MICHELIN TIRES Complaints

SUDDEN SIDE WALL FAILURE OF THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE OF MY 2006 HONDA ACCORD. THE MICHELIN TIRE WAS ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT ON THE CAR. DURING LOW SPEED DRIVING A HOLE ABOUT 4 INCHES BY 3 INCHES BLEW OUT OF THE TIRE. IT LOOKS AS IF THE BELTS ARE TOTALLY DETACHED FROM THE OUTSIDE RUBBER OF THE TIRE. ON LOOKING ON THE INTERNET I FOUND SCORES OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT SIMILAR FAILURES. *TR

IN A GROCERY STORE PARKING LOT, HAD TO SWING WIDE TO AVOID A TRUCK TURNING INTO A ROW OF PARKED CARS. IN DOING SO, THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE RAN OVER THE LAST FOOT OF A ROUNDED CURB ISLAND AT ABOUT A WALKING SPEED. THE SIDEWALL OF THE TIRE EXPERIENCED A 2 INCH L SHAPED BLOWOUT. THIS TIRE WAS ON A NEW CAR WITH LESS THAN 1200 MILES. I HAVE NEVER IN 50 YEARS HAD A TIRE HAVE THIS TYPE OF BLOWOUT WITH SUCH A LOW SPEED CURB ROLLOVER. THERE WAS NOTHING IN THIS AREA TO CAUSE A PUNCTURE. *TR

2008 FORD E450, GULFSTREAM CLASS "C" MOTOR HOME. NO ACCIDENT. OBSERVED SEVERE CRACKING IN ALL TIRES, DRYROT. LATER QUESTION TO ID WHICH TIRE, LISTED RF. IT IS ALL 6 TIRES ON GROUND AND SPARE. 7 TOTAL. TOOK IN TO DEALER THIS DATE. THE CONTACTED MFG. MFG OK'ED REPLACEMENT HOWEVER REQUIRES 20% PAYMENT. *TR

ON 6/3/2008, I PURCHASED 2 MICHELIN LTX M/S 245/65/17 TIRES FOR MY 2003 GMC ENVOY FROM, MILLENNIUM AUTOBODY & SERVICE INC., 1782 MAIN ST., BROCKTON, MA 02304. ON 10/22/2008 (AFTER ONLY 7969 MILES) THE TIRE BLEW OUT ON THE WAY TO FL- HAD IT BEEN REPLACED IN NY. THE TIRE WAS SHREDDED. ON 11/10/2008 (AFTER ONLY 9557 MILES ) THE 2ND TIRE WENT FLAT- I WAS ABLE TO PULL THE SUV OVER QUICKLY RECOGNIZING THE SAME SOUNDS AND VIBRATIONS FROM 1ST BLOW OUT. THIS TIRE WAS NOT SHREDDED. THERE WAS NO PUNCTURES/ CUTS TO THE TIRE. THE CLERK AT THE TIRE KINGDOM IN FL STATED THAT IT WAS A FAULTY TIRE VALVE STEM THAT HAD CAUSED THE TIRE TO FAIL. I CALLED HOME, AND MY FAMILY ADVISED ME THAT THERE HAD BEEN REPORTS OF BAD VALVE STEMS ON TRUCKS AND SUV'S. I CONTACTED THE LOCATION WHERE I PURCHASED THE TIRES TO REPORT THE TWO TIRES FAILING- THEY REQUESTED THAT I BRING THE TIRES BACK WHEN I CAME BACK TO MA. I DID NOT HAVE THE 1ST TIRE- BUT I DID GET AND STILL HAVE THE 2ND TIRE. MILLENNIUM AUTOBODY SAID THEY WERE GOING TO TALK TO TIRE REP AND GET BACK TO ME- BUT IT HAS BEEN SEVERAL WEEKS NOW AND STILL NO WORD. I WAS VERY FORTUNATE THAT NO ONE WAS INJURED DURING THESE 2 EVENTS- I FEAR THAT THERE ARE STILL FAULTY TIRE VALVES OUT THERE- THAT OTHER CONSUMERS MAY NOT BE AWARE OF THEM. *TR

