MICHELIN TIRES Complaints

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 LINCOLN TOWN CAR. THE VEHICLE HAS MICHELIN ENERGY LX4 TIRES, SIZE P225/60R17. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE EXTERIOR SIDEWALL OF THE TIRE BEGAN DETERIORATING. ALL FOUR TIRES WERE REPLACED. SEVERAL WEEKS LATER, SHE NOTICED THAT THE EXTERIOR SIDEWALL BEGAN DETERIORATING AGAIN ON ALL FOUR TIRES. THE MANUFACTURER WOULD ONLY ASSUME PARTIAL FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE FIRST SET OF TIRES THAT WERE REPLACED. THE CONTACT STILL HAS POSSESSION OF THE TIRES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 1,500.

1. DRIVING 53 MPH ON 3 LANE FREEWAY, CHANGED INTO RIGHT LANE WITH LIGHT TRAFFIC. 2. TIRE BLOW OUT - HEARD LOAD 'POP' FROM BEHIND ME, CHECKED MIRRORS FOR OBJECT IN LANE - COULD NOT IDENTIFY ISSUE. MOVED TO FAR LEFT LANE IN ANTICIPATION OF NEED FOR BREAK-DOWN LANE. TRAVELED APPROX 1/4 MILE, COULD FEEL RIGHT REAL RUB OF TIRE. PULLED OF ROAD. 3. CONTACTED AAA, VAN SENT, TIRE CHANGED TO DONUT. NO VISIBLE SHREDDING. AAA DRIVERS STATED IT APPEARED TO BE SIDE WALL FAILURE. WE REPLACED BOTH REAR TIRES AND ARE MAINTAINING THIS 'BLOWN OUT' TIRE. *TR

BOUGHT A 2006 HONDA ODYSSEY TOURING WITH DVD/NAV IN MARCH OF 2006. IN OCTOBER '06, HAD ALIGNMENT REPAIRED DUE TO VAN PULLING TO RIGHT. IN MAY '07, REQUESTED ALIGNMENT BE CHECKED AGAIN FOR PULLING TO THE RIGHT, THEY WERE GOING TO CHARGE $85 BECAUSE WARRANTY EXPIRED. WAS INFORMED BY HONDA SERVICE TECH IN MARCH 2008, WE NEEDED 4 BRAND NEW TIRES, NOT ALIGNMENT PROBLEM. VAN HAD 30, 413 MILES AND ALMOST DIDN'T PASS INSPECTION. TIRES ARE 235-710R460A AND WERE WORN TO 3/32 WITH REGULAR MAINTENANCE AND ROTATION. WAS TOLD BY SERVICE TECH THAT YOU HAD TO REPLACE ALL 4 AT A TIME AND COST WOULD BE $1211.73. WAS TOLD YOU CANNOT REPLACE PAX TIRE SYSTEM WITH REGULAR TIRES. DID MY OWN RESEARCH AND FOUND OUT YOU CAN, BUT UP-FRONT COST INCLUDING WHEELS, TIRES, AND LABOR WOULD BE ABOUT $2000. WAS NOT TOLD UPON PURCHASING THE VAN THAT THE TIRES WOULD NEED COMPLETE REPLACEMENT BETWEEN 25K-30K MILES! WE WERE TOLD PAX SYSTEM TIRES HAD EXCELLENT WEAR RATING AND WOULD LAST LONGER THAN REGULAR TIRES! HAD ALL TIRES REPLACED AND VAN STILL PULLS TO RIGHT. NOW WE'RE BEING TOLD OUR BRAKES NEED TO BE REPLACED. WE'RE STUCK WITH THIS VEHICLE BECAUSE VALUE OF VAN HAD DECREASED WITH PAX TIRE SYSTEM COMPLAINTS. *TR

AFTER 23K MILES OF USE, THESE TIRES HAVE VIRTUALLY NO TREAD LEFT. THIS WAS A BRAND NEW VEHICLE PURCHASE AND THE TIRES CAME STOCK AS PART OF THE VEHICLE. WE HAVE BEEN CONSCIENTIOUS IN ROTATING THE TIRES AND ENSURING THAT THE TIRES HAVE PROPER INFLATION. *TR

ON 6/22/01 I BOUGHT 4 NEW MICHELIN 245-75R16 TRUCK TIRES FOR MY PICKUP FOR $524.62. THE VEHICLE IS USED FOR PLEASURE AND IS ALWAYS GARAGED. THE TIRES CURRENTLY HAVE ONLY 16,251 MILES ON THEM. DURING MY ANNUAL VEHICLE INSPECTION, THE INSPECTOR NOTICED THAT ALL FOUR TIRES HAD CRACKING SIDEWALLS (DRY-ROT). I RETURNED TO THE PLACE OF TIRE PURCHASE AND THE MANAGER SAID THAT THE TIRES WERE NOT SAFE, COULD POSSIBLY BLOW-OUT, AND SHOULD BE REPLACED. THE TIRES LOOK BRAND-NEW OTHER THAN THE CRACKED SIDEWALLS. I CONTACTED MICHELIN AND THEY REFUSED ANY ACTION. I BELIEVE THAT TIRES SHOULD NOT FAIL DUE TO DRY-ROT WITH ONLY 16,251 MILES. *TR

