Lost front wheel driving 55 : a lesson learned

[ddutil]

My wife lost the front driver wheel yesterday afternoon, on the highway... Man were we lucky, nobody got hurt, she kept the truck straight while the tire was bouncing around. The wheel flew some 40+ feet high before landing in between the two lines...



Damages will run probably in the 2k$ range.



Now, what went wrong?



I had had the bearing replaced a week and some 200 miles before, and the mechanic did not torque enough. With the hub cap in place, nothing went wrong for a few hundred miles (no vibe, noise, anything). Yesterday, I decided to shine the chromes and removed the 4 hubcaps. All seemed fine visually. It took less than 30 miles for my wife to loose the 8 nuts, and finally the wheel. She ended up on 3 tires and a disk... The fender was bent by the wheel when it took off, and the disk and surrounding hardware were grinded.



Lesson learned: these little plastic hubcaps, held by your bolts also hold your bolts and are a safety. Keep 'em on!



Dan

 

[rbattelle]

First of all, thank God your wife and everyone else on the road is okay.



I'm a little confused. The lug nuts came off? I don't understand the connection with the hub caps (which are a non-structural cosmetic item). Are you suggesting that your removing the hub caps caused the lug nuts to come off?



-Ryan

 

[socal610]

he is saying that if the cap was on the nut could not move (back-out)

 

[rbattelle]

There are 8 lug nuts and only 3 or 4 are gripped by the hub cap. And those are meerly held on with a little spring pressure. Are the others cradled by depressions in the cap too (I can't recall)?



And is Dan saying that the hub caps were NOT on when the wheel came off? I'm sorry to be slow about it, but I'm confused. It's late... I'm going to bed. Tomorrow morning I'll probably wonder why I thought it was so confusing.



I guess this is why they always tell you to re-torque the lug nuts after 200 miles.



-Ryan

 

[mwhals]

The lesson I get out of this is to check your lug nuts everytime someone else removes and reinstalls your tire. I am glad only the truck was damaged and your wife was OK.



Mark H

 

[Alphacowboy]

I have 3rd gen caps and wheels on my '00, the caps lock on too every lug nut. I think they lock on so damn tight, that even if a lug was loose, there is no way its going to back off completely with the cap in place. I wold have to agree that the lugs were probably a little loose in the first place, but at least held in place by the hub cap, by removing it, the lugs were "free" to spin and came completely off.

 

[AMassaro]

I think the main point is to check your lug torque. I run without the caps on. But I also torqued my lugs, and then re-torqued them. I'd hate to think what would happen if they weren't torqued down even if the caps were on... We know how much weight is on that front end... I don't think a piece of plastic would help too much.

 

[Big MAK]

Glad no one got hurt! A big "Good Work" to your wife's driving.



I didn't loose the wheel... but after a front ball joint replacement I went 2 miles before the front end was shaking so bad I pulled over. All the nuts were only on by 2 or 3 threads -- it chewed up the inside of the wheel pretty bad. I'd passed the interstate on ramp to grab a quick cup of coffee... thank goodness!



Learned the same lesson ... always check the lugs before leaving a parking lot after service (to make sure they're on beyond the first threads at all!) and re-torque in 50 to 100 miles.

 

[JRG]

Worst thing is that the dealer may somehow try to blame YOU!



I agree the if the lugs were just snug with the cap on, the cap would in effect keep them there like a lock nut.



Bottom line-- THE DEALER WAS THE LAST ONE (within 200 mi no less) TO TAKE OFF THE WHEEL!!



Sorry, this stupidity just chaps me-- It's airheadedness like that that gets people hurt!



JRG

 

[MRector]

Sorry To Hear About Your Misfortune. This Also Happened To Me About 9 Years Ago. I Had A 91 F-150 That Was Lifted 10" With 35" Swampers On It And The Drivers Rear Came Off At Around 72mph On The Interstate. The Last Person To Have Hands On The Lugs Was A Good Friend With His Own Shop, The Insurance Company Wanted To Know Exactly Who Last Put The Tires On-so Knowing That They Would Put The Cost On A Good Friend I Said That I Installed Them Myself To Save His Buisness. In Other Words They Do Not Need To Know You Even Touched The Centers Or Tires For That Matter Cause Insurance Is Looking For Someone To Blame--might As Well Be The Dealer Imo.



Oh And Btw My 35 Came Off And Head-on Collided W/ A Brand New Grand Cherokee (total Loss) So After His Large Hospital Bill/ Cherokee/ My Truck/ Oh And A Mini Van That Hit The Tire After It Stopped/ My Insurance Had To Pay A Bunch.



Sorry For The Long Reply--best Of Luck

Mike Rector

 

[ddutil]

So far, the mechanic shop (Mr Muffler) and their insurer seem cooperative, don't deny their responsibilities and are ready to pay the bill. I think they are just glad that nobody got hurt. It's not over 'till it's over, though.



Mak, I'll forward your ''Good Work'' to my wife, she deserves it that's for sure I'm thinking about buying her her very own Cummins Power belt clip :-laf



My hubcaps have 8 tabs inside. I think they all make a positive contact with a nut, enough to prevent the nuts from spinning although that's hard to tell. I have 2003 2x4 2500 SLT, dunno if the hubcaps are specific to my year-model.



I do my own tire switching (winter & summer tires sets) and I usually give it my best torque :-laf . But I turn to local shops for changing ball joints, wheel bearings and the like...



I may not be my own warranty station, but I will be my own Quality Assurance station from now on !!! Thanks for your replies Guys!

 

[klenger]

I do my own tire switching (winter & summer tires sets) and I usually give it my best torque

Get a calibrated torque wrench. Just because the shop is too stupid to use one, doesn't mean that you need to work to their level.