MICHELIN TIRES Complaints

THE VEHICLE FRAME HAD APPROXIMATELY THREE FEET OF RUST AND CORROSION. THE RUST WAS ALSO NOTICED BY THE BRACKET THAT HOLDS THE TRANSMISSION SUPPORT CROSS MEMBER. THE ENGINE OIL PAN RUSTED OUT WHICH CAUSED AN OIL LEAK. ALSO TWO OF THE TIRES HAD ACQUIRED BULGES. *JG *JB

MY NEW CAR CAME EQUIPPED WITH HIGH PERFORMANCE MICHELIN TIRES. I WAS DRIVING HOME AND NOTICED A PECULAR SOUND AND THEN HAD DIFFICULTY CONTROLLING MY CAR. SMOKE WAS COMING FROM THE CAR. I MANAGED TO PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE TIRE WAS SMOKING AND THERE WAS A STRONG SMELL OF BURNING RUBBER. THE TIRE WAS COMPLETELY SPLIT AROUND THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE RIM. THE VEHICLE STOPPED BECAUSE THE DRIVER SAID HE COULD SEE SMOKE COMING FROM MY PRIOR TO THE TIME I NOTICED A PROBLEM. I HAD THE SPARE PUT ON AND WENT HOME. THE NEXT MORNING, I HAD DIFFICULTY FINDING A DEALER THAT CARRIED THE TIRE, 225/10 ZR18. THE AUDI DEALERSHIP SAID THAT THE TIRES WERE UNDER A WARRENTY FROM MICHELIN, BUT WERE UNABLE TO GIVE ME A CONTACT NUMBER AT THAT TIME. I TOOK THE TIRE TO A SHOP THAT COULD ORDER THE TIRE AND REPLACE IT IN LESS THAN 3 DAYS. THE OWNER WAS CONCERNED THAT THE TIRE WAS DEFECTIVE. I CALL MICHELIN AND SPOKE TO A CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE WHO WAS CLEARLY DEFENSIVE AND NON- SPECIFIC. HE REFUSED TO TAKE ANY COMPLAINT OR INFORMATION ABOUT THE TIRE BECAUSE THE TIRE STORE WAS NOT AN AUTHORIZED MICHILEN DEALER. HE INFORMED ME THAT I COULD HAVE EASILY "HIT" AN OBJECT IN THE ROAD AND NOT FELT IT. I FIND THAT EXPLANATION VERY QUESTIONABLE. I HIT NOTHING. THERE WERE NO FOREIGN OBJECTS, SUCH AS NAILS OR GLASS, IN THE TIRE. I PURCHASED THE CAR, AN AUDI TT 2002, WITH THE FACTORY INSTALLED TIRES, NOVEMBER OF 2002. THE CAR HAD ABOUT 4000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER AT PURCHASE AND NOW HAS 6200 MILES. MY DRIVING IS CITY/COUNTRY AND, TRUELY, I RARELY DRIVE OVER THE SPEED LIMIT. ALTHOUGH, I WOULD LIKE TO BE REIMBURSED FOR THE TIRE, I AM MORE CONCERNED THAT THIS COULD HAVE RESULTED IN A VERY SERIOUS INJURY HAD I BEEN DRIVING ON A MULTILANE, HIGH SPEED FREEWAY. I DO NOT WISH TO SEE ANY OTHER DRIVER BE LESS FORTUNATE THAN I.

THE RECREATIONAL VEHICLE EXPERIENCED SEVERE TIRE BLOWOUTS ON 2 OF THE 6 TIRES.*JB

TIRE BLEW OUT AT 5000 MILES AND OTHER 3 TIRES BLEW OUT BEFORE 9000 MILES. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. TS

THE FRONT RIGHT SIDEWALL SPLIT CAUSING A BLOW OUT. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. TS

THE CONSUMER HAS EXPERIENCED THE FOLLOWING: DEFECTIVE TIRES PER DEALER, LIGHTING, AND THE FRONT RIGHT PASSENGER SIDE DOOR LOCK-INOP(CONTINUOUS). SCC

'99 ACURA TL W/MICHELIN MXV4 TIRES AT 65K MILES. TWO OF THE TIRES SHOWED CLEAR BEGINNING OF TREAD SEPARATION AT AROUND 65K MILES. INSPECTION: DEEP CUT-LIKE SEPARATION AROUND THE ENTIRE SIDEWALL AT THE TREAD SEAM TO SIDEWALL AREA. MICHELIN DEALER FOUND WHILE DOING ROUTINE TIRE ROTATION AND REPLACED WITH SAME TIRE FOR A PRORATED PRICE.

WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE WILL VIBRATE. DEALERSHIP INDICATED THAT THIS WAS CAUSED BY ALL FOUR TIRES BEING OUT OF ROUND. THEY HAD HIGH SPOTS IN THEM. THESE ARE 70,000 MILE TIRES. NOT ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT.*AK

CONSUMER STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 45MPH AND WITHOUT WARNING THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE TIRE BLEW OUT PLEASE PROVIDE THE SIZE AND DOT# DEALER NOTIFIED. TS

TREAD SEPERATION IN PHANTOM A/P TIRE THAT WAS MANAUFACTURED WITHIN TIME PERIOD OF NHTSA ACTION #PE02056. SUBSTANTIAL PHYSICAL INJURY TO 72 YEAR OLD DRIVER AND TOTAL LOSS OF VEHICLE. RIMKUS CONSUTLING SERVICES EXPERT GARRET MITCHELL MADE THE FOLLOWING CONCLUSIONS: 1.A DEFECT IN THE LEFT-REAR TIRE ON THE CHEVROLET CAUSED THE TREAD TO SEPARATE FROM THE CARCASS. THE NATURE OF THE FAILURE IS CONSISTENT WITH CONTAMINATION OR IMPROPER VULCANIZATION OF THE TIRE COMPONENTS DURING MANUFACTURING. 2. THE SUDDEN FAILURE OF THE TIRE CAUSED THE DRIVER TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND SUBSEQUENTLY COLLIDE WITH A SOLID OBJECT. "THERE WAS A PRESENCE OF POLISHING AND BLUING ON THE RUBBER CARCASS OF THE TIRE [WHICH INDICATED] OVERHEATING OF THE TIRE. . . . IF EVIDENCE OF OVERHEATING IS OBSERVED AROUND THE ENTIRE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE TIRE, FLEXING OF THE TIRE DUE TO OVERLOADING OR UNDER-INFLATION IS INDICATED. IN THIS CASE, HOWEVER, THE EVIDENCE OF OVERHEATING IS LIMITED TO ONE AREA OF THE TIRE, SPECIFICALLY THE AREA WHERE THE TREAD BEGAN TO SEPARATE FROM THE CARCASS. THIS INDICATES LOCALIZED OVERHEATING DUE TO FRICTION BETWEEN ADJACENT TIRE COMPONENTS WAS TAKING PLACE IN THIS AREA. FURTHERMORE, THE REMAINING TREAD IN THIS AREA IS UNEVENLY WORN, INDICATING A DISCONTINUITY IN THE TIRE STRUCTURE AT THIS LOCATION. THESE OBSERVATIONS INDICATE THE COMPONENTS OF THE TIRE WERE NOT PROPERLY BONDED TOGETHER IN THE AREA WHERE THE TREAD SEPARATION BEGAN."