL QUITE SEVERE AND NOTICEABLE EVEN AT LOW SPEEDS. THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE PERFORMANCE FROM ANY CAR, LET ALONE ONE THAT COSTS MORE THAN $50,000. CHECKING VARIOUS FORUMS, I SEE THAT MANY PEOPLE HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT THIS VERY PROBLEM. MANY CLAIM THAT CHANGING OUT THE STEERING RACK SOLVES THE PROBLEM. IT'S CLEARLY DANGEROUS AS IT STANDS AND NISSAN/INFINITI SHOULD ISSUE A RECALL TO CORRECT IT. *TR

SEVERE CRACKING OF SIDEWALLS OF MOTORHOME TIRES THAT ARE ONLY 3 YEARS OLD. CRACKING BEGAN IN LESS THAN ONE YEAR. *TR

ONE MONTH AGO I HAD ONE TIRE FAIL BECAUSE OF A DEFECTIVE DILL TIRE STEM. TODAY (7/25/08) I HAD TWO TIRE STEMS FAIL AT SEPARATE TIMES WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY RUINING BOTH TIRES WHICH WERE ONLY 1 YEAR OLD AND IN VERY GOOD CONDITION. WHILE CHANGING MY TIRES THE MAINTENANCE MAN TESTED THE FOURTH TIRE AND WITH SLIGHT FINGER PRESSURE THE STEM BROKE. *TR

I PURCHASED A NEW MAZDA 6 AND IT CAME FROM THE FACTORY WITH MICHELIN TIRES. THE PROBLEM WAS IMMEDIATE WITH A SEVERE ROUGH RIDE WHEN THE TIRES WERE COOL THUS CAUSING STEERING PROBLEMS. I RARELY DRIVE THIS VEHICLE (7,000 MILES PER YEAR) AND WAS SHOCKED TO FIND SIDEWALL BULDGES AND TIRE SEPARATION ON THE RIGHT REAR TIRE. A FEW WEEKS LATER, I NOTICED THE LEFT FRONT TIRE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. SINCE DAY ONE, ALL 4 OF THE TIRES WOULDN'T HOLD THEIR TIRE PRESSURE (EVEN WITH NO LEAKS) WHICH COULDN'T BE FIGURED OUT BY "PROFESSIONALS." I RETURNED MY CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE THEY TOLD ME TO IMMEDIATELY GET MY CAR INTO A MICHELIN TIRE CENTER. I WAS TOLD THAT THE DAMAGE HAD BEEN CAUSED BY A LOW SPEED IMPACT AND A GASH IN THE TIRES AND WOULD HAVE TO BUY 4 NEW TIRES ($190 PER TIRE). THIS WAS DEFINITELY NOT CAUSED BY AN IMPACT OR A GASH SO I TOOK THE CAR TO ANOTHER MICHELIN CENTER. THEY TOLD ME THIS TIME THAT IT WAS CAUSED BY HIGH SPEED IMPACT BUT THAT THERE WAS NO GASH AND I WOULD HAVE TO BUY THEIR TIRES ($199.42 PER TIRE). FINDING THEIR STORIES NOT MATCHING UP, I TOOK IT TO A THIRD MICHELIN CENTER. THEY TOLD ME THAT IT WAS CAUSED BY HITTING A CURB! THE EMPLOYEE THEN TOLD ME THAT IT WAS HIGHLY UNLIKELY THAT THE TWO BULGED TIRES ON EITHER SIDE COULD HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY HITTING A CURB OR HIGH/LOW SPEEN IMPACT AFTER AN INSPECTION. HE RECOMMENDED A DIFFERENT TIRE, NOT A MICHELIN. I ENDED UP BUYING NEW TIRES COSTING ME A GRAND TOTAL OF ALMOST $1,000. I INSISTED ON THE OLD TIRES WHICH THE TIRE CENTER DIDN'T WANT TO READILY GIVE BACK TO ME. UPON INSPECTION, THERE WAS NEITHER GASH NOR TREAD WEAR AS THEY HAD LESS THAN 20,000 MILES. AT ALL THREE MICHELIN DEALERS, THEY REFUSED TO COVER THEM UNDER WARRANTY. IT SEEMS OBVIOUS THAT THESE TIRES WERE DEFECTIVE AND DANGEROUS FROM DAY ONE. I AM WRITING TO YOU SO THAT THIS MAY PREVENT AN ACCIDENT OR DEATH SINCE I AM SO LUCKY TO HAVE "CAUGHT" THE PROBLEM BEFORE ANYTHING SERIOUS HAPPENED. MICHELIN TIRES NEED TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE! *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 ACURA RL. THE VEHICLE HAS MICHELIN RADIAL X TIRES. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE CONTACT DROVE OVER A DEEP POTHOLE AND THE TIRE PRESSURE ICON ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO A DEALER AND THE CONTACT DISCOVERED THAT A TIRE WAS MISSING. THE DEALER COULD NOT DETERMINE WHY THE TIRE DETACHED FROM THE VEHICLE, BUT STATED THAT THE TIRE'S DISTANCE FROM THE GROUND PLAYED A ROLE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 3,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 2,600. UPDATED 04/25/08 *BF

DRIVING ON HWY. 80 ON DRY ROAD AT APPROX. 60-65 MPH, IN FAST LANE, CAR STARTED TO SHAKE, AS WE PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF FREEWAY, TIRE BLEW OUT...COMPLETE SEPARATION OF BELT FROM SIDEWALLS,BOTH SIDE WALLS STILL ON RIM, BELT (INTACT) ROLLED DOWN FREEWAY. TIRES LESS THAN 1 YEAR OLD, AND LOTS OF TREAD LEFT ON TIRE. THIS CAUSED DAMAGED TO THE RIM WHICH IS NO LONGER USABLE. WE WILL HAVE TO REPLACE THE TIRE AND RIM, BUT THANK GOD NO ONE WAS HURT. *TR