Drive a Class B motorhome? Best check your tires, as some could be equipped with tires now under recall for “chunking rubber.” Michelin North America, Inc. (Michelin) is recalling certain Agilis Cross Climate C-Metric tires, size 185/60R15C. Chunks of tread rubber may detach from the shoulder blocks.
As such, these tires fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 139, “New Pneumatic Radial Tires for Light Vehicles.” Missing rubber chunks can cause a tire failure, increasing the risk of a crash. There are 6,888 tires affected by this Michelin tire recall.
Michelin tire recall remedy
The remedy is currently under development. The manufacturer has not yet provided a schedule for recall notification. Read more details below. Owners may contact Michelin’s customer service at 1-888-971-3801.
What happens next? It’s not clear
The company told NHTSA in a statement, “A Michelin replacement product or equivalent substitute is unavailable and there are no current plans to produce them in the future. A remedy program will be described in more detail in a future amendment including a refund or suitable competitor replacement product.”
We logged into Michelin’s recall site, and found this information under the heading, “SHOULD CONSUMERS OR FLEETS CONTINUE DRIVING ON THESE TIRES?” The response: “Consistent with our replacement plan, Michelin strongly recommends exchanging these tires.”
If you like Michelin tires of this size, it looks like you’re going to go wanting. And the company is being rather vague as to when they’ll set up a refund or replacement program. It hardly seems an acceptable situation, with the summer RV travel season on us, and warnings that failure of these tires could lead to a crash.
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RVT1211b
Thank you, Russ and Tina, for the news. Interesting that Michelin isn’t going to continue making this particular size and model tire. I wonder when we’ll learn if they are “refocusing (adding more emphasis elsewhere),” or “retrenching (reducing the scope/scale of their operations).” Have a great day and safe travels!