Wheel Bolts problems of the 2003 Ford Explorer

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 25-35 mph around a curb, the driver thought that the tire was flat. The contact pulled off the road and noticed that three of the wheel studs on the driver’s side rear wheel had sheared off. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and it was confirmed that the studs had sheared off and that there was also a fractured wheel stud on the passenger’s side rear wheel. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 115,000.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Explorer. While driving 55 mph, the lug nuts became detached from the rear passenger wheel, which caused the vehicle to shake violently. The contact pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road and waited for a tow truck. The contact stated that the failure occurred on more than one occasion and included all of the wheels. The contact previously replaced the lug nuts on all of the wheels. The dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The failure mileage was 140,000.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the rear wheels shook and detached from the vehicle. The contact replaced the wheel bearings, but the failure still occurred. The lug nuts were tightened twice by the dealer, but the lug nuts on the rear wheels were still loose. The dealer stated that they did not have a repair for the failure. The VIN was invalid. The failure mileage was 129,000.

On the way home from work yesterday I noticed an unusual vibration from the front driver's side wheel of my Explorer ? almost felt like a flat spot on the tire. Also heard some squeaking /squealing which was much worse in turns. When I got home I checked and found: - one wheel stud and nut completely missing - one wheel stud loose/broken (tried to tighten nut but it kept spinning freely) - one loose lug nut. The remaining two lug nuts were tight. By tightening the one loose nut it allowed me to drive on car without the vibration ? at that point had only three functional lug nuts. Took it to the dealer today and they claim corrosion caused the failure, but only on that wheel. Replacement of the entire hub was required as you cannot replace individual studs. It would have cost $400, but because of my extended warranty it only cost me the $50 deductible. My feeling is I should not have even had to pay for that, this appears to me to be a defect or design failure. Found many similar complaints & reports on mycarstats. Com.

My husband had just pulled away from a stop sign when he felt the vehicle crash to the ground and saw the rear passenger tire roll into someone's front yard. He exited the car to find the lugs broken in half. My three year old is very upset, keeps talking about being in an accident. We are uncertain as to the amount of damage to the truck, we have not heard back from the insurance adjustor yet. There is body damage that is visible, who knows what the underside of the truck looks like. I do have in my possession one of the lug nuts, there are two more at the body shop. We couldn't find the remaining two, who knows when they were lost. . Read more...

Wheels studs (lug nuts) keep breaking. I have replace 4 different wheels studs within the last year and a half. They either break when taking a tire off or while traveling. I replaced those wheel studs that I noticed missing or when having a tire repaired.