Wheel fell off today...

I wanted to share what happened to me today. I was on my way to a cottage that my family and I are renting for the month and as I approached the last two corners (maybe 500m away), my steering wheel started shaking slightly, then all of a sudden violently right as I approached our driveway. I slowed down immediately and figured I'd pull into the driveway inspect what was going on since I was on a highway with nowhere safe to stop. Right as I was about to pull in, the truck slammed to the ground and my wheel kept rolling pretty fast down the road (almost hit a brand new F150 Head on). My truck slid about 20-25ft and came to a stop with the bed blocking part of the road.

From my initial look over, my brand new Pro Comp wheel is all chunked in the back, the center cap is destroyed and the thread holes are widened from the weight on the studs (1 stud snapped off, 5 lug nuts on the ground with semi stripped threads). The fender is destroyed and fender flare broke off and slid down the road. The door is bent and the hood also looks bent. The brake rotor is all chunked from the asphalt and I'm worried about the lower balljoint/control arm as the truck slid on that.

The truck got towed to a local tow yard and I'm trying to figure out what to do with insurance. My issue now is I'm about 1.5hrs from home with nothing more than a local part time mechanic close by, therefore I'd like to have it towed back home to a reputable shop.

Any advice on what other parts/components I should be inspecting on the truck? The frame and related parts are brand new, therefore I want to make sure the impact didn't affect anything there. Also, any suggestions on things I should mention to the shop doing the work?

Thanks!

 

I would do new brakes, new studs, and alignment. Because you have to remove the wheel bearing to replace the backing plate, I would do the bearing as a precaution.

I haven't had this happen but I've heard the lack of control is terrifying. Glad you're ok.

 

You probably didn't have enough thread engagement with the new lugnuts for those wheels get some ET lug nuts for the wheels so that you get more thread engagement and it doesn't happen again. That and with new wheels you should retorque the wheels after 100 miles or so after installation. Then check the torque on them routinely for the next few hundred miles or so as the new lugs seat into the wheels after heat cycles occur.

 

If taking it to a shop, pretty sure they will go over it really well. Especially since they can make money off whatever they find wrong.

Just make sure you got the right lugs on the other wheels and that everything is torqued to spec.

 

yikes, glad you weren't on a 100km/h highway!

 

If possible. I’d have the local shop put new studs on the truck and mount the wheel on. Obviously do not drive it. Then tow back to your mechanic that you trust where you live and him go over it with a fine tooth comb, call your insurance and go from there. The most important thing is no one got hurt. The truck can get fixed. Sorry that happened.

 

did you have the wheels installed recently? any work done? Insurance will get it fixed...things like that just don't happen if someone wasn't working on something usually....

 

That sucks. I'm glad you and everybody else around is OK. Good luck with the repairs.

 

I was thinking wheel bearing as well just to ensure everything is tight. I might check tie rod ends as well since they are rusty.

Completely agreed but that's the odd thing, I got gorilla ET lugs before installing because of how little thread contact I got on the test fit. I agree on rechecking torque and I even brought a torque wrench with me up to the cottage just in case. Afterwards I checked the other 3 wheels at 85 ftlbs and they all seemed okay.

Agreed, being far away from home and not within range of a certified vendor of the insurance company, I'd prefer to tow it home for a better shop.

Funny thing is, it's a 100km/h limit but I slowed down quickly because of the shake. From what I've seen, it could have been much worse!

 

That's what weird, my wheels weren't touched since they were installed in March.

I appreciate it, could have been much worse and it's kind of a "good" thing that this happened right in front of our place.

 

downright ugly, glad ya'll are ok.

 

Maybe someone loosened your lugs?

 

It's tough right because anything could have happened. You are right, for all I know someone could have loosened them

 

BC has an issue in Richmond I believe that a guy is going around loosening wheels. You never know.

 

Thanks for the encouragement, at the end of the day you're right it can get fixed.

I think that policy is a good one as well. I normally check my lugs at least once a month since I only drove 1000km each month. You're probably right, it could be a lingering issue from months back. At the end of the day, I can't be mad cause it's a learning lesson. I just know moving forward I'll be checking them more often as precaution. At this point I just want to address any potential issues and get it back driving straight.

That's insane! I've heard of friends having issues with loose wheels but it was from someone trying to steal them.

 

Sorry to see that man.
Hope you get it fixed and can enjoy you time off.
If you ever figure out why it happened, pls let us know.

 

If you weren't engaging enough threads to begin with, you might want to look into extended wheel studs. It might be worth the peace of mind.

I'd check the lugs on the other wheels while you're at it.

 

Sorry to hear that... you said you had a new frame and other components. How recently did you have the frame replaced? If pretty recently might be something the dealership did or didn’t do.

 

I had it done in december/January but hadn't driven it much until I put on my new wheels.

 

The only person that could've possibly done this besides the OP is the tire shop from install since you have gorilla locks. The lug nuts are ET lug nuts meant for those type of wheels. IMO, the lug nuts likely worked itself loose since install causing this unforeseen event. Not sure if the tire shop use impact gun versus hand torque but failure in one of the methods.