NHTSA Complaint #11617723 — 2014 FORD ESCAPE

During an oil change, the technician discovered 14 of the 20 lug nuts had swelled and needed replacement for a 2014 Ford Escape. The cost was $110. The service manager stated the technician would not put the old lug nuts on the vehicle since it was a safety issue. He said the nuts could not be removed with the lug wrench which comes with the vehicle and there is potential for the nuts to crack. He said Ford is aware of the problem and the cause is defective lugs especially in an environment where salt and brine solutions are used for snow and ice control. We live in Wisconsin. He suggested searching the Internet for the problem. I searched the Internet and found a large amount of complaints related to Ford Escapes and other Ford models.