EARLY SPRING OF 08, TIRE VALVE STEM LEAK : REPLACED SEPT 5 OF 08 HAD SPORTRAC VEHICLE IN TO DEALER FOR ( FORD, FAIROAK NAPERVILLE IL. ) MAINTENANCE INCLUDING ROTATION AND BALANCING OF ALL 4 WHEEL SL SHORTLY AFTER LEAVING DEALER LOW TIRE PRESSURE INDICATOR CAME ON. I FOUND LEFT REAR VALVE STEM LEAKING STOP AT DISCOUNT TIRE AND WAS INFORMED THAT I HAD 3 VALVES ON VEHICLE THAT WERE BAD "RECALL" ALL 4 FOUR WERE THEN REPLACED AND I WAS INFORMED OF THE RECALL. WHAT' WITH FORD ? *TR

OVER THE PAST 20 YEARS, I HAVE OWNED 6 CARS (5 CADILLACS AND 1 MERCURY) EQUIPPED WITH MICHELIN TIRES. OF THESE 24 TIRES, I EXPERIENCED TREAD SEPARATION FAILURE ON 18 OF THE TIRES AND 1 SIDEWALL FAILURE AT 13000 MILES. TWO TIRES, I REMOVED AT 25000 MILES TO AVOID PROBLEMS AS I WAS PLANNING A LONG TRIP. THREE OF THE TIRES ARE STILL ON ONE CAR WITH ABOUT 13000 MILES ON THOSE TIRES. THE STANDARD SIZE FOR THE CADILLAC IS 215/65-16. MICHELIN ONLY RECOMMENDS THAT I SPEAK WITH THEIR DEALER. THE DEALER SAID HE COULD NOT ADJUST FOR THE TIRES. NEEDLESS TO SAY I DID NOT REPLACE THE FAILED TIRES WITH MICHELIN TIRES. I EXPERIENCED AN UNREASONABLE TREAD SEPARATION FAILURE RATE WITH MICHELIN TIRES (TIME WILL TELL FOR THE REMAINING 3 TIRES). THIS INDICATES A SYSTEMIC PROBLEM WITH THE MICHELIN DESIGN/MANUFACTURING. I DID A LITTLE RESEARCH ON THE SUBJECT OF TREAD SEPARATION FAILURES AND THE RESULTING PROBLEMS AND FOUND THAT THERE ARE SOME DEATHS ATTRIBUTABLE TO TREAD SEPARATION FAILURES. BECAUSE OF THIS AND THE EXTREMELY HIGH FAILURE RATE, I FEEL THAT THE MICHELIN RADIAL TIRES PRESENT A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD. I RECOMMEND THE NHTSA INVESTIGATE THIS PROBLEM. NOTE: I READ THAT TIRES MANUFACTURED IN EUROPE DO NOT HAVE THIS PROBLEM DUE TO A DIFFERENT DESIGN/MANUFACTURING PROCESS. IF THIS IS SO, THE US SHOULD MANDATE THE EUROPEAN DESIGN FOR US MANUFACTURED TIRES. I HAVE SPECIALIZED EDUCATION IN THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY THROUGH THE GENERAL MOTORS INSTITUTE AND 6 YEARS EXPERIENCE MANUFACTURING AUTOMOBILES. THE APPROXIMATE INCIDENT DATE IS FOR THE LATEST INCIDENT ON THE 13000 MILE TIRE. BEFORE THAT, I EXPERIENCED 2 TIRE FAILURES AROUND THE FIRST OF JUNE. *TR

SUDDEN DEFLATION AND SIDEWALL SEPARATION OF A TIRE SIDEWALL. VEHICLE E MODEL 2007 FORD FUSION SEL, 4CYL, TIRE MICHELIN PILOT SPORT MXM4 ALL SEASON 225/50VR17 93V 10500 MILES TOTAL ON VEHICLE AND TIRES. RIGHT FRONT TIRE EXPERIENCES A SUDDEN DEFLATION WHILE DRIVING ON A CITY STREET AT ROUGHLY 25-30 MPH. THE VEHICLE WAS STOPPED AND THE TIRE REMOVED. THE OUTER SIDEWALL OF THE TIRE WAS FULLY SEPARATED AND THE SIDEWALL CORD STRUCTURE WAS SEPARATED AS WELL. THE VEHICLE WHEEL RIM WAS UNDAMAGED ON THE OUTER AND INNER FACES. THE TIRES HAD BEEN CHECKED RECENTLY FOR PROPER INFLATION AND WERE IN GOOD CONDITION. AN INSPECTION OF THE TREAD AREA DID NOT SHOW ANY SIGNS OF PUNCTURE THAT WOULD FACILITATE RAPID DEFLATION. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN USED ON PAVED STREETS ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY AND THE STREETS IN THE AREAS OF USE ARE IN REASONABLY GOOD CONDITION. NO DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE IS APPARENT FROM THE TIRE FAILURE DUE TO THE LOW SPEED. NO OTHER PROPERTY DAMAGE BESIDES THE LOSS OF THE TIRE. WEB SEARCH REVEALS OTHER OWNERS OF FORD FUSIONS WITH THIS SIZE TIRE HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING RAPID DEFLATION FAILURES AND TREAD SEPARATIONS. *TR

MICHELIN TIRE BLEW UP WHEN DRIVING ON FREEWAY UNDER NORMAL DRIVING CONDITION. THE TYPE TIRE WAS 235/65R16 ENG LX4 103 T ON A HONDA ODYSSEY 2006. *TR

DEFECTIVE TIRE ON 2006 HONDA ODYSSEY. *NJ THE CONSUMER STATED THE REAR TIRE BLEW OUT, WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY. *JB