Bad Wheel Studs, replacing for the 3rd time!

[oakville_edge]

Hi everyone,

 

Wondering if anyone else has come across bad studs on their Edge? I'm a winter user, and change the tires out myself. I've done this for decades, and never had any issues until my 2011 Edge.

 

I use a proper click type torque wrench set to 100ft/lbs of torque. I carefully cross tighten.

 

Yesterday, yet again I had a lug nut just keep turning and not come off. I've had issues with the Studs stripping before, and they had to be replaced. This time I took it to the dealer and they said the stud was actually turning instead of the lug nut. That I'd have to pay $ 200 if the hub was okay, but if the hub was damaged my bill would be over $ 600!

 

This thing is still under warranty, I don't understand why I would be paying anything. I'm trying to understand how or why an actual hub would somehow break, without the lugnut breaking first. What kind of design is this? Is this a case of the same brilliant engineers at Ford that decided to take a decades proven International engine and destroy it by placing an EGR cooler on it, producing more engine heat while simultaneously reducing the size of the radiator to half?

 

Okay sorry for the snotty remark, but this whole situation has me frustrated. I put a call into Ford customer service, lets see if they make this right. I guess my question is, is this situation unique to my Edge or is it more widespread?

 

 

Edited April 8, 2013 by oakville_edge

[Rockballer]

Sounds like your winter rims are not the correct bolt pattern. If its off just a little bit this is what happens. Also make sure that you are using the correct lug nuts with the correct rims.

IE. allot of people think that 5x115 will work on 5x114.3. They will bolt up but it is not correct or safe.

[oakville_edge]

RIM's are correct, and the Lug nuts where original. I had to replace three of them, all provided by the Ford dealer.

 

I did notice a large amount of rust on the studs.

[ls973800]

Do you have any national brand tire shops near you, such as Discount Tire, etc? They deal with stripped studs on a daily basis and I am sure they will not charge $200.00 just to change one, or $600.00 if the hub is bad.

 

Do a search for "wheel stud replacement" and you will see this is actually a job many owner's could do themselves. It's really a simple procedure and the studs themselves are relatively inexpensive. I don't know if there are any aftermarket studs designed specifically for times when the hub itself may be damaged from a stripped out stud. Here's one link to give you an idea of how simple and inexpensive the replacement should be.

 

http://autorepair.about.com/od/fixityourself/ss/wheel_stud_repl.htm

[autom8r]

My 2 cents.

 

Sounds like galvanic corrosion. Dissimilar metals can create a small electrical current that can cause premature failure of the "anode" side of the circuit and the presence of water accelerates the corrosion process. If the water contains salt or is a brine it becomes even more conductive and will corrode metal even faster. I assume "winter" tires means that they put salt on the roads where you live? What are your rims made of? Aluminum or steel? Even the lug nuts can be contributory.

 

BTW, Not a Ford Engineer, and materials science was 25 years ago in college.

[oakville_edge]

I just found out that the HUB/Studs being used on my 2011 Edge was actually completely changed on Job2. Mine was produced on Job1, this makes me wonder why they switched out the part. Was there a quality issue identified, and if so why aren't they making it right?

[oakville_edge]

I'm certain I can find someone to complete the repair for a fraction of what Ford charges. The problem here is I shouldn't have to pay a penny.

 

What bothers me about all of this is that the Ford dealership is operating under the assumption that I'm some kind of terrific idiot. I don't know how to replace a tire. The process I followed is very straight forward:

 

1) Slightly Loosen Lug Nuts with torque wrench. Just enough to make sure they're not seized.

2) Jack the truck.

3) Loosen and remove the lug nuts

4) Remove and replace tire

5) Hand tighten lug nut until it can not be tightened until they're snug.

6) Lower the car so its on the ground by still supported by the jack.

7) Using my torque wrench (and 19mm socket) set to 100lb/ft, tighten bolt until a bit of resistance is felt - then move onto the lug nut directly across and repeat.

8) Continue tightening until the clutch on the torque wrench starts slipping, indicating that it's hit the appropriate torque level. I've done it so many times on so many cars that I can almost feel by hand that point it will hit that. Always moving cross lug nut.

9) Remove jack, and verify torque on each lug nut - cross tightening if necessary.

 

Is there something special about an Edge that I'm missing? I've done this on the following vehicles (with different levels of torque) and never ran into a problem:

 

I've done this on numerous makes and models of vehicles ever season. I do my wife's, sister-n-laws, dads, brothers, and my own vehicle ever season for the last 20 years. I've never had a problem following this process, except once on my dads 1994 Honda Accord which I had to use some penetrating lubricant to unseize one of the lug nuts that had rusted in its latter years.

 

 

Do you have any national brand tire shops near you, such as Discount Tire, etc? They deal with stripped studs on a daily basis and I am sure they will not charge $200.00 just to change one, or $600.00 if the hub is bad.

[oakville_edge]

Well Ford customer service was useless.

 

As they say in latin, Cavet Emptor (Buyer Beware). They said the dealer inspected the vehicle and determined that the cause was over-torquing. They managed to determine this without removing the wheel, or the stud. Amazing.

 

Ford customer service gave me the option of going to another dealer, however my vehicle only has 15 miles of warranty left. They told me I'd have to tow my vehicle if I wanted it covered under warranty. When the call degraded to this level of non-sense I asked when My Ford Touch would finally work, and I got the usual round of apologies and "we're working on it".

 

Anyways, after decades of owning Japanese imports and coming back to my first domestic car. I see that was a mistake. The service is garbage, and the quality has been sub-par. 2.5 years later and its become crystal clear that putting my trust into Ford was a lapse of judgement.

 

I'm already booked an appointment with a local garage I've dealt with in the past, they stated it's probably just the stud and they'd already done a few 2011's. $ 50. If the hub requires replacement, it would be $ 300 all-in. Although in Ford's defense, gauging at the dealer isn't an exclusive phenomena; but perhaps in a situation like this you can cut the margin on the job from 5000% to maybe 50%.

[CET999]

I recently pulled my wheels off to clean them and clean and paint the calipers. Got that done. wheels back on torqued to 95 pounds on every-other rotation.

I picked up a set of mud flaps for the front. Did the right side - wheel nuts off, wheel off, mud flap on - wheel back on, wheel nuts back on -- no grief.

Went to left side -- loosens nuts - jack up car - removed nuts 1 thru 4, nut five was coming looser but then bound up. I needed breaker bar to turn the nut but the nut

stopped turning and stud began to turn. I stopped - I now had a problem (no way to get wheel off). Put the other wheel nuts back on (left #5 as is).

There was not enough looseness in number 5 to expose the back side of the stud so I could cut it off. Have to take into local shop to get it replaced (today).

Will advise what the outcome is.