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NHTSA-reported issues for michelin pilot sport
Top issue category: Tires (General)
Most reported: Tires (General) (27) · Sidewall (15) · Tread / Belt (11) · Bead (1)
What owners described
Sidewall failure appears in 36% of these reports; about 2.4× as often as across all tire complaints. Percentages are shares of the 42 reports filed against the Michelin Pilot Sport 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 problem | This subject | All tire complaints | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sidewall failure | 36% | 15% | 2.4× |
| Blowout or sudden deflation | 21% | 20% | 1.1× |
| Cracking or dry rot | 17% | 9% | 1.8× |
| Tread or belt separation | 12% | 13% | 0.9× |
| Loss of control, rollover or collision | 12% | 8% | 1.4× |
| Premature or uneven wear | 10% | 1% | 7.3× |
Mileage at failure
33 of these reports state an odometer reading. The middle report is at 24,000 miles, with 8 in 10 falling between 2,000 and 83,000 miles.
In owners' own words
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA about Michelin Pilot Sport. Reports are published by NHTSA as filed and are lightly cleaned here only to remove intake codes.
THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 MERCEDES BENZ SL600 EQUIPPED WITH MICHELIN PILOT SPORT TIRES, SIZE: 245/40R18 (NA) IN THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE TIRES WERE DRY ROTTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TIRES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE TIRES WERE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE TIRE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 15,000. THE VEHICLE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 31,280. THE DOT NUMBER WAS NOT AVAILABLE.
DRIVERS REAR TIRE SUDDENLY LOST AIR PRESSURE WHILE ON THE FREEWAY, WENT TO GAS STATION AND WHILE ATTEMPTING TO PLACE AIR IN THE TIRE IT BLEW IN MY FACE, INNER SIDEWALL SEPARATED AT SEAM WITH 18 INCH GASH. THE TIRES WERE ON MY CAR LESS THE 5 MONTHS & HAD LESS THAN 2,000 MILES. LOOKING AT YOUR SITE I SEE MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS OF SAME THING HAPPENING TO OTHERS. THE TIRE IS NOT AVAILABLE NATION WIDE AND PER MICHELIN CUSTOMER SERVICE ON BACK ORDER WITH NO PRODUCTION DATE AVAILABLE. I HAVE 3 MORE OF THESE TIRES ON MY CAR AND DO NOT FEEL SAFE DRIVING ON THESE TIRES AFTER REVIEWING THE COMPLAINTS ON YOUR SITE.
THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 MERCEDES-BENZ C63S EQUIPPED WITH MICHELIN PILOT SPORT TIRES, SIZE: 285/30/ZR19 (NA). THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER TIRE BLEW OUT WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH. THE CONTACT PULLED THE VEHICLE OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WHERE IT WAS TOWED TO MERCEDES-BENZ OF CHANTILLY. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE TIRE WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. THE TIRE WAS REPLACED AT THE CONTACT'S EXPENSE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 16,077 AND THE TIRE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 15,000. THE DOT NUMBER WAS NOT AVAILABLE.
The OEM Michelin rear tire used on the 2021 and 2022+ Tesla Model S has a serious safety defect which results in extreme wear/tread separation at the inner sidewall/tread junction. Numerous defective tires are shown on this thread, among others: https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/plaid-21%E2%80%9Drear-tire-woes-factory-defect.269394/ Both Tesla and Michelin report the tires are nationwide backorder (likely due to the number of tire failures in the field). Thus far, Tesla and Michelin have taken NO action on proactive tire replacements, despite repeated requests. (Perhaps they are awaiting accidents with fatalities first?) Please take action to secure a recall as this defect is extremely difficult to note as the tire tread separation occurs most often at the inner sidewall of the rear tires, a nearly impossible area to inspect.
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
| Brand | Michelin |
|---|---|
| Model | Pilot Sport |
| Season | N/A |
| Type | N/A |
| UTQG treadwear | N/A |
| UTQG traction | N/A |
| UTQG temperature | N/A |
| Mileage warranty | N/A |
| Noise (dB) | N/A |
| Introduced | N/A |
Live prices
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Available sizes (0)
Size data being verified.
Michelin pilot sport: what the numbers tell you
Manufacturer treadwear data for the Pilot Sport is not publicly listed. This is common for OEM-only or track-day tires that don't carry a US treadwear warranty. 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 Pilot Sport 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.
The Michelin Pilot Sport has been part of Michelin's catalog since its introduction, and remains a current-production model.
For an apples-to-apples comparison against direct rivals, see the comparison pages linked from this tire's brand index.
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Last verified 2026-10-07.