TWO COMPLAINTS. 1) TRANSMISSION DOWNSHIFTS HARD WHEN SLOWING, SUCH AS FOR A STOP SIGN. MERCURY SAYS IT IS A SOFTWARE PROBLEM. THEY ARE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT WON'T FIX IT UNDER THE EXTENDED WARRANTY. MY VEHICLE HAS 37,700 MILES. 2) EXTREME WIRE WEAR. IT CAME WITH MICHLIN TIRES AND I HAVE GOTTEN FAR LESS THAN 20,000 MILES OUT OF THEM. I AM NOW REPLACING WITH BRIDGESTONE. I DON'T KNOW IF IT IS THE TIRE OR SOMETHING DEFECTIVE WITH THE VEHICLE. THE DEALERSHIP LIED TO ME WHEN I TOOK IT IN FOR THEM TO CHECK. THE MICHLINS ARE WEARING IN THE CENTER OF THE TREAD AND THE DEALERSHIP TOLD ME THAT IT WAS BECAUSE I HAD 45 POUNDS IN THE TIRES. I AM VERY CONCERNED ABOUT ALL ASPECTS OF UPKEEP OF MY VEHICLE. IT CALLS FOR 32 PSI FRONT AND REAR. THE TIRES ARE ALWAYS WITHIN A COUPLE OF POUNDS OF THAT FIGURE. GRANTED THE WEAR DOES LOOK LIKE OVERINFLATION. SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH THE TIRE OR THE VEHICLE. I HAVE MADE SURE THE ALIGNMENT IS RIGHT ON AND IT DOES ALIGHN PROPERLY SO I TEND TO BELIEVE IT IS THE MICHLIN CROSS TERRIAN 235X65X18 TIRES. OTHER THAN THE TRANS WHICH THE DEALERSHIP ADVISES WILL BE FIXED WITH A SOFTWARE UPGRADE AND THE TIRE PROBLEM, EVERYTHING ELSE IS VERY SATISFACTORY WITH THE VEHICLE. *TR

I PURCHASED A 2006 HONDA ODYSSEY BACK IN NOV, 2006. WHEN I WAS LOOKING FOR A VAN I ASKED THE SALES PERSON IN ROCK HONDA IN FONTANA, CA THAT I NEEDED A GOOD CAR BECAUSE I HAD CHILDREN AND I DID NOT WANTED TO BE HAVING PROBLEMS ON THE ROAD AND OF COURSE I'M WAS A WOMAN THAT DIDN'T DO ANY AUTO WORK, SO I NEEDED SOMETHING EASY TO MAINTAIN, WELL TO MY SURPRISE THE TIRES THAT THIS VAN HAS, BUT THAT I WAS NOT TOLD AT THE DEALER THAT THESE TIRES (PAX SYSTEM) WEAR REALLY FAST AND ARE VERY EXPENSIVE AND ONLY A HONDA DEALER CAN CHANGE THEM. WHEN I TOOK MY VAN TO HAVE THE TIRES CHANGED, I TOOK IT TO 3 DIFFERENT SHOPS AND TOLD ME THAT ONLY A HONDA DEALER OR A CERTIFIED SHOP COULD DO IT AND THE COST IS $1,500.00 TO CHANGE THEM. I TRIED TO CONTACT THE ROCK HONDA AND THEY ACTUALLY HUNG UP ON ME 3 TIMES, ONE OF THE SALES PERSON TOLD ME THAT TIRES WERE EASY TO CHANGE THAT "HE COULD PURCHASE AND CHANGE TIRES IN HIS OWN GARAGE" THAT THE PEOPLE FROM THE SHOP DID NOT KNOW WHAT THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT. WELL I CALLED HONDA MOTOR CO,INC AND MICHELIN AND THE ONLY THING THEY DID WAS APOLOGIZED FOR THE INCONVENIENCE. IF I HAD KNOWN THAT I WAS GOING TO HAVE SUCH AN EXPENSIVE MAINTENANCE I WOULD NOT HAVE BOUGHT IT, BUT OH WELL I'M STUCK WITH IT NOW, AND TO TOP IT ALL OFF, THE ROOF IS LEAKING AND THE WARRANTY DOES NOT COVER LEAKS, AND THE DOOR ON THE RIGHT SIDE MAKES A LOUD NOISE WHEN IT OPENS AND CLOSES BUT IT'S THE SAME ISSUE WITH THE WARRANTY. *TR

