MICHELIN TIRES Complaints

WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE TIRE BLEW OUT. AS A RESULT, THE MOLDING OF THE VEHICLE WAS DAMAGED.*AK *BF *NM

DT ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM CONTACT STATES EACH TIME THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED THE VEHICLE IS MORE DIFFICULT TO STOP AND THE WHEELS HAVE ALSO LOCKED UP. TRANSMISSION CONTACT STATES THE VEHICLE MAKE A SQUEAKING NOSE WHEN PARKING, THE VEHICLE PULLS TO THE RIGHT SIDE WHEN DRIVING AT LOW SPEED. ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING CONTACT STATES OIL MOVES UP THROUGH THE IGNITION CONTROL. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TAKEN TO A SERVICE DEALER AND THE MECHANIC STATED THE VEHICLE NEEDED A NEW ENGINE. *NM *SB

DT: 03/17/05 PROBLEM BEGAN. AS CONTACT WAS DRIVING 60 MPH ON DRY PAVEMENT, A BLOWOUT OCCURRED ON THE OUTSIDE RIGHT DUAL TIRE. CONTACT WAS ADVISED BY TRUCKERS TO RIDE THE FLAT TO THE NEAREST EXIT (3 MILES). RECOMMENDED PSI FOR THE TIRES WAS 105 LBS. TIRE PRESSURE WAS CHECKED PRIOR TO DEPARTURE. VEHICLE WEIGHT WAS 27000 LBS. TIRES ARE REGULARLY SERVICED. NO VIBRATION PRIOR TO BLOWOUT. NO BULGING. NO WARNINGS. TIRE HAS BEEN REPLACED. MICHELIN IS COOPERATING. THE TIRE THAT BLEW OUT HAD 3500 MILES PURCHASED 8/21/03. "ZIPPER BLOWOUT". *NM

CONSUMER EXPERIENCED FOUR TIRE FAILURES WITH MICHELIN TIRE EQUIPMENT ON THE 2000 WINNEBAGO JOURNEY.*MR CONSUMER WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT THEY STILL HAD 80% OF TREAD LEFT ON THE TIRES. *BF

WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED VEHICLE RODE ROUGHLY AND PULLED TO THE RIGHT. HAD TAKEN VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP, AND WAS INFORMED THAT TIRES WERE CAUSING THE PROBLEM. MECHANIC NOTICED THAT ALL 4 TIRES SEPARATED, BULGED, AND BROKE RADIAL BELTS. ON THE LEFT FRONT, THE RADIAL BELT WAS PUSHING THROUGH AND COULD BE SEEN. HAD THE TIRES REPLACED. TIRE SIZE 185/65R15, AND DOT # HHNXDXCX2600; DOT HHNXDXCX3000; DOT HHNXDXCX4400. *AK THIS PROBLEM WAS ALSO REPORTED TO MICHELIN. *BF *NM

WHILE DRIVING 25-30 MPH VEHICLE HIT A POT HOLE AND IT VIBRATED UNCONTROLLABLY. DRIVER WAS PULLED OVER AND NOTICED THAT THE REAR LEFT TIRE WAS FLAT. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION, AND MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE TIRE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK SECOND TIRE DEVELOPED A BUBBLE ON OUTSIDE YET THE TIRE HAD NO SIGN OF DAMAGE ON THE OUTSIDE, THIS HAPPENED AT 42,538 MILES. CONSUMER HAS BOTH FAULTY TIRES. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE LEFT REAR RIM AND TIRE WERE BENT AND REPLACED REAR TIRE AND RIM MOUNT AND BALANCED THE TIRES. *BF *NM

I HAVE MICHELIN XRV TIRES ON MY MOTORHOME AND RECENTLY EXPERIENCED A BLOWOUT EVEN THOUGH I MAINTAIN MY TIRES PERFECTLY. I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM ON THE MICHELIN XRV TIRES! MY TIRE WAS A XRV 235/80R22.5. IT WAS ALMOST 5 YEARS OLD AND LOOKED BRAND NEW WITH NO CRACKS AND ALMOST NO TREAD WEAR AT ALL.

CONTACT STATES: JULY 27,2004, HAD A TIRE BLOW OUT ON THE REAR TIRE ON THE VAN. THE MUD FLAP BLEW OFF AND THERE WAS DAMAGE DONE TO THE WHEEL WELL. TOOK VEHICLE TO BARNETTE TIRE SERVICE, AND THE TIRE WAS REPLACED. THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE BLOW OUT WAS DUE TO THE TIRE VALVE. NOW THERE HAS BEEN TIRE VALVE RECALL. *AK

