| Issue ID | 1006495 |
| Internal NHTSA # | 10537491 |
| Manufacurer | Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. |
| Brand | MERCEDES BENZ |
| Model | S550 |
| Model Year | 2008 |
| File date | 22/08/13 |
| Component | TIRES |
| Product type code | VEHICLE |
| Description of the problem | The tire tread on the michelin pilot sport a/s plus shreds or crumbles. Michelin calls it "chunking" and said it was due to the compound used to make the tire. The compound has since been modified. This problem occurred on my girl friend's 2009 mercedes c-series sedan and all four tires were replaced in or about november 2012. I noticed the same problem occurring to the front tires on my mercedes s550 at just over 24,000 miles of use. The tire has a 45,000 tread-wear warranty. The tires were purchased in november 2010. The michelin dealer and michelin acknowledge this is a known problem. The tread splits or cracks at the sipes and falls off, affecting traction and possibly risking a catastrophic failure. Michelin said the problem occurs on only certain model vehicles and does not intend a recall. These tires were recommended by michelin for my vehicle, but it appears they may no longer recommend it. They no longer recommend or make them for my girl friend's vehicle. |
| Vehicle Mileage at Failure | 59300 |
| Number of Occurences | 1 |
| Source of the issue | NHTSA WEB SITE |
| City and State | MURRIETA, CA |
| VIN pattern | WDDNG71X88AXXXXXX |
| Was vehicle invloved in a crash? | N |
| Was vehicle involved in a fire? | N |
| Was incedent reported to police? | N |
| Was medical attention required? | |
| Was part original equipment? | |
| No. of injured persons | |
| No. of fatalities | |
| Date of purchase | 07/08/26 |
| Was original owner? | N |
| Anti-lock brakes | N |
| Cruise control | N |
| Number of cylinders | 8 |
| Drive train type | RWD |
| Transmission type | |
| Vehicle speed | 0 |
| DoT tire identifier | |
| Tire size | |
| Location of tire code | |
| Type of tire failure code | |
| Was defective tire repaired? | |
| Date of manufacture | |
| Type of child seat code | |
| Type of restraint | |
| Dealer's name | |
| Dealer's telephone number | |
| Dealer's city | |
| Dealer's state code | |
| Dealer's ZIP code |