NHTSA Complaint #10253987 — 1996 CADILLAC DEVILLE

REFER TO OPEN NHTSA ACTION NUMBER PE94071. CUSTOMER OWNS A 1996 CADILLAC SEDAN DEVILLE WITH 93,884 MILES. CAR WAS ORIGINALLY EQUIPPED WITH MICHELIN XW4 TIRES FROM MANUFACTURER IN SIZE P225/60 R16 97S WITH A THIN WHITEWALL. ALL 4 TIRES REPLACED WITH SAME MICHELIN XW4 TIRES AT AROUND 50,000 MILES IN 2002, DUE TO AGE AND WEAR. ALL THE NEW TIRES HAD DOT CODE: B93V 222X 0902, AND ARE MARKED MADE IN USA. IN 2006, WHILE TRAVELING AT ABOUT 40 MPH, THE FRONT PASSENGER TIRE HAD A SUDDEN BLOWOUT. THIS BLOWOUT CREATED A HOLE FROM JUST PAST THE TIRE BEAD TO THE BEGINNING OF THE TREAD, MAKING A FLAP ABOUT THE SIZE OF YOUR PALM, STILL ATTACHED TO THE SIDE OF THE TREAD. TIRE REPLACED WITH A MATCHING XW4 WITH DOT CODE: B33V 222X 1105, MARKED MADE IN CANADA. AT THAT TIME, THE XW4 WAS DISCONTINUED BY MICHELIN, SO HAD TO FIND IT AS NOS (NEW OLD STOCK) VIA MAIL ORDER DISTRIBUTOR. IN SEPT. 2008 AT AROUND 93,800 MILES, THE FRONT DRIVERS SIDE XW4 TIRE WAS NOTICED TO HAVE A SMALL BUBBLE IN THE SIDEWALL, NEAR THE TIRE BEAD AND IN THE WRITING AREA FOR THE TREAD AND SIDEWALL DESIGNATIONS. HAVE PICTURES SHOWING THIS BUBBLE, WHICH IS ABOUT 3 INCHES LONG AND 1.25 INCHES WIDE. SUBMITTED CLAIM TO MICHELIN AND REPLACED THE TIRE WITH A MICHELIN SYMMETRY, WHICH ALMOST EXACTLY MATCHED THE XW4 IN TREAD AND SIDEWALL APPEARANCE. WHEN TIRE WAS DISMOUNTED FROM THE RIM, THE BUBBLE STAYED INFLATED?! MICHELIN CAME BACK SAYING THE TIRE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY, AS IT WAS A FEW MONTHS PAST THE 6 YEAR WARRANTY. AT THE SAME TIME, THE 2 REMAINING XW4 TIRES ON THE BACK EXHIBITED SIGNIFICANT CRACKING RIGHT WHERE THE TREAD MEETS THE SIDEWALL, AROUND THE ENTIRE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE TIRE. APPEARS TO BE TREAD SEPARATION. THESE 2 REAR TIRES ALSO HAVE A DOT CODE: B93V 222X 0902, AND MARKED MADE IN USA. REAR TIRE TREAD DEPTHS MEASURED 9/32 INCHES, FRONT DRIVERS SIDE 6/32 INCHES, AND NEWER XW4 ON FRONT PASSENGER SIDE MEASURED 9/32 INCHES. ALL TREAD DEPTHS MEASURED THE SAME ACROSS THE ENTIRE WIDTH OF THE TREAD. *TR