MICHELIN X RADIAL TIRES Complaints

VALVE STEM ON LEFT REAR TIRE OF FORD F250 FAILED. FAILURE OCCURRED WHILE ENTERING PARKING LOT SO SPEED WAS LESS THAN 10 MPH. TEMP WAS AROUND 108. TIRE REPLACED WITH FULL SIZE SPARE. TIRE WAS A MICHELIN XRADIAL LT LT265/75R16. MARKING ON VALVE STEM WAS TR 600. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN. THE VEHICLE HAS MICHELIN X RADIAL TIRES. WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH, THE CONTACT HEARD A NOISE COMING FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. SHE NOTICED THAT THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE TIRE WAS FLAT. THE TIRE SHOP STATED THAT THERE WAS A CRACK IN THE VALVE STEM AND THEY MADE THE REPAIR. APPROXIMATELY SIX MONTHS LATER, THE FAILURE RECURRED ON THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE TIRE. THE TIRE SHOP STATED THAT THE VALVE STEM WAS CRACKED AND THEY MADE THE REPLACEMENT. THERE HAVE NOT BEEN ANY OTHER FAILURES SINCE THAT TIME. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 130,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 129,000.

PURCHASED A SET OF 4 MICHELIN X RADIAL TIRES 10/2005. IN MAY 2006 NOTICED A CRACK/CUT IN SIDEWALL OF TIRE. TIRE REPLACED AT COSTCO UNDER ROAD HAZARD WARRANTY. IN AUGUST 2006, ANOTHER TIRE SUFFERED A RUPTURE IN THE SIDEWALL CAUSING CAR TO HIT CURB. AGAIN REPLACED UNDER COSTCO ROAD HAZARD WARRANTY, DUE TO NOT BEING ABLE TO PROVE WE DIDN'T HIT SOMETHING THAT CAUSED SIDEWALL RUPTURE. OCTOBER 2006 STILL ANOTHER TIRE WAS NOTICED WITH A LARGE BUBBLE IN THE SIDEWALL. REPLACED AGAIN UNDER ROAD HAZARD WARRANTY AT COSTCO. ALL TIRES THAT WERE REPLACED WERE DOT HCP8HYUX2505. *NM

TIRE CAME APART ON INSIDE OF TIRE, THIS IS THE SECOND ONE IT HAPPENED TO, THE FIRST TIME WAS LAST SPRING, I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST A FLUKE UNTIL IT HAPPENED AGAIN. I LOOKED ON THIS WEB SITE TO SEE IF THERE WERE ANY RECALLS OR OTHER COMPLAINTS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS TIRE, BUT DIDN'T SEE ANY. WE HAD THE TIRE REPLACED AT SAM'S CLUB WHERE WE HAD PURCHASED THE TIRES. *NM

TIRE VIBRATION IN STEERING AT SPEEDS USUALLY GREATER THAN 40 MPH AND MOST PREVELANT WHEN COMING OUT OF A TURN. TIRES EVALUATED BY TIRE STORE, SPEED BALANCED AND ROTATED. FOUND THE SIDEWALL DEFECTIVE. MICHELIN X-RADIAL DT P205/70R15. WHEN DEFECTIVE TIRE WAS MOVED TO REAR PROBLEM DID NOT OCCUR, MOVED BACK TO THE FRONT PROBLEM CAME BACK.*AK

1) DRIVING ON INTERSTATE I-75/85 NORTHBOUND IN ATLANTA, GA AT ~10PM IN HOV LANE AT APPROV 70MPH. LEFT REAR TIRE HAD A SIDEWALL BLOWOUT ON THE INSIDE SIDEWALL. BLOWOUT MEASURES APPROX 2" SQUARE. 2) MAINTAINED CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE DESPITE INSTABILITY.*AK 3) SPARE TIRE INSTALLED IN LEFT MEDIAN AGAINST JERSEY BARRICADE

PROBLEMS WITH MICHELIN TIRE EQUIPMENT ON 1998 HONDA CIVIC. *MR DURING THE PAST NINE MONTHS, THE CONSUMER HAS EXPERIENCED 6 FLAT TIRES. TWO FLATS HAVE OCCURRED WHILE COMMUTING ON A DANGEROUS HIGHWAY. THE PROBLEM BEGAN WHEN THE CONSUMER PURCHASED A FULL SET OF MICHELIN TIRES. THE COMMON FACTOR OF THE FLATS, STEMMED FROM A CRACKED VALVE STEM, WITH THE CRACK ALWAYS LOCATED NEAR THE BASE OF THE STEM ON THE WHEEL AXLE SIDE. THE VALVE STEMS MAY BE TOO LONG FOR THE RIMS. *SC *JB

