MICHELIN TIRES Complaints

RECALL LETTER TO REPLACE FRONT TIRE EQUIPMENT. *MR 06/24/04 THIS IS A CONGRESSIONAL AND HAS BEEN SENT TO EXEC. SEC. TO BE CONTROLLED. MEC *SC *JB

WHILE TRAVELING ON HIGHWAY 90 I EXPERIENCED A BLOWOUT ON THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE, ON MY 2001 COACHMEN SPORTCOACH MOTORHOME. THE TIRE PRESSURE WAS VERIFIED PIROR TO DEPARTING.THE TIRES WERE MICHELIN 255/80R22.5 XRV. THE INNER SIDEWALL BLEWOUT, COMMONLY REFERRED TO AS THE ZIPPER EFFECT.*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

CONSUMER EXPERIENCED A LEFT FRONT TIRE BLOW OUT 18 MONTHS AFTER PURCHASE. THE DEALER REPLACED THE TIRE AND NO COST TO THE CONSUMER. THE NEXT TIME THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE BLEW. THE BLOW OUT WAS BETWEEN THE TIRE TREAD AND THE RIM. *LA THE DEALER DETERMINED THAT THE SECOND TIRE BLOWOUT WAS CAUSED BY A SMALL PUNCTURE WHICH ALLOW AIR TO SLOWLY LEAK FROM THE TIRE. *NM

AFTER THE TIRES WERE ROTATED, THE TREAD WORE OUT. A BMW HOT LINE REPRESENTATIVE INFORMED THE CONSUMER THAT THE TIRES SHOULDN'T BE ROTATED BECAUSE TREAD WEAR WILL OCCUR. THIS INFORMATION WAS NOT LISTED IN THE OWNER'S MANUAL. *AK THERE WAS EXCESSIVE TIRE NOISE. *SC *JB

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

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

WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED, THE CONSUMER SAW THAT ALL FOUR TIRES WERE CRACKED. PLEASE PROVIDE TIRE INFORMATION. *JB

CONSUMER IN DELAYED RECEIPT OF A SAFETY RECALL ON MICHELIN 255/80R22.5 TIRES. (NAR) *LA THE TIRE ORIGINAL INSTALLED ON THE TRUCK WERE RECALLED BECAUSE THEY WERE NOT DESIGNED TO HANDLE THE WEIGHT OF THE MOTORHOME. *NM

ON 2 SEPARATE OCCASIONS, THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE AND THE REAR DRIVER SIDE TIRE WENT FLAT. THIS WAS CAUSED BY A BEADING PROBLEM BEING TO CLOSE TO THE RIMS WHICH DIDN'T ALLOW THE TIRE TO WHOLE AIR. THE TIRES WERE REPLACED, HOWEVER THE PROBLEM RECURRED. *AK *SC *JB