Consumer Complaint Detail

MICHELIN / ALL SEASON RADIAL / 9999

1998

Recalls
0 Injured
Investigations
0 Death
Complaints
No Fire
Components - Details
NHTSA Complaint Number: 006054648 Incident Date: Jan, 25 2006
Consumer's City: ANTIOCH Consumer's State: TN
Vehicle Transmission Type: Manufacturers Name: MICHELIN TIRE CORP.
Model Name: ALL SEASON RADIAL Model Year: 9999
Vehicle Involved in a Crash: No Component's Description: Tires
Vehicle Involved in a Fire: No Persons Injured: 0
Vehicle's VIN#: 1LNFM97V8WY Date added to File: May, 23 2021
Date Complaint Received: Jan, 30 2006 Complaint Type: IVOQ
Incident Reported To Police: No Purchase Date: Jun, 13 2001
Was Original Owner: No Anti-lock Brakes: Yes
Number of Cylinders: 8 Date of Manufacturer: -
Was Vehicle Towed: - Description of the Complaints: Michelin is aware that old, unsafe michelin tires outside manufacturer's safety guidelines are being placed on vehicles by their authorized tire dealerships yet claims that they are not "legally culpable" and can do nothing about this practice or the resultant deaths and injuries sustained by end users. my situation is as follows: while driving 70 mph my right rear tire blew out almost slamming me into another car and guard rail. subsequently i learned that the "new" michelin symmetry tires i had purchased at an authorized michelin dealership 2-1/2 years ago were five years old when they were placed on my car according to the d.o.t. date on them. moreover the old michelin symmetry tires that were placed on my vehicle were not "h" or "v" rated for safety as ford/lincoln manufacturer specifies. i called michelin and talked with multiple individuals including their u.s. manager of consumer relations. she admitted that michelin is aware that unscrupulous michelin dealerships sell old, outdated tires and tires not properly safety rated for vehicles but claims that there is "absolutely nothing" that michelin can do about this practice. apparently michelin believes there is an "acceptable" number of consumer deaths and injuries that will occur yearly from faulty, defective michelin tires. michelin disclaims any responsibility for safety breaches at their dealerships, preferring to meet sales goals and net profit margins, looking the other way and winking at fraud and dangerous practices by their dealerships, and hiding behind "legalities" to shield them from ultimate responsibility. i believe that the rico statute clearly applies to them and should vigorously be pursued. michelin knows that unsafe practices are constantly occurring, but chooses to do nothing to stop the injuries or the deaths or to sanction or police their dealerships. how many more deaths and injuries will occur if nothing is done?????*jb