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Defender LTX M/S

Introducing the Michelin Defender LTX M/S, a tire that combines exceptional performance, durability, and comfort to enhance your driving experience in a variety of conditions. Engineered with advanced technologies and superior craftsmanship, this tire is designed to meet the demanding needs of light trucks and SUVs while delivering an impressive performance on both highways and off-road terrains. The Michelin Defender LTX M/S is built to provide outstanding all-season traction, ensuring reliable grip in wet, dry, and even light snowy conditions. Its innovative tread pattern features strong lateral grooves and sipes that efficiently channel water away from the tire's contact patch, reducing the risk of hydroplaning and maintaining excellent grip on wet roads. With its reliable traction, you can confidently tackle various road surfaces without compromising safety. Durability is at the core of the Defender LTX M/S. Michelin has employed an advanced MaxTouch Construction? technology, which optimizes the tire's contact with the road surface, evenly distributing the forces of acceleration, braking, and cornering. This technology enhances overall performance and ensures longer tread life, providing excellent value for your investment. The tire's durable tread compound is specifically engineered to resist wear and tear, allowing you to enjoy an extended lifespan without compromising performance. Comfort is a key feature of the Michelin Defender LTX M/S. It utilizes Michelin's Comfort Control Technology?, which reduces road noise and vibrations, providing a smooth and quiet ride for you and your passengers. Whether you're embarking on a long highway journey or navigating through rough off-road terrains, this tire ensures a comfortable and enjoyable driving experience. Michelin is known for its commitment to sustainability, and the Defender LTX M/S is no exception. The tire is designed with Michelin's Green X� technology, which optimizes fuel efficiency by reducing rolling resistance. This helps to conserve fuel and reduce emissions and it also contributes to cost savings over the life of the tire. In summary, the Michelin Defender LTX M/S is a top-of-the-line tire designed for light trucks and SUVs. With its exceptional all-season traction, long-lasting durability, comfortable ride, and eco-friendly features, it is a perfect choice for drivers seeking high-performance and reliability. Upgrade your vehicle's performance with the Miche

Michelin Defender LTX M/S tire

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NHTSA-reported issues for michelin defender LTX M/S

16
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Top issue category: Tires (General)

Most reported: Tires (General) (6) · Tread / Belt (4) · Markings (2) · Sidewall (2) · Bead (1)

What owners described

Tread or belt separation appears in 33% of these reports; about 2.5× as often as across all tire complaints. Percentages are shares of the 12 reports filed against the Michelin Defender LTX M/S across every vehicle it was fitted to that include a written account; a single report can describe more than one problem, so they do not total 100%.

Reported problemThis subjectAll tire complaintsRelative
Tread or belt separation 33% 13% 2.5×
Sidewall failure 33% 15% 2.2×
Blowout or sudden deflation 25% 20% 1.2×

Mileage at failure

5 of these reports state an odometer reading. The middle report is at 170,000 miles, with 8 in 10 falling between 1,800 and 170,000 miles.

In owners' own words

Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA about Michelin Defender LTX M/S. Reports are published by NHTSA as filed and are lightly cleaned here only to remove intake codes.

The contact owns a 2007 Dodge Ram 2500 equipped with Michelin Tires, Tire Line: Defender LTX M/S, Tire Size: 265/70/R17, DOT Number: B7KP02EX. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the driver's side front tire exploded, causing the headlight module to detach and crash into the windshield of the vehicle. The contact also stated that the passenger's side rear tire exploded, causing the wheel to fracture into pieces. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not provide any assistance. A case was opened. The approximate vehicle failure mileage was 170,000. The tire failure mileages were unknown.

NHTSA complaint 1762958

Michelin Defender LTX M/S Tire 245/55R19 While driving on the freeway at 70 mph, the tire below and tread separated causing significant damage to vehicle. The tread appears to have separated from the tire, which caused the tire to hit the sidewall and rear of vehicle, which tore off the rear bumper and damaged rear quarter panel. It appears that both steel belts and polyester carcass piles failed The tire separation occurred, unprovoked as there was no impact from debris and the vehicle had been in operation/ driving for over 30 minutes. Incident was witnessed by Highway Patrol, who appeared very surprised to see such an event occur. Costco tire, flagged the issue as it appeared out of the ordinary and shipped the tire for review to Michelin.

