Ford's swollen lug nuts issue / C&D article

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Originally Posted By: AZjeff
Yeah they s=ck but why put up with them? Spend $30 for a set of Gorilla Lug Nuts and eliminate the aggravation. Money well spent. Or wait years for the class action to come around.


Gorilla nuts! Absolutely wonderful quality, just changed out my cheap factory nuts, HUGE upgrade...
 
Originally Posted By: Traction
Originally Posted By: Srt20
Buy splined nuts and be done with it. Cheap and easy.

Those aren't any better since they take a special very thin wall socket. Those, along with locking lug nuts are easily destroyed with an impact wrench. Of all the OE lug nuts I've dealt with the GM ones with the screw on caps hold up the best. Otherwise a 1 piece quality steel acorn style nut is good too, unless the chrome peels.


Ive never wrecked the socket using an impact. I suppose is someone got crazy with it they could wreck it....just like any socket.
 
I like that Ford is getting sued, but so should the rest of the companies that put the two piece nuts on their car...
I had to buy a set of solid nuts for the Tracker and Focus, which I did as soon as one started to swell. Honda used good quality solid nuts on the CRV, and the tire rotation last night was a breeze!
 
Had these on my 2008 Mustang (not named in that article). Replaced recently with 1-piece lug nuts. Had to use two different size sockets to remove them previously.

whoever designed those things was a smart one. These law suits though never amount to anything. All the owners of affected vehicles may get a $10 check and the lawyers will get quite a bit more..
 
Originally Posted By: Colt45ws

But you HAVE to make sure you have full engagement of the nut before you pull the trigger on the impact. The cap extends over the top of the actual steel nut leaving the top 10% or so looking like a nut but only sheet metal. You can't 'NASCAR' them, you will hook the portion that is unsupported and spin the cap on the nut, then you're [censored].


Agreed.

My Focus came with a few nuts damaged when I purchased it used at 7 years of age. I replaced them with new ones and never had a problem since.
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Originally Posted By: IndyIan
I like that Ford is getting sued, but so should the rest of the companies that put the two piece nuts on their car...
I had to buy a set of solid nuts for the Tracker and Focus, which I did as soon as one started to swell. Honda used good quality solid nuts on the CRV, and the tire rotation last night was a breeze!


Yeah, they left out a LOT of cars with the cheepy nuts. Mine included.

They may never be a problem for the average driver, but if you track the car or are a fastidious self-maintainer who takes them onn/off a lot they are a guaranteed problem...
 
Originally Posted By: zzyzzx
I have not had this issue on my 1995 Escort.
I had the problem on my 1985 Escort, back in approximately 1993-94.

I've only owned GM vehicles since, and have not had a lug nut problem since. Most have had the plastic cap over a plated steel nut.
 
Originally Posted By: ms21043
These 2 piece lug nuts have been around for decades and now they're a problem?
Yes, they have been a problem for decades!
 
Originally Posted By: Kuato
2000 and 04 Jeep Grand Cherokees and '04 Wrangler all had the two piece units. 2-3 rotations, even being careful, and they would start to fall apart.


As did our 2000 Cherokee (Non-Grand)

Awful things, I got aftermarket Stainless ones.(Probably still on it, no longer have the Cherokee)
 
Deez nuts ended my tire shop career. Had a dodge dakota in with 200+k and the nuts kept getting stuck in my socket. So I kept hustling over to my box to get a punch to liberate the stupid things.

So I squeezed between two lift posts (between two lifts, about a 10 inch gap) and my foot stayed behind, breaking my ankle. Worker's comp paid enough in my surgery to have bought the dude a new dodge truck. And I never went back.
frown.gif
 
Originally Posted By: ms21043
These 2 piece lug nuts have been around for decades and now they're a problem?

Yes,they have always been inferior. It's just now that frivolous lawsuits are the norm.
 
Originally Posted By: Traction
Originally Posted By: ms21043
These 2 piece lug nuts have been around for decades and now they're a problem?
Yes, they have been a problem for decades!


No question about that. Who's stupid idea was it to gussy up cheap steel nuts with a skimpy, non-structural overlay anyway? I trashed them on a GM vehicle, replaced with solid nuts and never looked back. I don't know who the biggest offender is for installing these things but looks like Ford's taking one for the team.
 
I know this is a somewhat older thread but I witnessed the issue first hand yesterday at local Discount Tire store just what a pita these things are. Tire tech was working on what looked to be a fairly new Chrysler 200 with a puncture in the tread.

I see him literally hammering to get the impact socket on each lug, and I was like wth is he doing. So I asked him and he told me about the expanding lug nuts issue and I remembered seeing this post. He also mentioned the Ford lawsuit several times. Then I watch him have to knock each lug off the impact socket. I couldn't believe what I seeing, I was smh.

He said that they sell a complete set of new lugs for $50. If folks saw just how much involved in this they would change the lugs. However I imagine most don't witness the procedure required. The lady getting her puncture repaired was sitting in the lobby while it was done so she had no idea. And even with all involved, the RMA puncture repair was done for free as is DT SOP.

As aside Chrysler 200 uses a lug stud type lug as opposed to lug nuts. I'm thinking lug studs 'a bit' easier to get out of socket than expanding nuts. That said I imagine, they probably have something to hold on to the lug nut with? I'm still amazed at what I saw.
 
Nothing new. My '97 Taurus had the shells fall off on half the lugs. Then it's some odd sized hex.
 
They still install these from the factory. I have a 2015 Fusion and I've replaced the originals at the dealership for $180 after a year of use. Another dealership said that they were swollen again after 4 months. I took my car back, bought a lug nut extractor from Sears and some McGard 1 piece lug nuts from ebay for $25 and went to town. Haven't had a problem since. Wish I knew about this issue as soon as I bought this car. I would have changed it before wasting so much money.
 
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