Fix Or Repair Daily (indeed)!!

[BlaqWhole]

So I've had my 2018 Mustang GT for a good few months problem free. No issues at all. However, on my way home from work I noticed some vibration in the steering wheel which I initially thought was bumps in the road. It continued on and on and I started to notice it was more when I turned the steering wheel to the right. It was smooth when the steering wheel was to the left. So I knew something ws up and initially thought it was the headers maybe hitting the steering shaft. It started getting worse tho and that is when I decided to pull over and investigate. Looking under the hood, under the car, etc, revealed nothing. So I decided to just limp it home. I had 14 miles left on the GSP and then 2.3 miles from there. So I figured I could make it. Went a few feet and it was apparent that I was not gonna make it.

From here I decided to check the lugnuts on the passenger side and they were fine. I then checked them on the driver side and 2 were finger loose. I proceeded to tighten one of them and guess what happened. It turned and then just sheared right off. So now I'm down to 4 remaining. I tried to tighten second one and the same thing happened. Barely any effort was put into turning them BTW. So ok Ford, I get it. I am Found Off Road Dead and it sucks.

So I got the car towed home and once I get there, i drove it off the flat bed and let it idle right into a parking spot and then noticed that just from that little bit a THIRD lugnut came off and was laying on the ground. So I need new hubs for this thing now. And I can't fix it any time soon because I leave for my contract in Nebraska in 2 days. So it will have to sit with just 2 lugnuts left.

The saying is true afterall.

[95 imp]

Did you have the tire removed recently?

Maybe they were loose and that allowed the stud to flex and weaken where it sheared.

You can probably find new studs and press them in if the rotor is still in spec.

[BlaqWhole]

Originally Posted by 95 imp

Did you have the tire removed recently?

Maybe they were loose and that allowed the stud to flex and weaken where it sheared.

You can probably find new studs and press them in if the rotor is still in spec.

The wheel was probably off when they did the headers. But that was months ago. Since then this car has seen all kinds of spirited driving.

[102SS]

Is this is an issue that is happening to a lot of other Mustangs?

If the lugs were not torqued properly that is hardly Fords fault unless there is a known issue (which would include a recall because its a serious safety concern)

[crysalis_01]

Originally Posted by 102SS

Is this is an issue that is happening to a lot of other Mustangs?

If the lugs were not torqued properly that is hardly Fords fault unless there is a known issue (which would include a recall because its a serious safety concern)

Right?! This isn't some "sorry for the inconvenience" concern, it's a "get people killed" kind of concern.

Hopefully this is just an isolated incident. Still sucks for Blaq. But we don't need a whole bunch of cars just waiting to start throwing wheels at the rest of us just driving down the highway.

[BlaqWhole]

Originally Posted by 102SS

Is this is an issue that is happening to a lot of other Mustangs?

If the lugs were not torqued properly that is hardly Fords fault unless there is a known issue (which would include a recall because its a serious safety concern)

Originally Posted by crysalis_01

Right?! This isn't some "sorry for the inconvenience" concern, it's a "get people killed" kind of concern.

Hopefully this is just an isolated incident. Still sucks for Blaq. But we don't need a whole bunch of cars just waiting to start throwing wheels at the rest of us just driving down the highway.

The odd thing is that IF they took the wheel off when they did the headers, that was still months ago and a good few thousand miles of driving. It's been in the triple digits (on a track) several times. Commuting to and from work in some cases over 60 miles in one direction. So I gotta say I doubt it's a matter of the wheels not being torqued properly. I've never had an issue like this before and I've seen some mechanics send the bolts with an air gun at full blast and tighten the Hell outta them puppies. And also, I doubt this is some issue that would take thousands of miles to manifest.

Now one thing and I can't say for certain, maybe someone tampered with my lugnuts either while I was at home or at work. I doubt that but I guess it could be possible. It's just nothing about all this makes sense. I've never seen lugs shear off like that.

But to answer the question, no, it is not something I know to be common with Mustangs. But now it does have me a bit interested. Maybe I need to do some digging around.

