MICHELIN TIRES Complaints

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 HONDA ACCORD WITH MICHELIN PILOT HX TIRES (TIRE SIZE 2T215/50R17). THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE NOTICED BUBBLES ON THE LEFT FRONT PASSENGER SIDE TIRE. THE DEALER ADVISED THE CONTACT TO SPEAK WITH THE MANUFACTURER OF THE TIRE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 10,300. UPDATED 03-05-08 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED HAD TO PAY FOR THE COST OF THE TIRE WHICH WAS $150 TO REPLACE, MICHELIN DID OFFER A 40% DISCOUNT. UPDATED 03/05/08 *TR

1998 CHEVY BLAZER WITH TIRE FAILURE. CONSUMER STATES THAT THE TIRES BLEW OUT AND WHEN HE WENT TO GET THEM REPLACED THE MECHANIC SAID THEY WERE DRY ROTTED. HE SAID THE BRAKES ENGAGED ON HIS WAY HOME. *KB THE CONSUMER STATED THE BRAKE AND ABS LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. THE REAR BRAKES WERE REPLACED. AFTER THE TIRE REPLACEMENT, THE CONSUMER WAS TOLD THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE REAR BRAKES BY ANOTHER DEALER. THE FIRST DEALER STATED EVERY THING CHECKED OUT AND THAT MAYBE THE MASTER CYLINDER THAT WAS REPLACED BY THE PREVIOUS DEALER MAY HAVE PARTIALLY FAILED. THE REAR SHOCKS WERE REPLACED, THE REAR VIEW MIRROR ASSEMBLY WAS LOOSE. THE DEALER GLUED IT BACK TOGETHER.

DRIVING ON HWY. 80 ON DRY ROAD AT APPROX. 60-65 MPH, IN FAST LANE, CAR STARTED TO SHAKE, AS WE PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF FREEWAY, TIRE BLEW OUT...COMPLETE SEPARATION OF BELT FROM SIDEWALLS,BOTH SIDE WALLS STILL ON RIM, BELT (INTACT) ROLLED DOWN FREEWAY. TIRES LESS THAN 1 YEAR OLD, AND LOTS OF TREAD LEFT ON TIRE. THIS CAUSED DAMAGED TO THE RIM WHICH IS NO LONGER USABLE. WE WILL HAVE TO REPLACE THE TIRE AND RIM, BUT THANK GOD NO ONE WAS HURT. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 HONDA ODYSSEY. THE VEHICLE HAS MICHELIN PAX SYSTEM RUN FLAT TECHNOLOGY, SIZE 235/710R460A TIRES (NA). WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH, THE VEHICLE SLID. THE CONTACT COULD NOT PULL INTO HIS DRIVEWAY DUE TO AN INCH OF SNOW. HE FEELS THAT THE TIRES WERE NOT MADE FOR THE SNOW BECAUSE THERE WAS NO TRACTION. THE DOT NUMBER WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 5,000.

I'VE SPENT OVER $8000 TOWARDS VW DEALERSHIP ATTEMPTS AT FIXING THE HORN, RADIO, HOMELINK, CLIMATE CONTROL (A/C AND HEAT) REAR PASSENGER SIDE WINDOW, HEATED SEATS, DASHBOARD PANEL LIGHTS, AND DEFROSTER FLAP. VW REPLACED ABS AND BRAKE LIGHT MODULE, BUT ONLY FIXED THE HORN. VW STATED THEY ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE EVEN AFTER I PAID FOR THEM TO FIX THE ABOVE PROBLEMS AND THEY ARE STILL UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEMS. I REQUEST REIMBURSEMENT FROM VOLKSWAGEN FOR THE REPAIR ATTEMPTS AND RELATED EXPENSES. CURRENT VEHICLE MILEAGE: 127,000. *TR

THE RIGHT REAR TIRE OF MY MERCEDES BENZ 300 SDL (YEAR 1987) HAD A BLOW OUT AT A SPEED OF APPROX. 40 MPH. THE ORIGIN OF THE BLOW OUT IS THE INNER SIDE WALL OF THE TIRE. THE TIRE IS A MICHELIN MXV4. I WAS TRAVELING ON TELEPHONE ROAD BY HOUSTON'S HOBBY AIRPORT WHEN THE INCIDENT OCCURRED. THE ROAD WAS CLEAR OF POTHOLES AND DEBRIS. THE BLOWOUT SOUNDED LIKE GUNFIRE. I TRAVELED ANOTHER 50 YARDS TO GET TO A SAFE AREA TO CHANGE THE TIRES. I AM FORTUNATE THAT THIS DID NOT HAPPEN THE DAY BEFORE WHEN I WAS GOING 75MPH ON I10. TOOK THE TIRE BACK TO TIREMAX WHERE IT WAS PURCHASED AND THEY SAID THAT IT IS DUE TO A ROAD HAZARD. I DISAGREE BECAUSE I DID NOT ENCOUNTER A ROAD HAZARD NOR HAVE I GONE OVER POTHOLES THAT MAY HAVE WEAKENED THE TIRES. LET THIS BE A RECORD THAT I HAVE REGISTERED A COMPLAINT WITH MICHELIN AND HAVE BROUGHT THE TIRE BACK TO TIREMAX FOR INSPECTION. *TR

