NHTSA Complaint #11639143 — 2018 FORD EXPEDITION

The wheel nuts on my vehicle are defective. The Ford Dealership had to replace all twenty-four of them for "swelling". Evidently, the design of these wheel nuts (Ford part number ACPZ 1012 M) makes it impossible to remove without destroying them because of their defective design. According to Ford Customer Care, these parts are considered wear items and are not covered under warranty. In my opinion, wheel nuts may be considered a safety item, should they fail or if they are not removeable with customary tools during roadside emergencies. I purchased this vehicle new in October 2018 and since then several Ford Dealerships have said they have issues installing and removing with these particular wheel nuts, and most are destroyed in the removal process. They have voiced their concerns to Ford with no remedy thus far. I am told these parts are also on various models of F-150 trucks. While I do not expect NHTSA to issue a recall for this issue, I would hope that a voluntary recall program could be enacted by Ford wherein these wheel nuts are replaced free of charge when service is performed requiring the wheels to be removed.