Invalid 3PMSF marking prompts major Michelin recall in USA & Canada

Michelin is recalling more than half a million all-season light truck tyres in the USA and Canada as they carry the 3PMSF symbol on the sidewall but do not comply with related local legislation. The voluntary recall affects up to 542,110 aftermarket Michelin Agilis CrossClimate C-Metric tyres produced in Cholet, France and Olsztyn, Poland.

The manufacturer explains that although marked with the Alpine 3PMSF symbol, the tyres “do not meet the traction requirements for snow tyres” and as such “fail to comply with the requirements” of US Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 139 and Canadian Technical Standards Document (TSD) 139.

Although the Michelin North America website stresses that this is a “voluntary recall,” in a letter of acknowledgement sent to the tyre maker yesterday, US government agency the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) noted that “tyres that do not provide sufficient traction as expected can increase the risk of a crash.” That said, no documents related to the recall suggest that the tyres in question perform in any way different to what the manufacturer intended.

3PMSF – one symbol, two regions

Agilis CrossClimate C-Metric sizes are commercial service heavy-duty light truck tyres with a design that differs from the Agilis CrossClimate LT-Metric design sold in the USA and Canada. The C-Metric tread pattern is markedly different from the LT pattern but the same as that found on Michelin CrossClimate Agilis tyres sold in the UK and European markets.

The Michelin.co.uk website notes that CrossClimate Agilis tyres for our region are also 3PMSF marked, with this symbol acknowledging that these tyres fulfil brake efficiency testing requirements under winter conditions according to the European Tyre and Rim Technical Organisation (ETRTO) method.

The same marking separates all-weather from all-season and winter tyres in the USA and Canada, with tyres that are designated 3PMSF and bearing the symbol of a snowflake within a three-peaked mountain required to attain a specific level of acceleration traction in testing determined by the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association (USTMA) and the Rubber Association of Canada (RAC). Tyres to be marked 3PMSF in these countries are tested according to ASTM F1805, and there are minor differences between this test and the ETRTO braking traction test.

Diligently working on a remedy

The recall applies to the following sizes of Michelin Agilis CrossClimate C-Metric: 185/60R15C, 195/75R16C, 205/65R15C, 205/75R16C, 225/75R16C and 235/65R16C. These tyres have DOT codes 0117 through 1423.

Michelin North America states it is “diligently working on a remedy,” and this will be included in the owner notification letter it intends to send out in June 2023. It points out that the LT-Metric tyre design sold in North America meets the requirement for the 3PMSF symbol, nor does the recall affect any CrossClimate passenger and SUV tyre lines.

Source: NHTSA / Michelin North America