NHTSA Complaint #11419365 — 2017 FORD EXPEDITION

During a recent routine mileage based tire rotation and balance at an independent service center , the technician had difficulty placing the socket onto the lug nuts to remove them. He had to tap the socket wrench with a hammer to get the socket onto the nut. Tech illustrated where the lug nuts had swollen and he had seen this on other Ford vehicles. This factory lug nut is a 2-part assembly and swells over time to the point where a standard and factory supplied socket on the vehicle would not work properly if there was a situation where the tire needed to be changed .ie.. a flat on the side of the highway. This vehicle is less than 5 yrs. old... I purchased a complete new set of 24 lug nuts before leaving. A true safety issue of one being able to use the vehicle equipment to safely remove and replace a tire without concern over whether the socket will fit the lug nuts AND removing the lug nuts from the socket. I have opened a case with Ford.