Tacoma: My wheel came off!!!

kramer11 · #1 (**permalink**) 10-03-2003, 10:38 AM

New 2003 4x4 regular cab with 25K miles. Just installed a 3" revtek lift and upgraded tires and wheels. Had a tire shop order MB Motoring Shock wheels (16x8) and 265 75 16 Bridgestone Dueler AT's.The shop mounted, balanced, and installed the wheels with new lugs, and told me to re-torque them after 50 miles. I drove home (10 miles) and 3 out of 6 lugs on each wheel was loose so I tightened them with a hand wrench. Drove another 20 miles and this time only 1 lug was loose per wheel, but I was still able to give each lug a quarter turn. 50 miles down the highway, the front left wheel and tire rolled off the truck at 60 mph. Needless to say, I wrecked into the grass on the right. A semi hit the tire and wheel , shredding the tire and launching the wheel 1/4 mile down the highway. Then another car drove over wheel fragments and shredded his tires. Insurance is going after the tire company. Anybody have any ideas about what may have happened? I will post pics of the truck and the shredded wheel when I get them...the 16x8 wheel is now 16x4. And it tore three of the six threads that the wheel bolts to right off.

HockeyFreak · #2 (**permalink**) 10-03-2003, 12:09 PM

Glad, to hear that you are okay! Wow, that is pretty scary and you are lucky that the truck didn't roll...

uracowman · #3 (**permalink**) 10-03-2003, 07:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kramer11

New 2003 4x4 regular cab with 25K miles. Just installed a 3" revtek lift and upgraded tires and wheels. Had a tire shop order MB Motoring Shock wheels (16x8) and 265 75 16 Bridgestone Dueler AT's.The shop mounted, balanced, and installed the wheels with new lugs, and told me to re-torque them after 50 miles. I drove home (10 miles) and 3 out of 6 lugs on each wheel was loose so I tightened them with a hand wrench. Drove another 20 miles and this time only 1 lug was loose per wheel, but I was still able to give each lug a quarter turn. 50 miles down the highway, the front left wheel and tire rolled off the truck at 60 mph. Needless to say, I wrecked into the grass on the right. A semi hit the tire and wheel , shredding the tire and launching the wheel 1/4 mile down the highway. Then another car drove over wheel fragments and shredded his tires. Insurance is going after the tire company. Anybody have any ideas about what may have happened? I will post pics of the truck and the shredded wheel when I get them...the 16x8 wheel is now 16x4. And it tore three of the six threads that the wheel bolts to right off.

HAHAHAHAH thats so funny.I suggest the tire shop should give you a new set of wheels.such as lexani vp off road rims ^.^ 4k for a set ^.^

kramer11 · #4 (**permalink**) 10-03-2003, 11:05 PM

[quote=uracowman]HAHAHAHAH thats so funny.I suggest the tire shop should give you a new set of wheels.such as lexani vp off road rims ^.^ 4k for a set ^.^[/QUOTE

I don't see the humor in this and I don't appreciate you making it out to be funny. I could have died as a result of this.

sigp239 · #5 (**permalink**) 10-04-2003, 12:21 AM

That's not funny at all, it's scary. The same thing happened to my wife's car after buying tires at Costco last summer. Luckily she just got off the interstate before it happened and didn't crash. Now I will check the lugs with a torque wrench when ever a shop pulls a wheel before leaving.

jbtoy · #6 (**permalink**) 10-04-2003, 02:26 PM

[quote=kramer11]

Quote:

Originally Posted by uracowman

HAHAHAHAH thats so funny.I suggest the tire shop should give you a new set of wheels.such as lexani vp off road rims ^.^ 4k for a set ^.^[/QUOTE

I don't see the humor in this and I don't appreciate you making it out to be funny. I could have died as a result of this.

Glad you are okay. I never trust anyone when they pull a wheel, so it helps to doublecheck. I did not see the humor in the posted comment either. Just consider the response was from someone with a lack of maturity!

