Some Mchelin Tires for Vintage Cars Recalled

[bill pritchett]

If this is a repeat, I have not seen this.  It was sent to me by one of the members of the NJ Region.  

 

December 8, 2022 NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 22T023000

Missing DOT Certification Symbol/FMVSS 109 & 139

Tires that are missing a DOT symbol may be used in inappropriate applications, increasing the risk of a crash.

NHTSA Campaign Number: 22T023000

Manufacturer Michelin North America, Inc.

Components TIRES

Potential Number of Units Affected 16,983

Summary

Michelin North America, Inc. (Michelin) is recalling certain X, XWX, Pilote X, XVS, TRX, MXV, XAS, TB 15, XDX, ZX, VHC, TB 5, XM+, and PB 20 specialty tires, sold for use on certain vintage and antique vehicles. Please see the attached products listing for a complete list of all affected tires and sizes. The DOT certification symbol is missing from the tire sidewalls. As such, these tires fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numbers 109, "New Pneumatic and Certain Specialty Tires," and 139, "New Pneumatic Radial Tires for Light Vehicles."

Remedy

Michelin will replace the tires, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a schedule for recall notification. Owners may contact Michelin's customer service at 1-866-324-2835.

Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.

54 Affected Products 

3 Associated Documents 

[Marty Roth]

The XAS was, I believe, the first "directional" tire. It was designed to Pre-Load the tire's outer edge for better handling and was designed for the Citroen DS Series. 

I used them exclusively on all six of the DS-21 sedans and Station Wagons, and had XWX on the Maserati-engined Citroen SM.

The 2-CV and Ami-6 had regular Michelin "X"-Stop , as did my many Triumph TR-2,-3, 3A, and Jaguar XK-120MC

XVS is a later version of the XAS and as I recall, handles even higher speeds for a longer period of time.

 

Is there a problem with the tires?

or is the issue that the designation was not made into the mold?

[MochetVelo]

A dealer I know ordered a container of vintage tires from Vietnam specially made using his molds. He had to return the entire shipment due to a missing DOT mark. The tires were not defective, but the mark is required by law.

[wayne sheldon]

I don't know if I should mention this or not? Flag the post or shoot me maybe I don't know?

Something I ran into some years back, that designation is required by law! Worse than required by law, running tires without the designation could expose the manufacturer, the dealer, and maybe even the car owner, to legal liabilities if the tires are run on public roadways without the designation.

 

Now, I am not a lawyer, so take my comments with a grain of salt. But if a good friend of mine had some of those tires, I would encourage him to get them replaced quickly.