MICHELIN RADIAL X TIRES Complaints

I HAD A MICHELIN LOW PROFILE TIRE LOSE PRESSURE AND IT FAILED AT 30 MPH. THE ENTIRE SIDEWALL SEPARATED IN ONE PIECE FROM THE REST OF THE TIRE. I HAD JUST EXITED I-10 AND IF THE TIRE HAD FAILED AT 60 MPH IT WOULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUS AND LIFE THREATENING. I HAVE THE TIRE (7600 MILES) AND PICTURES. THESE TIRES ARE DANGEROUS. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO LOOK AT ONE AND DETECT A LOSS OF AIR PRESSURE. THERE IS NO WAY TO TELL FROM THE CARS INSTRUMENTATION IF A TIRE IS LOSING PRESSURE UNTIL IT FAILS AND COMES APART. *NM

DT: CONTACT STATED THREE VALVE STEMS FAILED. THE FIRST ONE WAS THE RIGHT REAR. IT WAS PUSHED OVER TO THE SIDE. THE OTHER TWO FAILED WHILE THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING AT 65 MPH, AND WITHOUT WARNING, BOTH THE LEFT REAR AND THE RIGHT FRONT FAILED. HE WAS ABLE TO GET VEHICLE OFF THE ROAD. AAA CAME AND CHANGED THE TIRES THAT WERE FLAT. AALSO, AND CHANGED THE STEMS ON THE OTHER TWO TIRES. DEALER AND MANUFACTURER HAVE NOT BEEN CONTACTED YET. MICHELIN, TIRE SIZE LT225/75R16 . *AK

I HAD BOUGHT A USED 2002 FORD EXPLORER XLT A FEW MONTHS AGO AND NOTICED A LOT OF HORIZANTAL CUTS ON THE SIDEWALLS OF THE MICHELAN TIRES ON THE VEHICLE. AFTER LOOKING ON THIS WEB SITE AND NOTICED A RECALL FOR THE FORD THAT I OWNED ( NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID # 01V171000 ) AND TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP NEAR ME. THEY SAID THEY HAD NO RECALL IN THEIR SYSTEM FOR MY VEHICLE EVEN THOUGH MY FORD WAS MADE AT THIS LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY PLANT AT THE TIME SPECIFIED ON THIS RECALL. I EVEN CALLED THE FORD COMPLAINT LINE AND THEY AS WELL SAID NOTHING WAS IN THEIR SYSTEM? IS THERE ANYTHING THAT CAN BE DONE TO REMEDY THIS SITUATION, IT IS DEFINITELY A TIRE DEFECT AND THE FORD STILL HAS PLENTY OF TREAD LEFT; JUST KIND OF WORRIED FOR MY SAFETY? THEY WOULDN'T EVEN INSPECT IT FOR POSSIBLE PROBLEMS WITH THE TIRES.*AK

WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE SWERVED TO THE RIGHT WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND PULLED OVER. THE CONSUMER NOTICED THAT THE TREAD WAS SEPARATING FROM THE FRONT PASSENGER TIRE. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS. *JB THE CONSUMER REPLACED BOTH FRONT TIRES AND HAD THE REPAIRS MADE. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS SERVICED THE CONSUMER WAS TOLD THAT THE REAR TIRES (BOTH ORIGNAL TIRES) WERE LOW ON AIR. *TC

