I have had the factory installed Continental Cross Contact Sport tires on my 2013 Mercedes ML 350. This is the second ML 350 I have owned. In total I have had 5 sidewall failures on the Continental tires. I have used both Micheline and Pirelli tires as replacement tires on these vehicles and never had a problem.
Granted I take my vehicle on gravel roads to a fishing club I belong to but I have been going there for over 30 years as have 40 other members and I have never had a problem with any other vehicle or tire combination. No other member has ever had a sidewall failure. Both Mercedes and Continental refuse to take this issue seriously. I can only imagine that the Continental tires are poorly constructed or they are inadequate for this vehicle.