[WhiteMale]

Id be curious to know if you put a torque wrench on those two what you'd get, from my 15GT the spec was 150ft lbs

I don't remember hearing about similar or lug problems the years I had my Mustang talk in that area was people questioning the 150ft lbs spec but no failures like this.

[Expunge]

Originally Posted by BlaqWhole

It's been in the triple digits (on a track) several times.

You take it to a track it is your responsibility to torque the lugs before and after.

[Mr_Draco]

Originally Posted by BlaqWhole

I've seen some mechanics send the bolts with an air gun at full blast and tighten the Hell outta them puppies.

If the other 2 lug nuts are tight, then I bet you anything this actually was the cause. It's easy to accidentally put the impact on the wrong setting and over torque the lug nuts. Over torquing deforms and weakens the studs causing them to eventually snap just like that.

Had the same thing happen one time with my daily driver a few months after getting new tires put on. Went back to the shop to figure out what happened and come to find out the guy who put them on would put his impact on "Forward" instead of "2" cause he didn't want to use a torque wrench.

[BlaqWhole]

Originally Posted by Expunge

You take it to a track it is your responsibility to torque the lugs before and after.

I'm not sure what your point is or what that has to do with my lugnuts shearing off.

Originally Posted by Mr_Draco

If the other 2 lug nuts are tight, then I bet you anything this actually was the cause. It's easy to accidentally put the impact on the wrong setting and over torque the lug nuts. Over torquing deforms and weakens the studs causing them to eventually snap just like that.

Had the same thing happen one time with my daily driver a few months after getting new tires put on. Went back to the shop to figure out what happened and come to find out the guy who put them on would put his impact on "Forward" instead of "2" cause he didn't want to use a torque wrench.

My mistake. I meant in general throughout the years I've seen mechanics do tires, etc on my car and on other cars in their shops including back when I myself was a mechanic. I've seen them many times just zip it on and "ugga dugga" them things. Never have I seen something like this happen in all my years with any of my cars. i've had the wheels off my ZL1 and HC several times by shops (tire installs) and by myself. Same on all my previous vehicles over many years. I've never esperienced anything like this.

[Iron Lung Jimmy]

Almost certainly the shop over tightened the lug nuts. That weakened the studs which then fatigued with use and ultimately failed.

Originally Posted by BlaqWhole

I'm not sure what your point is or what that has to do with my lugnuts shearing off.

His point is that you were damn lucky they didn't fail at the track. Checking the torque would have at least alerted you that there might be a problem.

[ariZona28]

I'm just a rookie doing track days but at both the Auto X and Road Course events it's brought up at the drivers meetings to torque the vehicles lug nuts. It's possible your header installer UNDER tightened/torqued yours ever so slightly and if you're an aggressive track fellow who likes to hit the rumble strips (vibration) and honk on the brakes (heat) you have a recipe for disaster. No knock on you, this is good info to get out to fellow hobbyist racers. I check mine once on the trailer, once in the paddock and then when I get home. Glad you got back to the garage and it sucks that you'll be miles away when one of your rides is injured!

[Bigdumogre]

I worked for Ford for 11 years and all the mechanics there just impact all the lug nuts and never had and problems with failing studs. And we worked on tons of livery cars that had 500k miles on them and impacted the lug nuts on and off all the time and we rarely changed studs. Maybe the new one are just crap.

[BlaqWhole]

Originally Posted by Bigdumogre

I worked for Ford for 11 years and all the mechanics there just impact all the lug nuts and never had and problems with failing studs. And we worked on tons of livery cars that had 500k miles on them and impacted the lug nuts on and off all the time and we rarely changed studs. Maybe the new one are just crap.

Thank you. At least someone gets it. 95% of mechanics out there do not torque wheels down. I've had lugnuts on soo tight I had to put a length of pipe on the ratchet and damn near jump on it to crack em loose. I've never ever not once had this problem nor have I ever seen it. I'm thinking it's just low quality material being used.