I OWN A 1994 HOLIDAY RAMBLER IMPERIAL 36 FEET MOTOR HOME. IN AUGUST OF 2000 I PURCHASED 6 NEW MICHELIN XRV 255/80R22.5 TIRES . THE NEW TIRES ARE MARKED ?DOT B6H6 AK3 X 1800?.MILEAGE WAS ABOUT 75,000 MILES ON THE OLD 235/80R22.5 XZU4 TIRES, ON THE RV SINCE NEW WITH NO PROBLEMS. 1) THE FIRST BLOWOUT HAPPENED ONLY 10 MINUTES (!) INTO A TRIP IN NOVEMBER 2003 ON A COOL RAINY SUNDAY AFTERNOON ON A HIGHWAY IN ONTARIO DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. THE SERVICE PERSONNEL COMMENTED IN THE LARGE SIDEWALL ?ZIPPER BLOWOUT? AND POINTED OUT THE BROWN DISCOLORATION (RUST!) VISIBLE . THERE WERE 35,800 MILES ON THIS TIRE 2) THE SECOND ?ZIPPER? BLOWOUT OCCURRED ON AN EXTREMELY BUSY HIGHWAY IN ONTARIO IN AUGUST 2004 AFTER DRIVING ONLY 10 MINUTES (!!) INTO A TRIP. THIS TIRE HAD 38,000 MILES. THE BLOWOUT CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE FIBER GLASS SKIRTING OF THE WHEEL WELL OF THE RV 3) THE THIRD BLOWOUT OCCURRED IN TEXAS IN JANUARY 2005 THERE WERE ONLY 44,000 MILES ON THIS XRV TIRE. AGAIN I SAW EVIDENCE OF BROWN AROUND THE STEEL CORDS OF THE SIDEWALL. I WAS ABLE TO TAKE A NUMBER OF DIGITAL PICTURES. THE FOURTH BLOWOUT OCCURRED ON FEBRUARY 5 BETWEEN PHOENIX AND FLAGSTAFF ON A CLEAR SUNNY DAY AFTER ONE HOUR OF DRIVING EVERYTHING WAS WITHIN SPECIFIED LIMITS. THE BLOWOUT OCCURRED ON THE OUTSIDE REAR DUAL TIRE AND WAS A ZIPPER BLOWOUT ? THE SAME AS THE OTHER THREE. THE STEEL BELTS AGAIN SHOWED RUSTY RED DISCOLORATION AT THE BREAK AREA. I HAVE SEVERAL DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHS THAT SHOW THE RUST COLOR AROUND SOME OF THE RADIAL WIRES. WITH THIS FOURTH BLOWOUT OF THE SIX TIRES I PURCHASED, I AM EXTREMELY ANXIOUS TO HEAR FROM YOU ABOUT WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT THE OBVIOUS PROBLEM WITH THE TIRES . *AK

ON JANUARY 17, 2004, I HAD COSTCO INSTALL 4 NEW MICHELIN X-RADIAL DT TIRES ON MY CHRYSLER MINIVAN. ON DECEMBER 29, 2004, I NOTICED A BULGE THE SIZE OF 1/2 TENNIS BALL IN THE SIDEWALL OF THE LEFT REAR TIRE. I IMMEDIATELY HAD IT REPLACED BY COSTCO. ON JANUARY 28, 2005, I HAD MY CHRYSLER DEALER REPLACE ALL FOUR TIRE PRESSURE SENSORS, REPLACED AT COSTCOS EXPENSE, BECAUSE OF DAMAGE DONE TO THEM DURING THE INITIAL TIRE INSTALLATION. ON FEBRUARY 15, 2005, WITHOUT A "LOW PRESSURE" WARNING, AND WITHOUT STRIKING ANY ROAD HAZARD, THE LEFT FRONT TIRE EXPLODED. IN THE ALMOST 2 MILES IT TOOK TO CROSS 5 LANES OF FAST MOVING TRAFFIC, THE TIRE DISINTEGRATED INTO WHAT MICHELIN CALLS A "RUN FLAT" CONDITION, DAMAGING THE WHEEL VALUED AT JUST OVER $600. OF COURSE WHAT WAS LEFT OF THE TIRE EXHIBITED "RUN FLAT" CONDITIONS BUT THAT WAS ONLY AFTER WHAT POSSIBLY WAS A BLOW OUT DUE TO ANOTHER DEFECT IN THE SIDEWALL. MICHELINS RESPONSE WAS THAT THERE WASN'T ENOUGH TIRE LEFT FOR THEM TO DETERMINE THE REAL CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. MR. TERRY VANCHOFF, ONE OF MICHELIN'S CUSTOMER CLAIMS MANAGERS ALSO SAID, "WITH THE NEW GOVERNMENT RULINGS AFTER THE FIRESTONE DEBACLE, EVEN THOUGH THEY MAY HAVE PAID MY CLAIM IN THE PAST DUE TO GOOD CUSTOMER RELATIONS, NOW, THE GOVERNMENT TREATS EVERY PAID CLAIM AS ADMITTING THAT THERE WAS A DEFECT AND COUNTS AGAINST THEM. IF THIS IS TRUE, I THINK IT DOES A DISSERVICE TO THE CONSUMER AS WELL AS THE COMPANY. I FOR ONE, A LIFELONG MICHELIN TIRE PURCHASER, WILL ACTIVELY LOOK TO OTHER TIRE MANUFACTURERS FOR MY FUTURE NEEDS BECAUSE OF POOR CUSTOMER RELATIONS REGARDING MY CLAIM. AFTER EXTENSIVE REVIEW OF THE NHTSA COMPLAINT FILES, I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT SO MANY "COINCIDENCES" OCCURRED WITH MICHELIN SIDEWALL FAILURES TO SO MANY "UNINFORMED" CONSUMERS THAT THEY WERE ALL CAUSED BY UNDERINFLATED TIRES OR DAMAGE DUE TO STRIKING A ROAD HAZARD. IN CONCLUSION, PLEASE CHECK THE FOLLOWING DOT #'S FOR SIDEWALL ISSUES BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HURT: M30DHU8X4303; 3103; 4503 & 3403. *NM