TIRE TREADS SEPARATED FROM TIRE WHILE DRIVING. TIRE SIZE P225/60R16. *AK *SC

AUGUST 2002, I REPLACED ALL FIVE TIRES ON MY 01 NAVAGATOR WITH 17" MICHELIN XROSS TERRAIN TIRES DUE TO A SAFETY RECALL ON THE OEM CONTENINTALS. SINCE THE REPLACEMENT DATE, THREE OF THE TIRES HAVE ALL SUFFERED SIDEWALL FAILURES ON THE HIGHWAY, IN THE SUMMER AND WITH NORMAL LOADING. ALL THREE WERE ON THE REAR AND ALL WERE CATASTROPHIC FAILURES. THE FIRST HAPPENED ABOUT LAST SEPTEMBER 2003 WITH APPROXIMATELY 12,000 MILES ON THE TIRES. THE TIRE HAD A NAIL IN IT AND THE CAUSE FROM THE DEALER WAS MY FAULT, UNDER INFLATED TIRE. THE SECOND WAS THE FIRST WEEK OF JULY 2004, SAME PROBLEM AND EXACTLY THE SAME CIRCUMSTANCES. LOCAL HIGWAY DRIVING AT SPEED AND ON A HOT DAY WITH A NAIL IN THE TREAD. AGAIN, IT WAS MY FAULT DUE TO UNDER INFLATION. IT HAPPENED A THIRED TIME YESTERDAY AT SPEED, COOL HIGHWAY TEMPS, OVERCAST SKIES AND ABOUT 75 DEGREES, PRESSURE IN THE TIRE WAS SET THE DAY BEFORE AT 36 PSI AND CONFIRMED THAT MORNING BY AIR CAPS (36 PSI UNITS). NO NAILS IN THE TIRE, JUST A CATROSTROPHIC FAILURE. I AM CONVINCED THE FIRST TWO TIRES WERE DEFECTED AS IS THIS THIRD ONE. THESE THREE TIRES ARE FROM THE ORGINAL BUNCH OF FIVE THAT WERE INSTALLED. I HAVE THE FORTH TIRE ON THE GROUND NOW AS A SPARE AND THE REMAINING ORIGINAL IS ONE OF THE FRONT TIRES. NOT SURE WHICH. I AM GOING TO PRESS FOR A MEETING WITH THE HOUSTON AREA TIRE REPRESENTATIVE THIS WEEK AND BRING UP MY CONCERNS WITH HIM DIRECT. I HAVE HAD TO CHANGE TWO TIRES IN MY ADULT LIFE (44 YEARS OLD). ONE WAS 6 YEARS AGO WHEN A VALVE STEM FAILED, THE FIRST WAS IN 1980 WITH A BAD TIRE ON THE HIGHWAY, LOADED UP AND HEADING TO COLLEGE. SINCE THIS TRUCK WAS BOUGHT, I HAVE HAD 4 TIRE FAILURES, ALL ON THE REAR AND ALL AT HIGWAY SPEED AND DURING THE SUMMER. I AM KEEPING THE LATEST DAMAGED TIRE JUST IN CASE IT NEEDS TO BE STUDIED. I AM GOING TO CHANGE OUT ALL FIVE TIRES TO ANOTHER BRAND AND TRY SOMETHING NEW TO TRY AND SOLVE THIS PROBLEM. *AK

ALL FOUR ORIGINAL TIRES HAVE CONTINUOUSLY LEAKED AIR SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED NEW. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED (MICHELIN TIRES, RADIAL X, SIZE 215/65R16, DOT M30D68AX289). *AK *NM

TWICE IN THE LAST SIX MONTHS, I HAVE EXPERIENCED A TOTAL SIDEWALL FAILURE ON THE MICHILEN LTX A/T TIRE SIZE 75/15. BOTH INSTANCES HAPPENED ON AN INTERSTATE AND ALMOST CAUSED ME TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE PICK-UP I WAS DRIVING. *LA

THIS IS THE SECOND OF A SET OF FOUR TIRES BOUGHT AT COSTCO JAN99. LAST INCIDENCE OCCURED 13 MONTHS AGO WITH VERY SIMILAR DAMAGE. I WAS ON STREET BEHIND MIDDAY TRAFFIC WHEN I FELT THE TIRE GAVE IN - I DID NOT RUN OVER OR HIT ANYTHING, NOR DID I RUN UNDER PRESSURE AS MICHELIN CUSTOMER RELATION TRIED TO TELL ME. I HAVE METICULOUS RECORDS OF MY CAR AND (THOUGH I DO NOT WASH IT REGULARILY) I CONTINUOUSLY INSPECT IT. THE SIDEWALL SHREDDED AS IF A BEAR HIT THEM AND THEY SEPARTATED INTERNALLY FROM THE RADIALS (MEANING THEY PEALED INSIDE AWAY FROM EACH OTHER). I HAD/HAVE P185/70R14 (NOT ABLE TO ENTER THIS ON THIS FORM) *LA

I WAS DRIVING A NEW 36 FOOT ITASCA WITH OE MICHELIN XRV 235/80R22.5 LRG. TIRE HAD LESS THAN 5000 MILES ON IT WHEN RIGHT REAR INSIDE EXPLODED THROUGH THE OUTSIDE FACING SIDEWALL NO HARM RESULTED BUT THIS SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED. I CHECK MY INFLATION PRESSURE EVERY MORNING. *NLM