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Wheel stud failure

6K views 42 replies 24 participants last post by  Old Dogger 
#1 ·
Had a scary situation over the weekend. My daughter was on the highway and had the left rear tire come off at 70mph.
She did a great job of controlling it and getting off the side of the road upright and with zero body damage.
once i got to where the vehicle was about 20 miles from the Badlands Off Road Park and looked at the pieces it looks like the studs snapped right where the threads start. They were flush with the axle flange. The wheel disintegrated and the tire was destroyed as it was wrapped around the axle. Tires were last rotated 4800 miles ago and i use a torque wrench to tighten. The lug nut holes show zero signs of distortion like a loose nut would. She said she felt a vibration then moments after a loud explosion and the vehicle started skidding. There are no marks in the tire like a sudden failure. Tires are Goodyear Duratrack on Ultra Aluminum wheels. I am going now to do a full inspection of the axle to determine replacement parts needed as from my quick calculations i am below the $750 deductible and would prefer to keep this out of the insurance.
Has anyone had stud failure? I am sending the wheel and tire to TireRack as my rep said they would like to see it to try and to help determine if it was a tire or wheel failure vs just the studs failing.
Pictures and update to follow.
 
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#2 ·
Kudos to your daughter for controlling it and luckily no one was injured. I did booger up a front stud and they are just pressed in. I'd get genuine jeep studs from the dealer, Oreilly ones seemed a tad too big and it was a bear to press them back into the hub.
 
#3 ·
I don't disagree that the wheel possibly failed, BUT i can't rule out a fatigue of the studs due to a manufacturing issue. I was not there and i can only go by the details of a scared 21yr old girl. I am not looking to blame i would just like to know so i can look at the vehicle and see if there is another failure looming. Here are picture the last two show the distance traveled while skidding on the tire.
 

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#4 ·
Could it be that the tire failure preceded the wheel damage? Tire failed, allowing wheel to contact the road, causing impact damage as seen here.

Hard to understand how a tire would remain with the Jeep when the wheel came off. I've never seen anything like this. Please let us know what you learn from your investigation.

Great to know she is okay, and can handle a crisis. Good Fathering.

Jeep On
Steve
 
#5 ·
I'm with this guy. from the looks of the back of the wheel, it looks like it's pretty fine. I'm guessing the tire failed, caused the wheel to hit the ground, causing the studs to rip off the axel. For what it's worth, I'm not an expert, but that makes sense to me.
I had lug nuts loosen on me once in my old GMC truck. Just BARELY loose caused a lot of vibration and noise. They were barely loose and didn't damage the wheel at all. Hence, my guess on the tire failure. If the nuts were loose, she'd have noticed.

Glad she's ok! Tell her way to go controlling that Jeep!
 
#6 ·
I see marks around 4 out of 5 of the wheel stud holes like the assembly washers (forget what they're called) were never removed when the after market wheels were installed. I could be wrong, but that's what I see, and if true, a definite no no. Again, I could be wrong but this is not the first time I've seen this.
 
#7 ·
Happened to me last fall, but I chalk it up to operator (me) error. Lugs were loose on my part, but it did snap off the studs just like yours. I was only going 35. Wrecked the wheel but the tire was ok...once we found it. My total cost including the new wheel was about $250 to repair. New rotor was all I needed and the studs.

Glad your daughter is ok. Just make sure you verify the axle flange is straight
 
#8 ·
As previously stated, I would guess that tire came off first and went in around the axle. Rim broke last.

Does the hub turn? If just that side locked up some how. It's a stretch, but a locked up hub could have ripped the tire off the rim and then the rim broke the studs from the sudden jolt as it contacted the pavement and dug in but couldn't turn.

Bad situation no matter the cause. Glad she handled it well.
 
#10 ·
No washers on the rear as i removed the other side and they were not there. Not sure why the marks are on the rear of the wheel. They have been rotated 3 times since installation and every wheel has been around the whole vehicle at one point. I talked to the person following and they said the wheel came shooting away from the vehicle before it dropped down and trapped the tire under it. I have looked inside of the tire all the way around and i see no sign of a failure other than where the tire is ground from dragging on the ground.
I mounted the rotor to the axle and spun it and there is no visible movement. I did not set up my dial indicator to see if it has more than the eye can see.
 