NHTSA complaint 1779503

Michelin Defender LTX M/S size 265/75R16. 4 new tires installed less than 60 days and 1,800 miles by Costco before incident. Tire air pressure checked prior to a trip. On the trip, 1 tire rapidly deflated without warning on the freeway in Arizona. Barely had enough time to pull off the freeway and onto the shoulder. The tire showed no punctures, or tread separation, but the tire sidewalls were wrinkled and distorted. Took tire to Costco for warranty and the tire shop could not find any internal punctures and were unable to determine as to why the tire went flat. They said they have never seen a tire fail like this.

NHTSA complaint 1790433

Complaints are voluntarily submitted to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation and are not verified by NHTSA; they represent owner-reported problems, not proven defects. Counts can be useful as a relative quality signal across comparable tires or vehicles.

Specs

BrandMichelin
ModelDefender LTX M/S
SeasonN/A
TypeN/A
UTQG treadwear800
UTQG tractionA
UTQG temperatureA
Mileage warrantyN/A
Noise (dB)N/A
IntroducedN/A

Live prices

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Available sizes (77)

Michelin defender LTX M/S: what the numbers tell you

The Defender LTX M/S's UTQG treadwear rating of 800 puts it in the long-wear class. Its compound is engineered for life over outright grip, which is appropriate for an everyday touring tire. No mileage warranty is published for this tire, which is typical for performance summer and track-day rubber where the manufacturer doesn't make wear-life claims.

Cabin noise data for this tire is not published by the manufacturer. As a general tire built for the passenger segment, the Defender LTX M/S is positioned against direct rivals within the same category. Comparing it to a tire in a different category (e.g. summer vs all-season) makes the spec sheet misleading because the design targets are not the same.

Introducing the Michelin Defender LTX M/S, a tire that combines exceptional performance, durability, and comfort to enhance your driving experience in a variety of conditions. Engineered with advanced technologies and superior craftsmanship, this tire is designed to meet the demanding needs of light trucks and SUVs while delivering an impressive performance on both highways and off-road terrains. The Michelin Defender LTX M/S is built to provide outstanding all-season traction, ensuring reliable grip in wet, dry, and even light snowy conditions. Its innovative tread pattern features strong lateral grooves and sipes that efficiently channel water away from the tire's contact patch, reducing the risk of hydroplaning and maintaining excellent grip on wet roads. With its reliable traction, you can confidently tackle various road surfaces without compromising safety. Durability is at the core of the Defender LTX M/S. Michelin has employed an advanced MaxTouch Construction? technology, which optimizes the tire's contact with the road surface, evenly distributing the forces of acceleration, braking, and cornering. This technology enhances overall performance and ensures longer tread life, providing excellent value for your investment. The tire's durable tread compound is specifically engineered to resist wear and tear, allowing you to enjoy an extended lifespan without compromising performance. Comfort is a key feature of the Michelin Defender LTX M/S. It utilizes Michelin's Comfort Control Technology?, which reduces road noise and vibrations, providing a smooth and quiet ride for you and your passengers. Whether you're embarking on a long highway journey or navigating through rough off-road terrains, this tire ensures a comfortable and enjoyable driving experience. Michelin is known for its commitment to sustainability, and the Defender LTX M/S is no exception. The tire is designed with Michelin's Green X� technology, which optimizes fuel efficiency by reducing rolling resistance. This helps to conserve fuel and reduce emissions and it also contributes to cost savings over the life of the tire. In summary, the Michelin Defender LTX M/S is a top-of-the-line tire designed for light trucks and SUVs. With its exceptional all-season traction, long-lasting durability, comfortable ride, and eco-friendly features, it is a perfect choice for drivers seeking high-performance and reliability. Upgrade your vehicle's performance with the Miche

For an apples-to-apples comparison against direct rivals, see the comparison pages linked from this tire's brand index.

OEM fitment

Vehicles that ship with this tire

Last verified 2026-10-07.