MICHELIN TIRES Complaints

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

THE TIRES ON MY FORD 2000 E150 ARE "PEELING" ... THE OUTSIDE RUBBER ON THE SIDE OF THE TIRES IS PEELING AWAY AND EXPOSING THE "FABRIC" BENEATH. (IT'S LIKE THE VENEER PEELING OFF A PIECE OF FURNITURE.) THIS IS REMINDING ME OF THE TIRE PROBLEMS FORD HAD SEVERAL YEARS AGO. THE TIRES ON MY FORD E-150 ARE MICHELINS.*AK

REFUND REQUEST FOR THE PURCHASE OF MICHELIN TIRE EQUIPMENT THAT REPLACED THE VEHICLE'S ORIGINAL STEEL TEX TIRES. *MR THE CONSUMER WAS CONCERNED WHEN HE FOUND THAT THE VEHICLE WAS EQUIPPED WITH FIRESTONE STEELTEX TIRES. *SC *JB

VEHICLE TIRE BLEW OUT WHILE DRIVING.*MR WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO PULL TO THE RIGHT. A SHORT TIME LATER THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT TIRE BLEWOUT THROUGH THE SIDEWALL. THE CONSUMER SAW NO NAIL OR OTHER INDICATION OF A PUNCTURE. *NM

PROBLEMS WITH MICHELIN TIRES ON 2003 BMW 330 CI.*MR THE CONSUMER HAD A DAMAGED MICHELIN TIRE REPLACED BUT ONLY FOUR MONTHS LATER THE NEW TIRE IS EXHIBITING THE SAME SYMPTOMS AS THE OLD TIRE. THE CONSUMER BELIEVES THE TIRES BECAME TOO HOT THEREFORE CREATING 3-4 INCH BUBBLES AROUND THE WALL WHICH CAUSED THE TIRE TO LOSE AIR. *NM

PROBLEMS WITH ANTI LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM ON 2003 HONDA ACCORD EX.*MR WHILE BRAKING ABRUPTLY THE CONSUMER INDICATED THAT IT TOOK THE BRAKES 3-4 SECONDS BEFORE THE RESPONDED. ONCE THEY DID THE VEHICLE CAME TO A SLOW STOP AND THE VEHICLE CAME WITHIN INCHES OF HITTING ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE CONSUMER WAS NOT SATISFIED WITH THE PERFORMANCE OF THE V-RATED ENERGY MICHELIN TIRES. THE CONSUMER INDICATED THAT HE TIRES PERFORMED POORLY IN THE RAIN AND SNOW. THE CONSUMER PURCHASED NEW B.F. GOODRICH TRACTION T/A RADIAL ALL SEASON TIRES. THE CONSUMER LIKES THE PERFORMANCE OF THESE TIRES BUT THEY MAKE NOISE WHILE DRIVING. *NM

IN THE LAST TWO MONTHS, I HAVE HAD THREE FLAT TIRES. THE FIRST WAS A COMPLETELY SHREDDED ON THE FREEWAY AT SPEEDS 65 MPH. COSTCO REPLACED THE TIRE, WHICH WAS ONLY 7 MONTHS OLD ON MAY 3, 2004. A MONTH LATER, SOMETIME IN JUNE, A SECOND FLAT, ON THE FREEWAY. COSTCO CLAIMED IT WAS A NAIL. THEY SAID THEY PATCHED IT UP AND SENT US ON OUR WAY. THE THIRD FLAT, JUST YESTERDAY ON JULY 18, ANOTHER FLAT. WE TOOK THIS TIRE AND TO ANOTHER TIRE SHOP AND THEY SAID IT IS A PROBLEM WITH THE VALVE STEM. WE ASKED THAT THEY CHECK THE TIRE, WHICH SUPPOSEDLY COSTCO PATCHED BACK IN JUNE AND THEY SAID THE TIRE HAD NOT BEEN PATCHED AND THAT THE AIR GAGE WAS REPLACED. WHAT WE INFER IS THAT COSTCO KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG WITH THESE VALVE STEMS, LIED ABOUT IT AND LET US GO ON OUR WAY. KNOWING FULL WELL THAT WE STILL HAD TWO TIRES WITH BAD STEM VALVES. THIS THIRD AND FINAL EXAMPLE IS PROOF. THREE OUT OF FOUR TIRES GONE BACK IN A PERIOD OF 10 MONTHS IS UNUSUAL. I DON'T KNOW IF IT IS A TIRE DEFECT OR A COSTCO, MAN-MADE DEFECT AND NEED HELP. *JB

PROBLEMS WITH TIRE RECALL REPLACEMENT.*MR THE CONSUMER RECEIVED RECALL NOTICE 04V-037 EARLIER THIS YEAR. THE CONSUMER CONTACTED THE NEWMAR TIRE RECALL CENTER AND THEY AGREED TO HAVE NEW TIRES SENT. THE CONSUMER IS STILL IN POSSESSION OF THE ORIGINAL RECALL TIRES. *NM

THE CONSUMER PURCHASED FOUR NEW TIRES FIVE MONTHS AGO. THREE OF THE TIRES HAVE SUFFERED SUDDEN AIR LOSS, NOT DUE TO PUNCTURES. THE CONSUMER HAVE EXCHANGED TWO OF THE DEFECTIVE TIRES AND NOW THE THIRD ONE IS FLAT. *LA THIRD TIRE FAILURE WAS DID NOT RUIN THE TIRE WHICH WAS RE-INFLATED WITH A DIFFERENT VALUE, AND NOW WORKING FINE THUS FAR. CONSUMER WAS WONDERING IF THE VALUE ORIGINALLY ON TIRE WERE NOT GENUINE. IN EACH OF THE THREE INCIDENTS, CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING BETWEEN 45 MPH TO 65 MPH. *LA

LTR FM R. MILLER (LA) OWNER OF A DUTCH STAR MOTORHOME, RECALLED VEHICLE TO REPLACE FRONT TIRES TO IMPROVE CARRYING CAPACITY OWNER REQUEST RECALL REPLACE ALL TIRES NOT JUST FRONT 2-TIRES SUGGEST NHTSA INVESTIGATE.*MR (RECALL#04V037000) *JB