LEFT FRONT TIRE ON MY 2007 MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS LS BLEW OUT WHILE DOING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH ON HIGHWAY 85. I SLOWED DOWN UNTIL I COULD PULL OFF THE ROAD ONTO THE SHOULDER. AT THE SAME TIME I FOUND THAT THE RIGHT REAR TIRE WAS VERY LOW.I INSTALLED THE DONUT SPARE ON THE LEFT FRONT AND PUMPED UP THE RIGHT REAR TIRE AND SLOWLY DROVE TO THE NEAREST GAS STATION TO INFLATE BOTH TIRES TO PROPER PRESSURE. I THEN WENT HOME. THE NEXT DAY I WENT TO MY MERCURY DEALER, THEY INSPECTED THE BLOWN OUT TIRE AND TOLD ME THAT I WAS DRIVING ON AN IMPROPERLY INFLATED TIRE AND FORD MOTORS WOULD NOT DO ANYTHING FOR ME ,BUT THEY OFFERED TO SELL ME A NEW TIRE AND MOUNT IT AT NO CHARGE. I LEFT THE DEALERSHIP AND WENT TO A TIRE DEALER THAT I HAVE USED ON OTHER OCCASIONS FOR TIRES FOR OTHER CARS,WHEN HE WENT TO REMOVE THE BLOWN TIRE FROM THE RIM HE FOUND THAT THE VALVE STEM WAS CRACKED AND COULD HAVE BEEN THE CAUSE OF THE TIRE FAILURE,I TOLD HIM ABOUT THE LOW PRESSURE IN THE RIGHT REAR TIRE HE PRESSED THE VALVE STEM SLIGHTLY SIDE WAYS AND THE AIR LEAKED OUT, HE DID THE SAME TO THE OTHER 2 TIRES AND THEY SEEMED OK. HE REMOVED THE RIGHT REAR TIRE IT SHOWS SEVERAL WORN SPOTS INSIDE AND HE RECOMMENDS CHANGING IT ALSO. HE TOLD ME THEIR IS A RECALL ON SOME VALVE STEMS,AND WE CHECKED OUT INFO ON GOOGLE AND FOUND THAT MY CAR HAS THE DILL-ACP TR-414 TIRE VALVES, HE REPLACED BOTH TIRE AND ALL 4 VALVE STEMS. I WENT TO MY DEALER THE OWNER AND TIRE EXPERT SAID THEY KNEW NOTHING ABOUT ANY VALVE STEM PROBLEMS. I GAVE THE OWNER THE GOOGLE PRINT OUT HE SAID HE WOULD CHECK WITH FORD AND LET ME KNOW. THAT WAS FRIDAY 27 FEB 09. TODAY IS MONDAY MAR 2 09. *TR

