PSA - Check your Lug Nuts. Trust no one.

[UplandEric]

Greetings members and friends of Overland Bound. I'm posting this in the hope of preventing anyone from having to go through the loss of their vehicle or injury or worse. Over on the Sportsmobile Forum it's been shared that there has been two events recently of vans having wheels come off at highway speed. One caused only minor damage the other is pretty severe. Fortunately neither have caused any injury. The unnerving similarity of both is that these vans had been recently worked on by tire shops (not the same shop) and it's suspected that improper tightening of the lug nuts are the cause. Both had been worked on by "professionals" both had the wheel studs sheer off within a few hundred miles. I hope I've not over stepped by passing this on in another forum. I just don't want any one else to have to go through this, and it's very preventable.

Here is my basic message, please contribute as necessary.
- Besides the obvious tightening to the proper torque when reinstalling a wheel with a torque wrench.
- Recheck after a few miles (some recomend 50-100 mi) or heat cycles.
- IF you have wheel spacers recheck the torque of those too.
AND most importantly
TRUST NO ONE.
- when you get home from any service where a wheel was removed recheck for yourself!

If your interrested to follow the stories here are the links

http://www.sportsmobileforum.com/forums/f9/lost-rear-wheel-while-on-freeway-19542.html#post203211

http://www.sportsmobileforum.com/forums/f9/i-lost-something-important-19340.html

Again, I hope this reminder helps keep us safe in our journeys. I care for every one of you.

-Eric

 

[[DO]Ron]

I kinda trust the people that work on my cars.. work at Toyota NL HQ so cars are getting maintenence there... I know my dad and brother do their wheels themselves though.. they got a torque wrench themselves.

Checking the torque is never bad ofcourse.. especially when offroading a lot. Wheels and tires get more abuse then just pavement ofcourse.

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[Ichibahn]

I always recheck my tire lug nuts after seeing myself on I-85 N, front of passenger side tire is rolling out from someone jeep grand cherokee. Good thing every driver have a fast reaction to avoid the accident and nobody got hurt.

 

[FeralBoy]

On some Vehicles over-tightening is the problem they hit the stops and then you still hear the gun going off like a 50 cal for about another 10 seconds that breaks the studs on a lot of late early model Japanese vehicles

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[Terry Pickens]

I always come home to check mine. I had one tire shop put them on so tight I could not get them off with the wrench I carry, had to use the impact at home and retighten to specs.
Saw someone leave a tire shop and a wheel just came off on a main street, this was literally 100 yards from the shop. NOT FUNNY, at least no one was hurt but I do not know what damage the car had.

 

[Anak]

The tire shops around here are so bad that I won't even take my vehicle in. I put the vehicle up on jackstands in my driveway and just take the wheels to the shop.

When I consider who they are hiring to change tires it all makes sense.

 

[macr88]

On some Vehicles over-tightening is the problem they hit the stops and then you still hear the gun going off like a 50 cal for about another 10 seconds that breaks the studs on a lot of late early model Japanese vehicles

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They're most likely using a torque limiting bar or at least I hope they are.

-mac