Tires: michelin tires, michelin tires, bmw 6

Question
my Michelin tires are 9years old and look great.  I don't drive much, under 50 thousand miles on a Small 2000 Ford Escape.  Tires are original to the car.  My husband said tires can rot and is worried, should I replace them even though they look great??

Answer
Dear Judie,
Thank you for using AllExperts!
Tire aging and tire 'age limits' continues to be a confusing and controversial subject, but here goes.  In 2006 Ford started to include in its owner's manuals #and web site# a recommendation to replace original tires at 6 years of age.  Other auto manufacturer's also have a tire replacement policy due to aging:
Chrysler: 6 years
Toyota: 6 years
BMW: 6 years
Mercedes: 6 years
VW: 6 years
There are others.  Michelin, on the other hand, issued a technical bulletin #in 2006 I believe# stating that tires should be replaced at 10 years.  I'm sure, however, that they would defer to the auto maker's recommendation to avoid total confusion.
I would say that your tires are due for replacement.
Hope this helps.