I HAVE HAD SEVERAL PROBLEMS WITH THIS CAR. I GOT THE CAR BRAKE PADS REPLACED REGULARLY BUT I HAD TO GET THE ROTORS REPLACED TOO IN 2006. THEN, THE DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT HAD TO BE REPLACED ROUND ABOUT THE SAME TIME. RECENTLY (A MONTH AGO), I GOT THE PRIMARY OXYGEN SENSOR REPLACED. NOW, THE LATEST MAJOR PROBLEM IS INTERNAL TRANS FAILURE AND FLUID LEAK DIAGNOSED BY HONDA, A DIAGNOSIS THAT I HAD TO PAY FOR. THIS IS UNHEARD OF IN A CAR WITH 55K MILEAGE. HONDA SOLD THE CARS WITH DEFECTIVE TRAN SYSTEMS IN THE FIRST PLACE. THERE WAS A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT BECAUSE OF WHICH THEY EXTENDED THEIR WARRANTY. NOW, I AM OUT OF THE WARRANTY BY JUST 3 MONTHS. THEY HAVE ASKED ME TO PAY AROUND $700 TO REPAIR IT. HONDA SHOULD COVER 100% OF THE REPAIR COST. I AM PRETTY SURE THAT I WILL HAVE TO AGAIN REPLACE THE NEW TRAN SYSTEM AS SOON AS ITS WARRANTY PERIOD EXPIRES. BECAUSE OF THIS, THE CAR IS DRIVING FUNNY AND USING A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF GAS. WHEN I CALLED CUSTOMER CARE AND TOLD THEM THAT THE FUEL ECONOMY PROBLEM (DUE TO TRAN FAILURE) HAD STARTED ABOUT 6 MONTHS AGO (WHEN I WAS WELL WITHIN THE WARRANTY PERIOD), THEY SAID THAT I SHOULD HAVE TAKEN IT TO A DEALERSHIP BEFORE. SINCE THERE WERE NO VISIBLE SIGN ON THE DASHBOARD OR ANY OTHER PLACE, HOW WILL A DRIVER KNOW THAT THERE IS SOMETHING DEFINITELY WRONG WITH THE CAR? THERE MIGHT HAVE BEEN ENGINE SOUNDS BUT IT IS HARD TO DISCERN IT OVER THE INHERENT LOUD DIN OF THE HONDA ENGINE. EVEN THE HONDA TECHNICIAN COULD NOT SAY FOR SURE WHETHER THE NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE WAS DUE TO THE TRAN. FAILURE. A PROPER REPAIR SHOP WOULD HAVE TOLD ME EXACTLY WHAT THE PROB. WAS AND TRY TO REPAIR IT, BUT HONDA REPLACES THE FULL TRAN SYSTEM. HONDA'S CUSTOMER SERVICE IS EXTREMELY UNPLEASANT - THEY ARE RUDE AND ABRUPT IN THEIR CONVERSATIONS. THEY HAVE GIVEN ME LIMITED CHOICES - 1. I HAD TO PAY FOR A DIAGNOSIS AT A HONDA REPAIR SHOP. 2. I DO NOT HAVE A CHOICE OF GETTING IT FIXED FROM A DIFFERENT HONDA DEALERSHIP. 3. THEY HAVE GIVEN ME 3 DAYS TO REPAIR IT. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 HYUNDAI SONATA. THE VEHICLE HAS TWO MICHELIN EAGLE 102 TIRES, SIZE 215/60R16. THE TIRES WERE ROTATED AFTER 5,000 MILES. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE SIDEWALLS HAVE BEGUN TO CRACK SIGNIFICANTLY. HE IS CONCERNED THAT THE TIRES WILL FAIL DUE TO THE CRACKS. THERE HAD BEEN NO FAILURE TO DATE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 8,200. UPDATED 03/12/09. *LJ UPDATED 03/16/09. *JB

PAX TIRES ON HONDA ODYSSEY. THEY QUICKLY WEAR OUT, AND COST $1300 TO REPLACE. THE ONLY SOURCE FOR THE TIRES IS THE HONDA DEALER -- NO OTHER VENDORS AVAILABLE. IF WE REPLACE THE WHEELS WITH NON-PAX PARTS WE WILL HAVE CONSTANT COMPUTER WARNINGS WHILE DRIVING BECAUSE THE TIRE PRESSURE MONITOR WILL REGISTER "0 PSI" TIRE PRESSURE. TIRES SPECS PROVIDED BY THIS WEBSITE (WIDTH, RIM, ETC) ARE NOT COMPATIBLE WITH NUMBERS FROM TIRES. TIRES SAY "ENERGY LX4 RADIAL XSE 235-710 R460A 104T PAX" NONE OF THESE FACTS WERE DISCLOSED BY THE DEALERSHIP WHEN WE PURCHASED THE CAR. *TR