Tread Separation

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bigdipper
Posts: 353
Joined: Thu May 27, 2010 3:13 pm

Tread Separation

Post by bigdipper »

A month or so back I solicited thoughts and opinions after having tread separation on inside dual of our 2011 24RB at 30,000 miles. Tires were inflated properly, not overloaded and not hot. Tire store after some equivocation replaced under warranty for $35. I filed complaint with Michelin who seemed remarkably interested. Now it turns out that over 1 million LTX M/S 225-75R16 "many used as OE on Ford vehicles" are recalled. Tire build dates are Jan. 2010 to June 2012. I talked to my tire store again today and they say there have been recent recalls for tread separation on other brands made by Michelin. Just a heads up and thanks for those who responded to early thread.
Ralph
Ralph
2011 24RB
Former 2001 23RK
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ewagman
Posts: 174
Joined: Wed Apr 22, 2009 2:32 pm

Post by ewagman »

http://www.michelinman.com/safetyrecall ... OgodK0cAiQ

Michelin is recalling one version of a specific size of the Michelin LTX M/S tire. These tires are typically found on such vehicles as commercial light trucks, full-sized heavy duty vans, small RVs and some large pickup trucks.

The tires were produced between January 2010 and June 2012.
The tire version and size are:
Michelin LTX M/S LT 225/75R16 115/112R LRE
The tires were fitted as original equipment on some new vehicles and were also sold as new replacement tires.
Michelin is issuing the recall because a small number of the tires being recalled experienced tread loss and/or rapid air loss.
Ed & Beth
2003 Born Free 26' RSB: SOLD March 2016
replace by a house near the beach
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stevek
Posts: 1184
Joined: Wed Mar 14, 2012 5:33 pm

Post by stevek »

Well.... looks like my BF is affected. If I understand all this correctly.
Both front tires are marked 3110.
Which means they were manufactured 31 week of 2010.

I can not read the rear tire numbers w/o removing tires.
But imagine same bad news.

According to the above link...The bad tires are 0210 thru 2512.
Or..The 2 week of 2010 thru 25 week of 2012.

Comments PLEASE.
So you think all 2011 are affected?
and into 2012?

If so, we need to get the word out to all BF owners.

Thanks Ralph for the heads up, and Ed.
Steve
2011 Born Free 22 foot RSK, rear side (corner) kitchen, E350, 29k miles.
Our first motorhome. Lots to learn. Thanks.
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bigdipper
Posts: 353
Joined: Thu May 27, 2010 3:13 pm

Post by bigdipper »

I picked this info up from article in the Detroit News. Ford spokesman has stated FOMOCO is aware but made no commitment as to what they were going to do. Since Ford sold the cutaways to Dodgen Industries, I surmise only Dodgen knows who has what. Michelin claims to send letters to owners in January although it is not clear to me how Michelin knows who an owner is.
I threw a tread and complained to Michelin a couple of months ago; they "started a file on me". If I receive any any communications from Michelin (or from FOMOCO) which seems to have been triggered by the complaint, the board here will be informed.
Even though I seemingly had the issue, it seems to be very rare and not a cause for panic. Just take good care of your tires and chances are excellent that no problem will occur.
The good news is that a lot of folks may get a new set of tires for free, or at very little cost.
JMO
Ralph
Ralph
2011 24RB
Former 2001 23RK
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stevek
Posts: 1184
Joined: Wed Mar 14, 2012 5:33 pm

Post by stevek »

Ralph, so you are saying no reason to panic?
Because that is the way I feel right now.
And was thinking, I should not use my BF at all until I get new tires?
Thanks again.
Steve
Steve
2011 Born Free 22 foot RSK, rear side (corner) kitchen, E350, 29k miles.
Our first motorhome. Lots to learn. Thanks.
CA/OR border
bigdipper
Posts: 353
Joined: Thu May 27, 2010 3:13 pm

Post by bigdipper »

stevek wrote:Ralph, so you are saying no reason to panic?
Because that is the way I feel right now.
And was thinking, I should not use my BF at all until I get new tires?
Thanks again.
Steve
3000 miles since the failure. Another 1000 or so planned in January. We are most definitely continuing to travel and camp.

In fairness, I do have a spare which might temper consequences of losing another tread.

Ralph
Ralph
2011 24RB
Former 2001 23RK
User avatar
Mike Jean Bandfield
Posts: 513
Joined: Sun Aug 14, 2005 3:43 pm

Post by Mike Jean Bandfield »

Keep in mind that losing a tread is bad enough on the face of it (i.e., expense of tires and service work and the potential for injury and collisions etc.) but in a motorhome you have the potential for taking out whatever structure is above the wheel well. I've seen pictures of some really bad damage to plumbing, tanks, refrigerators and cabinets from thrown treads. :shock: It could ruin your vacation. I probably wouldn't change my plans but I'd make sure my insurance was up to date and I might slow down a bit until we get the recall info.

I think most RV specialty insurance (Progressive, Good Sam, etc) covers temporary room & board plus rental cars & travel if you need extensive RV repairs while away from home.
Mike & Jean
2005 26' RSS Diesel
al1florida

Post by al1florida »

stevek wrote:Well.... looks like my BF is affected. If I understand all this correctly.
Both front tires are marked 3110.
Which means they were manufactured 31 week of 2010.

I can not read the rear tire numbers w/o removing tires.
But imagine same bad news.

According to the above link...The bad tires are 0210 thru 2512.
Or..The 2 week of 2010 thru 25 week of 2012.

Comments PLEASE.
So you think all 2011 are affected?
and into 2012?

If so, we need to get the word out to all BF owners.

