Michelin recalls 1.3 million LT tires for tread, air loss

GREENVILLE, S.C. (Dec. 13, 2013) — Michelin North America Inc. has announced a safety recall of approximately 1.3 million Michelin LTX M/S commercial light truck tires because of increasing reports of tread loss and/or rapid air loss.

Approximately 1.2 million of the tires were sold in the U.S., with most of the remainder sold in Canada and Mexico, Michelin said in a Dec. 13 press release. They are used mostly on commercial light trucks, full-sized heavy-duty vans, small RVs and some large pickup trucks, the Greenville-based tire maker said.

Specifically, the tires are LTX M/S LT 225/75R16 115/112R LRE, manufactured between January 2010 and June 2012 at the firm's Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, plant.

They bear the Department of Transportation (DOT) identification number sequence B3JH AKEX, with production period sequences of 0210 to 2512 inclusive.

Michelin discovered the problem with the tires through its normal methods of monitoring product performance in the market, which include returns, complaints and other customer input, a company spokesman said.

For a year-end listing of all tire recalls during 2013, check out the Dec. 23 print edition of Tire Business.

Altogether, there were fewer than 200 returns of the tires in the U.S., or 0.015 percent of the total tire population, according to Michelin. No tires have been returned outside the U.S., the company said. There have been no reports of deaths or injuries related to the tires, it said.

There have been “very few” reports of accidents involving the tires, the spokesman said, although he did not have the exact number.

Michelin stopped making the tires in June 2012 as part of its normal practice of refreshing product lines, according to the company.

Michelin has reported the recall to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and will replace the tires free of charge. The company urged tire owners to visit authorized Michelin dealers as soon as possible to obtain the replacements.

For further information, owners may call Michelin Consumer Care at 1-800-231-5893 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. EST Monday-Friday and between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Saturday-Sunday.