DevinSixtySeven · #7 (**permalink**) 10-05-2003, 04:01 PM

cowmang...party foul...you best come correct, and hope something like this never happens to you.

anyway, like ryan said, buy yourself a torque wrench, 6" extension and deep socket so you can always get your lug nuts properly snugged down, never trust the tire shop unless you can see them working and know they're doing a good job--if they $%#! up, don't hesitate to say something. also, your best friend is the tire shop that's not so busy they can't hand-tighten your lug nuts with a torque wrench, and break them off by hand with a breaker bar. it's entirely possible the threads were stripped from the shop, if they cross-threaded and used an impact wrench. unfortunately it's hindsight now (luckily you and the other drivers have that luxury), but NONE of the lug nuts should have been loose AT ALL at any point while you were driving. it takes more time to mount a tire, but i hand-tighten the lugs while the tire's off the ground, that way i know the wheel is centered on the lugs (turn the wheel, tighten, turn, tighten, etc.), snug them with a socket wrench, drop the truck and crank with the torque wrench to 90# (yes, i know that's higher than stock) in a star pattern, and never tighten one completely, always go a bit at a time, crossing the hub every time to the opposite (or one off) lug. it takes longer, but it's peace of mind.

hopefully the tire shop will settle this without trouble, as it doesn't sound like it could have been your fault, but if they do give you hassle (for example, if they blame your lift kit or claim driver negligence), throw the book at them.

-sean

wes 03 · #8 (**permalink**) 10-05-2003, 11:28 PM

i do all of my tire and wheel business with discount tire. never had a problem, and when i got my new rims i came back in after 20 miles, they rotated the tires, the way i wanted to plus did a retorque, then retorqued them again after another 40, and all free. i recommend them, and i have never ever had a problem with their services, they are always straight forward with you

wes

zebra1550 · #9 (**permalink**) 10-27-2003, 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by uracowman

HAHAHAHAH thats so funny.I suggest the tire shop should give you a new set of wheels.such as lexani vp off road rims ^.^ 4k for a set ^.^

Where do you get off thinking this is funny? This guy's life was put at risk, his truck is wrecked, and other vehicles on the road were put in harms way. Maybe your truck would mean more to you if it wasn't just handed over to you from your parents. Re-read your posts and think about them before you submit.

stcj · #10 (**permalink**) 10-27-2003, 07:07 PM

I also don't think that was funny. I always re-torque my wheels after service.

KLS · #11 (**permalink**) 10-27-2003, 07:58 PM

Kramer,
What happened to you was very serious. There is a reason why they kept coming loose, and it'll take some work to find the reason.

Could they have been the wrong nuts for the wheels? There are two possible shapes for the nut seats, and maybe they got the wrong ones. http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/tech/nutsandbolts.htm Or maybe they put fractional nuts on metric studs...

Anyway, there is a reason why the nuts kept coming loose. Find out the reason.

Ken

Triple BB · #12 (**permalink**) 10-28-2003, 12:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by uracowman

HAHAHAHAH thats so funny.I suggest the tire shop should give you a new set of wheels.such as lexani vp off road rims ^.^ 4k for a set ^.^

Someone almost being seriously injured or killed in a car accident is funny? I'm guessing you had a brain fart???

DevinSixtySeven · #13 (**permalink**) 10-28-2003, 11:22 AM

(...psst...hey bro, don't open old wounds! please stay on topic here. --sean)

lelandstanford · #14 (**permalink**) 10-30-2003, 10:23 AM

I almost always keep an eye on the techs as they work.

One time at Discount Tires they did not align the red dot to the valve stem. That wheel end up with 4 weights on one side.

They broke 2 lugs one time and replaced with aftermarket lugs which OEM wrench will not fit. I had to get new ones from the dealer. It turns out they torqued 130+ lb instead of 87.