Michelin issues urgent recall of over 500,000 tires that don't have enough snow traction

Michelin is recalling more than 542,000 light truck tires in the U.S. because they don't have enough traction to work in all snowy conditions.

The recall covers certain Agilis CrossClimate C-Metric tires that Michelin says don't meet U.S. safety standards. 

The tire maker says in documents posted Thursday by safety regulators that tires, which were first sold in the US and Canada in 2018, without sufficient traction can increase the risk of a crash.

'The subject tires do not comply with federal regulation - they are marked with the Alpine Symbol but do not meet the snow traction requirement for this standard,' the company said in a statement explaining the recall. 

'As such, these tires fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 139, 'New Pneumatic Radial Tires for Light Vehicles' and Canadian Technical Standards Document (TSD) 139.' 

Michelin is recalling more than 542,000 light truck tires in the U.S. because they don't have enough traction to work in all snowy conditions

The Alpine Symbol is depicted by a snowflake inside a three peaked mountain outline, often referred to as the 'Three Peak Mountain Snowflake' or '3PMSF.' 

'Consistent with our replacement plan, Michelin recommends exchanging these tires,' they determined. 

Dealers will replace the tires at no cost to owners. Owners will get interim notification letters starting June 12. 

They'll get another letter once the replacements are available and will not be charged further.

'Michelin is diligently working on a remedy, which will be included in the owner notification letter that will be sent in June 2023,' the company said. 

The company says initial tire testing was done with the wrong tire pressure. Later tests by Michelin discovered the problem.

Michelin claims that the typical models that use these tires include the Ford Transit, RAM ProMaster, Volkswagen Crafter, Nissan NV200, Chevrolet City Express and Mercedes-Benz Sprinter. 

The company stated on its website that the recalled tires are marked in sizes '185/60R15C, 195/75R16C, 205/65R15C, 205/75R16C, 225/75R16C, 235/65R16C.' 

The tire maker says in documents posted Thursday by safety regulators that tires, which were first sold in the United States and Canada in 2018, without sufficient traction can increase the risk of a crash

Dealers will replace the tires at no cost to owners. Owners will get interim notification letters starting June 12

The company says initial tire testing was done with the wrong tire pressure. Later tests by Michelin discovered the problem

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has posted a document with the tire sizes on its website.

Any Michelin customers with further questions are directed to the company's customer care service. 

This is Michelin's second recall in about five months. They recalled nearly 17,000 vintage tires last December.