JULY 1, 2007: MICHELIN TIRE FAILURE: P255/65 R16 MICHELIN LTX M/S . AFTER 22K MILES ON THE TIRES, WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT 65MPH, SUDDENLY THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE TIRE TREAD COMPLETELY SEPARATED FROM THE SIDEWALL, RESULTING IN A BLOWOUT. THE 2001 PATHFINDER LE 4X4, DIDN'T FLIP OVER. I WAS ABLE TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE AND PULLOVER ON THE SIDE. THE ENTIRE TIRE TREAD SEPARATED INTACT, AROUND THE TAILPIPE BRACKETS AND REAR MUDFLAP. THE TREAD IS UNDAMAGED: NO NAIL OR SCREWS OR ANY OTHER ROAD HAZARD OR DAMAGES. THE AAA SENT A TRUCK WHO CHANGED THE TIRE. HIS COMMENT WAS: "IN OVER 22 YEARS OF DOING TIRE AND MECHANICAL WORK, HE NEVER SAW ANYTHING LIKE THIS". I RETURNED THE TIRE TO COSTCO. THE TIRE CENTER MANAGER WAS VERY COOPERATIVE,WHERE THEY ORDERED A NEW TIRE WITHOUT QUESTION.DAMAGES TO THE PATHFINDER WERE ESTIMATED AT $900 DUE TO THE NEED TO REPLACE THE TAILPIPE/MUFFLER ASSEMBLY AND THE MUDFLAP WAS DESTROYED. COSTCO MANAGER SAID THAT THE CLAIM FOR DAMAGES WOULD NEED TO BE MADE DIRECTLY TO MICHELIN. I DID THAT. IT IS A MIRACLE THAT THE VEHICLE DIDN'T FLIP OVER !!!. MICHELIN REQUIRED THAT THE TIRE BE RETURNED TO COSTCO, HAVE THEM CALL MICHELIN TO GIVE A REPORT OF THE SITUATION. MICHELIN REP SAID THAT THEY WOULD OFFER PERHAPS A 50% DISCOUNT ON THE PURCHASE OF NEW REPLACEMENT TIRE BUT NOTHING ELSE. I WANT MICHELIN TO PAY FOR THE DAMAGES SUSTAINED !!. I WAS REQUIRED TO SEND THE TIRE TO MICHELIN (THEY EVENTUALLY PAID FOR THE SHIPPING) TO BE EXAMINED. THE RESULTS OF THEIR INVESTIGATION WAS A LETTER RESPONSE THAT THIS WAS CAUSED BY "DRIVER ERROR" - BY RUNNING THE TIRE IN A RUN-FLAT CONDITION. A RUN -FLAT CONDITION ???? THEY SENT A BROCHURE PRINTOUT EXPLAINING HOW THAT OCCURS. AIR ESCAPES , RUNS LOW AND THE TIRE EVENTUALLY BLOWS OUT. THERE WAS NO AIR ESCAPE NOR IS THERE ANY ROAD HAZARD DAMAGE TO THE TREAD. HOW DID THE AIR ESCAPE TO RUN FLAT ??? MICHELIN DID NOT PAY ANY DAMAGES. *TR

