Michelin North America Inc. announced earlier this year that it was planning to recall a set of Michelin tires that do not have the necessary markings from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The recall was set to take place on 30 January 2020. The tires affected are a pallet of Michelin CrossClimate+ tires and were from a distribution center in Europe.
As of January 14, the company had already recalled 32 tires. The tires are normally fitted on SUVs, CUVs, and passenger cars. They are of the size 225/60R16 103V XL and were manufactured between 18 November and 24 November 2018. All of them have the following Tire Identification Number: HC (ID of plant), XH (size identification), 03CX (optional code) and 4618 (date code). The tires also lacked the required UTQG temperature, traction, and treadwear gradings and do not have the necessary DOT certification symbol that follows the TIN.
The error was flagged at a distribution center in Europe and was limited to just one pallet of tires. It was due to an internal logistics failure that saw incorrect information printed on the sidewall of the tires. Michelin said that the tires were labeled in Europe but were erroneously marked and accepted at a distribution center that sends tires to the U.S.
The first alert to the mistake came from Tire Track in September 2019. The distributor had spotted 15 tires that lacked the required markings. Since then, the company has identified more which have already been recalled. Michelin has already recovered 20 of them. No injuries or accidents have been reported following the error. Michelin has already started notifying owners and dealers. Replacements are also being done for free. For any inquiries, customers can contact Michelin’s customer team at 1-866-324-2835.