IN DECEMBER OF 2003 MY WIFE HAD A MICHELIN X RADIAL PLUS SIDEWALL BLOWOUT ON HER 94 T-BIRD. WE REPLACED TWO TIRES A THAT TIMES SO THEY WOULD BE EQUAL ON THE AXLE. THEN YESTERDAY ANOTHER MICHELIN X RADIAL PLUS SIDEWALL BLEW ON THE SAME CAR ONLY IN THE FRONT THIS TIME. TIRE PRESSURE WAS CHECKED LAST WEEK AND THE TREAD WEAR WAS EVEN IN BOTH CASES. WE REPLACED BOTH THE REMAIN TWO LAST NIGHT. THE ORIGINAL SET AS WELL AS THE REPLACEDMENT TIRES WERE PURCHASED AT COSTCO. THE FIRST INCIDENT OCCURED WITH 50% OF THE TREAD REMAINING THE SECOND TIME THERE WAS 25% TREAD LEFT. THE TIRES WERE APPROXIMATELY 3 YEARS OLD. IF EVERYONE WHO BOUGHT THESE HAS HAD A 2 OUT OF 4 FAILURE RATE, THERES A PROBLEM.

I TRIED TO PURCHASE TWO FRONT TIRES AT COSTCO, BUT WAS TOLD BY THE GENERAL MANAGER 'CHRIS MOORE' THAT THEIR POLICY IS ONLY TO MOUNT ONE OR TWO TIRES WHEN PURCHASED ON THE REAR. THEY REFUSED TO MOUNT THE TIRES ON THE FRONT AND INSISTED THAT THEY MOUNT MY TWO REAR TIRES BY DIFFERENT MANUFACTURERS ON THE FRONT. ONE TIRE IS A GOODYEAR RS AND THE OTHER A MICHELIN X, BOTH 185X65X14 ON A FRONT WHEEL DRIVE NISSAN SE. I INSISTED THAT TWO DIFFERENT BRANDS WITH POORER TREAD WOULD AFFECT STEERING AND HANDLING, BUT COSTCO REFUSED TO SELL AND MOUNT THE TIRE. I OFFERED TO SIGN A WAIVER BUT WAS TOLD BY THE STORE MANAGER THAT MICHELIN HAD A POLICY AND THAT THEY HAD TO HONOR IT FOR SAFETY. I GUESS THAT COSTCO OR ANY STORE CAN SET NHTSA POLICY THESE DAYS. ON THE COSTCO WEB SIGHT, IT STATES THE FOLLOWING: "WHEN BUYING JUST TWO NEW TIRES, SHOULD THEY BE PUT ON THE FRONT OR REAR? WHEN YOU SELECT A PAIR OF REPLACEMENT TIRES IN THE SAME SIZE AND CONSTRUCTION AS THOSE ON THE CAR, YOU MUST PUT THEM ON THE REAR AXLE. A SINGLE NEW TIRE MUST BE PAIRED ON THE REAR AXLE WITH THE TIRE HAVING THE MOST TREAD DEPTH OF THE OTHER THREE." COSTCO GENERAL MANAGER 'CHRIS MOORE - 410-379-3103; FAX 379-3117 THIS WAS AT THE 7077 ARUNDEL MILLS CIRCLE STORE IN HANOVER, MD 21076. PLEASE ADVISE IF THIS IS SANCTIONED BY DOT. THIS IS CONTRARY TO TIRE POLICY FOR MANY YEARS IN THE PASS AND MY MANY YEARS OF PERSONAL DRIVING EXPERIENCE CONCLUDES THAT STEERING TRACTION AND BALANCE OUT WEIGHS OTHER CONSIDERATIONS. I IMMEDIATELY WENT TO SAMS CLUB AND PURCHASED THE 2 MICHELIN X TIRES AND MOUNTED THEM ON THE REAR WITHOUT QUESTION. WALMART ALSO WILL MOUNT TIRES WHERE THE CUSTOMER WANTS. THE COSTCO POLICY APPEARS TO TRY AND FORCE CUSTOMERS TO BUY 4 TIRES WHEN ONLY 2 ARE REQUIRED. *JB