Thanks Ralph for the heads up, and Ed.
Steve,
If your tire matches all the numbers and letters, in the recall notice website "ewagman" gave, then you probably should keep your speed down to about 45-50mph while you take your RV to the dealer.

These are all the letters and numbers to look for: "Michelin LTX M/S LT 225/75R16 115/112R LRE B3JH AKEX" In the recall notice there is picture of what you would see on the tire.
CHARLOTTE

Post by CHARLOTTE »

I had new tires installed on my RV in June....cost me $2100.00 for the Michelin LTX MS2 LT225/75/R16. As I was unable to take the RV to a tire store myself (don't remember why...), I had my RV Storage & Repair shop take care of it. That cost me an extra $200. (Didn't know they'd charge me). Anyhow, was supposed to get a $70 rebate (if you bought 4 tires & I bought 6)...sent all the paperwork in....never heard from them. Now there's this recall... not sure if my tires fall into the recall, but I can tell you this.... Having been a Michelin fan for years & years, many dollars worth, I will never purchase another Michelin tire ever ! Customer support from them has disappeared. The $70 rebate would have been nice, but it's not a deal breaker... I learned a bigggggggg lesson about my storage/repair place, and this tire issue. As I cannot change where I store my RV (it's inside storage, reasonably priced & not that far from my home), I will never have them do more than an oil change on my RV & any repair, etc., that may need to be done will be done by a different RV company.... Hate to be 'taken advantage of' ... Had they told me in advance that I'd have to pay a sub contractor to do the job, I would have figured out a way to take it to a tire store myself....I think all in all, this cost me around $500 more than if I'd have gone to Costco myself ! Then having to deal with Michelin's 'non' customer service.... well, they just lost a customer.... Okay, done with my 'wine' ing........ Will contact Michelin & update this post ....
CHARLOTTE

Post by CHARLOTTE »

Okay,,,contacted Michelin.. first time the gal told me she couldn't hear me well enough to check my tires against the recall & to call back at a later time (I could hear her perfectly). So I called the other number I had & it was the rebate center. He checked out my received paperwork & said he changed it from 'denied' to submit the rebate... didn't explain why it was originally denied...???? So we'll see if I really get it.... :roll:
Then I called the recall number again (1-800-231-5893) and gave all the required info they asked. She said my tires are not on recall. The key is the last numbers/letters....B3JH AKEX xxxx (look for date of 0210 to 2512) ..... If those match your tires then you need to contact your nearest Michelin dealer....Hope this helps...
bigdipper
Posts: 353
Joined: Thu May 27, 2010 3:13 pm

Post by bigdipper »

As the initiator of this thread, I do have tires involved in the recall and from talking to the tire store, I surmise there is already something of a run on inventory. I'll say nothing on RV net, but you fellow BF owners really ought to know. Sort of like yelling "fire" in a crowded theater.
Ralph
Ralph
2011 24RB
Former 2001 23RK
Jim & Betty Dickison

Thread Separation

Post by Jim & Betty Dickison »

Yesterday we went down to the shop where we purchased our Michelin tires in May 2011. The shop had just got the information regarding the recall. We told them that we were ready to leave Wisconsin. The owner of the shop called Michelin and got the information to replace our tires. Today (Tuesday) we had 6 new tires installed on our Born Free free of charge.
Rich Flaugh

Post by Rich Flaugh »

I just returned from my tire shop with 6 new Michelins. I appreciate the earlier posts on this subject in that I had not been contacted by Born Free or Michelin. My date codes were all 2011 production. It's my understanding that the date code is only on one sidewall so if you can't find it it's probably because of the tire orientation during mounting. Of the four tires that I could inspect easily only one had an easy access date code.
My tire shop (Hilltop Tire-Des Moines, IA) indicated that they receive $30.00 per tire for the exchange, remounting and balancing and that there was a lot of paperwork involved. They had yet to see a tire failure based on this problem.
Side Note: I highly recommend this tire shop. They are very familiar with the special needs of the E-450 front end alignment and have done excellent work on the 3 BF coaches I've owned. If you are picking up a coach in Humbolt or having service done there it might be worth stopping in Des Moines for your alignment work.
Rich
Peter Robinson

Post by Peter Robinson »

The Michelin tire shop I use here on Monterey Bay, Ca also minimizes the problem, has no tires available for three weeks as the distributor is out of stock, and "since I had driven the coach and hadn't had a failure, I probably wouldn't have one" (ah, the beauty of misplaced self interest logic of business). They don't seem very pleased to be doing the recall. Michelins home web page recall info. mentions, "as soon as possible" twice, mentions "safety", "tread separation", and "sudden deflation"! I assume Michelin isn't just having a few million dollars of unnecessary fun and games with their profits. To me it seems prudent to replace "as soon as possible", like immediately! I felt like asking the tire store for a note stating "I wouldn't experience a failure" so my heirs could better sue them!
Jim Hofmann
Posts: 86
Joined: Wed Dec 06, 2006 1:23 pm

Post by Jim Hofmann »

I called "Big Brands" tire shop where I had purchased my last set of 6 tires. Told them I had heard about the recall and gave them the data from my tires. They affirmed I had the tires being recalled and said they had four replacements in stock and could have the other two in the morning. I told them I could bring the coach in tonight (this was last Monday 16 Dec.) They said fine and when I got home from golf on Tuesday I had a call saying my coach was ready to be picked up.
They reported my old tires looked almost brand new (only had 15,000 + miles on them). The new ones are balanced pressured to my specs and zero cost to me.

Now I feel like a youngster all dressed up and no place to go with those gleaming 6 new tires all balanced and hot to trot.
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