Michelin Recalling 597 Tires in United States

Michelin Recalling 597 Tires in United States
GREENVILLE, S.C., PRNewswire/ -- Michelin is recalling 597 Michelin(R) Pilot(R) Alpin(R) PA2 ZP winter tires in size 225/50 R17 94H sold in the United States after the company discovered that affected tires are non-compliant with the NHTSA requirement for a marking indicating that the tire has been certified to its motor vehicle safety standard. This marking - the letters "DOT" - is missing from both sidewalls of the tire. To date, there have been no reported issues or complaints. "These tires meet all performance criteria, but we must recall the affected tires because they were produced without the required letters 'DOT' on the sidewall of the tire," said Francois Jacquin, passenger and light truck replacement tire quality director for Michelin North America. "The issue has been corrected and consumers who purchased the affected tires will receive new tires that have the required 'DOT' letters free of charge." The missing "DOT" letters are used to help consumers identify the tire's validity for use and signify compliance with the motor vehicle safety standard. There is no performance issue with these tires, and they have been validated to meet all performance requirements of the motor vehicle safety standard, however, there is no marking to indicate this compliance. The recall applies only to tires sold in the United States as the letters "DOT" - which stand for the U.S. Department of Transportation - are a certification symbol required only by the NHTSA. The recall only applies to tires containing DOT TIN identification code "6U0A 5JEX" and DOT TIN date codes between 3806 and 2308 inclusive.
Source : www.automotive.com (2/1/2009)