PURCHASED A 2006 ODYSSEY TOURING MODEL AND THE DEALER MISREPRESENTED THE VEHICLE'S "TOP OF THE LINE TIRES" BY CLAIMING SUPERIOR WEAR OF TIRES, THEIR VALUE, BENEFITS, OVERALL COST AND ENVIRONMENTAL FRIENDLINESS... WAS INFORMED THAT THIS WAS A SUPERIOR TIRE THAT WOULD LAST JUST AS LONG AS STANDARD TIRES IF NOT LONGER AND THEY WERE MUCH SAFER - TOLD 50,000 MILES BEFORE HAVING TO CONSIDER REPLACING THEM; WOULD PROVIDE SUPERIOR ROAD HANDLING; QUIETER RIDES; BETTER GAS MILEAGE; AND BECAUSE OF THE EXPECTED LIFE OF THE TIRE AND IMPROVED GAS MILEAGE, IT WOULD BENEFIT THE ENVIRONMENT (LESS WASTE CREATED). WAS ALSO TOLD THAT THEY ARE JUST A BIT MORE TO REPLACE THAN CONVENTIONAL TIRES BECAUSE OF THE GEL INSIDE BUT WELL WORTH THE ADDITIONAL 10% IT WOULD COST OVER TRADITIONAL TIRES BECAUSE OF THEIR SAFETY. ALSO INFORMED THAT I SHOULD NOT WORRY THAT THE VEHICLE DID NOT COME WITH A SPARE OR JACK BECAUSE THE TIRES CAN RUN FLAT FOR 150 MILES AND THAT THE MAJORITY OF MICHELIN AND HONDA DEALERS IN THE US ARE ABLE TO REPAIR / REPLACE THE TIRE AND THEY ARE EVERYWHERE. TOLD THAT THEY CAME WITH A GREAT WARRANTY AND THAT MICHELIN WOULD REPLACE THE TIRE IF ANYTHING HAPPENED TO THEM DURING THEIR WARRANTY PERIOD BECAUSE THE VEHICLE DID NOT COME WITH A SPARE. DEALER MISREPRESENTED THE ACTUAL REPLACEMENT AND MAINTENANCE COST OF THE TIRES THAT NOW APPEARS TO BE ON AN 18 MONTH 20-25,000 MILE BASIS. BASED ON MY PAST EXPERIENCE, A GOOD SET OF TIRES AVERAGE 5 YEARS 45-50,000 MILES AND HAVE A COST OF 50% LESS TO MAINTAIN / REPLACE. BASES ON THEIR ACTUAL COST AND THE RATE OF WARE, THE TIRES WILL COST ME 4 TIMES AS MUCH AS A COMPARABLE STANDARD SET OF TIRE. THERE IS ONLY A HANDFUL OF DEALERS IN MY LOCAL AREA THAT ARE EQUIP TO DEAL WITH THIS TIRE AND I AM CONCERNED THAT BECAUSE OF THE TYPE OF TIRE AND SPECIAL TRAINING NEEDED TO REPLACE THE TIRES, NATIONWIDE, THERE IS LIMITED AVAILABILITY OF DEALERS THAT COULD HANDLE A BLOWOUT PROMOTING FOR POTENTIAL PRICE GOUGING. *TR

I HAVE MERCEDES C230 2002, WITH OEM MICHELIN MXV4 PLUS 205/55 R16. ONE TIRE WAS BLOWN AND REPLACED 3 YEARS AGO. NOW ALL TIRES DEVELOP HUGE CRACKS ON THE EDGE OF TREAD AND SIDEWALL AS WELL AS INSIDE OF TREAD. TIRES ARE IN BETWEEN 5/32ND AND 7/32ND TREAD WITH 40K MILES, AND WOULD BE GOOD TO GO FOR ANOTHER 2 YEARS EASILY. BUT, ACCORDING TO MERCEDES AND MICHELIN DEALERS (LES SCHWAB) TIRES UNSAFE TO DRIVE! I CALLED MICHELIN 866-866-6605 NOVEMBER 03-07, AFTER 30 MIN CONVERSATION WITH LES SCHWAB MANAGER INVOLVED, MICHELIN ADMIT MANUFACTURING DEFECT, AND OFFERED 45% OFF NEW TIRES PURCHASE. HERE IS WHAT MICHELIN OFFER ACTUALLY MEANS: 1) 45% DISCOUNT APPLY ONLY TO MICHELIN AND SAME MXV4 PLUS IS $205/EA AND IT MEANS $820 X0.55 = $451 TO PAY. 2) I MUST PAY DISMOUNT + MOUNT + BALANCE + DISPOSAL FEES, WHICH IS $20 PER TIRE X4 = $80, SO TOTAL OUT OF MY POCKET BECOMES $531 +TAX! *JB

CONSUMER COMPLAINT FOR MICHELIN ENERGY TIRES. SHE STATES IN THE PAST 2.5 YEARS SHE HAS HAD 6 SIDEWALL BLOWOUTS WITH THESE TIRES. SHE IS CONCERNED FOR THE SAFETY OF HER SELF AND CHILDREN AND WANTS THEM RECALLED. *KB THE CONSUMER STATED HAS 2.5 YEARS LEFT ON THE WARRANTY OF THIS TIRE AND WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A DIFFERENT TIRE FOR THE VEHICLE. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED DUE TO AN EVAPORATOR LEAK *TR