NHTSA Complaint #11396378 — 2018 FORD F-150

WHILE DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY I EXPERIENCED A FLAT TIRE ON MY 2018 F-150. AFTER STOPPING, I ATTEMPTED TO CHANGE THE TIRE. HOWEVER, MY TIRE IRON WRENCH WOULD NOT SEAT ON TWO OF THE SIX LUG NUTS. UPON INSPECTION, I COULD SEE THESE TWO LUG NUTS HAD BECOME DEFORMED. THE TRUCK HAD JUST PASSED 18,000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER AND HAD NO PRIOR TIRE DAMAGE. THE TRUCK HAD UNDERGONE TWO TIRE ROTATIONS BOTH AT MY LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP. I WAS EVENTUALLY ABLE TO GET THE TIRE IRON WRENCH TO SEAT ON THE LUG NUTS BY POUNDING IT ON WITH A SET OF PLIERS. WHEN I RETURNED HOME, I INSPECTED THE OTHER TIRES AND FOUND THE TIRE IRON WRENCH WOULD NOT SEAT ON THREE OTHER LUG NUTS. I CONTACTED MY LOCAL FORD DEALER TO SEE IF THERE WAS ANY HISTORY OF PROBLEMS WITH LUG NUTS BECOMING DEFORMED AND WAS TOLD WHILE THEY HAD HAD SOME PREVIOUS ISSUES WITH LUG NUTS ON OTHER FORD VEHICLES, THE F-150 WAS NOT ONE OF THEM. I THEN RESEARCHED LUG NUTS ON A F-150 FORUM AND DISCOVERED THAT FORD HAD A HISTORY OF FAULTY LUG NUTS DATING BACK TO AT LEAST 2015. IN SOME CASES PEOPLE WERE FORCED TO CALL FOR ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE TO GET THE LUG NUTS REMOVED. IN A FEW CASES THE ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE ATTENDANT WAS UNSUCCESSFUL AT REMOVING THE LUG NUTS AND THE VEHICLE HAD TO BE TOWED FOR MORE DETAILED LUG NUT MEASURES. SOME PEOPLE MAY QUESTION WHY THIS SHOULD BE RAISED AS A SAFETY ISSUE. I CAN TELL YOU THIS HAPPENED ON A RURAL HIGHWAY ON A MOONLESS NIGHT. MY REAR DRIVER'S SIDE TIRE WENT FLAT VERY QUICKLY. FORTUNATELY, I WAS ABLE TO EXIT THE HIGHWAY ON THE LAST EXIT BEFORE A 60 MILE STRETCH OR ELSE I WOULD HAVE HAD TO TRY TO MAKE THE CHANGE NEXT TO THE HIGHWAY. A REASONABLE PERSON SHOULD EXPECT LUG NUTS TO BE REMOVED WITHOUT ISSUE USING THE EQUIPMENT SUPPLIED WITH THE TRUCK. A WEEK AFTER THIS HAPPENED, I BOUGHT A COMPLETE SET OF AFTERMARKET LUG NUTS THE FORD FORUM HAD RECOMMENDED.