Major issue with my new Bronco's wheels / hub (wheel came off while driving)

[macmc138]

Has anyone had issues with wheels/hub assemblies on their Bronco’s? I bought a 2023 Wildtrak on 03/23 and at 5 days I noticed a sound coming from the rear end when coasting but not when hitting the gas or braking. I’m not very inclined with these things and since it was brand new, I headed to the dealership to get it looked at. In route while going down I-10, the entire rear drivers side wheel flew off. Needless to say after going across three lanes on three wheels, I consider myself very fortunate. Ford and the dealership have been less than helpful so I am just trying to see if anyone else may have had issues.

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[Steed76]

Whoa! I'm glad above all that you're okay! I have 14 years with Ford. I remember way back in the day we had some issues with wheel torque from the factory, But it's very odd that they sheared off like that. i would tend to believe Maybe a wheel defect, or possibly improper torque. Was it vibrating prior to the failure?

 

[Bushwhacker]

WOW! 5 days old! I understand the percentages this forum reflects of all Bronco owners, but what the hell kind of build quality and QC is going on at FoMoCo?? Ridiculous for your wheel to completely fly off in the first week, hell ever! Subpar build quality not even considering the premium they are charging for these currently. I hope Ford makes it right in a timely manner but I wouldn't hold my breath, especially on the timely part...

 

[Ducksworth]

When I see a thread title with "major issues" I've come to expect a rant about cup holders, wind noise, or a rattle.

But holy mother of god I would say that qualifies as major. So sorry Mac. Best of luck getting that sorted out.

 

[MayhemMike]

I once drove fifty miles with a loose rear wheel on my 70 Mach1 because my friend didn’t tighten the lugs. That wheel didn’t fly off. It did chew two lug nuts but the wheel stayed put. Five out of six lug bolts gone is absolutely bizarre.

 

[Jdyount]

Pretty clear that the lug nuts weren't torqued correctly and they worked their way off. I don't have so much of an issue with that happening at the plant (they make mistakes, it happens, they are human), the bigger problem I have is that your dealer missed it when they're supposed to inspect the vehicle when they receive it from Ford.

 

[macmc138]

I could feel vibration when I let off the gas and very slightly when braking but it wasn’t bad. Ford did cover towing to the dealership but once there and after sitting in the service department for an hour. They told me that my insurance would have to cover everything and declined to give me a loaner vehicle…the following day they called back and said they would repair it under warranty. Needless to say, I’m not too happy about taking it back after it slammed to the interstate at speed and then slid across three lanes and off the road.

 

[kingsingh14]

Wow that is absolutely terrifying, glad you’re ok! I haven’t had any issues like that, but my alignment was slightly off (pulling to the right) from the factory. Dealer took care of it before I finished the paperwork.

 

[Bikeric]

Looks like the lugs were not tight to me. You can see imprints of the threads in the wheels' bolt holes. I'm curious if you parked it in a sketchy location and somebody was about to steal your wheels but got scared off?

 

[HotdogThud]

That looks remarkably like lugnuts that weren't torqued, both at the factory and during a dealership PDI

 

[macmc138]

I live in a gated neighborhood with cameras everywhere and have cameras on my house too. The garage I park in for work is also gated. I hadn’t even had it long enough to go anywhere else lol.

 

[Roger123]

Does your state require a state inspection? In VA all cars, including brand new, have to be inspected and part of it is removing one front and one rear wheel to check the brakes.

 

[Silver-Bolt]

Is that the factory wheel?

 

[HOSSMAN]

Ditto everyone else, lug's not torqued down all the way, I have seen loose wheels (missing wheels) towed to the dealership before and look just like that.

 

[Stable Owner]

I'd blame the dealer for that. I've done a bunch of PDIs in my career and literally one of the checklist items is to torque the wheels. I even torque my wheels at home after a service where they removed the wheels. Sounds like a tech got lazy or was trying to get their hours in and just checked through the checklist without doing any of it.

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