#13 ·
I talked to the person following and they said the wheel came shooting away from the vehicle before it dropped down and trapped the tire under it.
Then I think the rim failed first. The only thing that could shoot the rim outward, shearing the lugs would be an explosion on the inside if the wheel. Consider some quick math. Assuming a
17" wheel, you have 53" of circumference. Judging by the pictures about 40% of the rim came off, so that's about 21.5 inches of rim. Also looking at the pictures, the failure goes about 2" into the rim, so you have about 43sq. in. that came off. If the tire was inflated to 40psi, that would make for 1,720 pounds of outward thrust exerted on the wheel in a half second or less.
 
#16 ·
I do all my own work. I use a torque stick to tighten then go over with the torque wrench for final spec. It has only been to the dealer once for a water pump so as far as i know no one else has touched the wheels.
I have seen 1st hand a wheel come apart in a tire cage back in my teen years. It is scary stuff.
 
#17 ·
BradC, you kept me up last night and I had to go back this am and look at the other side as I was unsure of my answer about the assembly retainers being on the rotor during the night trying to sleep. I was not paying that close attention when I looked at it yesterday and I am going to change my answer after a 2nd look today. The washers are still on the other side.
As far as the washers I looked on the wheel site and it does not specify anything in its tech area stating that they need to be removed. The only requirement was a 60* conical seat lug nut and those were provided by the Tire Rack. Also they do not offer a bore adapter for that wheel as someone asked if they were Hub centric or Lug centric.
 
#19 ·
First off, glad everyone is ok. I'm thinking it had to be a rim failure and not an issue with the studs. If the studs broke first the wheel and tire would have stayed together as there is no longer any weight on them from the vehicle that could have caused the rim damage and separation. Your daughter would have just seen the tire roll away from the jeep.
 
#25 ·
Concur. There have been a number on incidents down here in S. Georgia and N. Florida along I-75 where tires have come off a vehicle and the tire (still inflated and on the rim) traveled on down the highway, sometime hitting another vehicle. One disadvantage of alloy wheels is if you hit a curb you can cause a very fine crack that will cause wheel failure later. With steel wheels the worst that can happen is you warp the wheel.
 
#21 ·
I am waiting on a reply from the manufacturer on the washers. they state nothing about removal on their site. I look at multiple wheel sites and none have any kind of warning about them. If it was an issue i am sure at least one wheel manufacturer would have something about their removal.
 
#28 · (Edited by Moderator)
Cmon, it does not take a genius to conclude that if you are trying to mate up 2 flat surfaces there should be NO obstructions between the two. NONE. This here is the problem in the world today. No common sense and blame someone or something for your screw up. Does not matter if it is one or all 5 studs have one tiny, thin clip. They need removed unless the wheel has been recessed to allow for them.
 
#30 ·
There were 5 retainers on the other rear wheel. So far i removed the other rear since i replaced the brake pads last night along with replacing the broken studs and a complete parking brake backing plate assembly and the ABS sensor. For lack of concrete evidence i will be removing the front ones in the next couple of days. I feel it was a wheel issue from the information i was given from the person following her and especially after watching the video and seeing how the wheel came apart in the tire cage. For now i am moving forward and will see what happens.
 
#38 ·
#39 ·
Usually loose nuts will wallow out the lug holes on the wheel and you would know it because of the vibration and sound. Granted the spring clips need to go because those wheels are not recessed for them like factory wheels. If the tire is sound "no blowout"I'm thinking the wheel failed catastrophically at speed. I think the wheel dug in the road hard and instead of sliding stopped abruptly and sheared off the studs. Could have been a casting flaw or a wheel not designed/engineered properly for this application.
 
#40 ·
I think you are correct. While from the link provided by aledobud explains that, note that in the video the wheel came off intact which one would expect with lug nuts backing off or all the studs shearing BEFORE the wheel came apart.

However, I do think that there was an issue with the wheel which then caused the tire to come off and the studs to shear. If the tire showed no signs of a catastrophic failure (and it doesn't look like it in the photo) then I lean toward a catastrophic failure of the wheel. A tire coming apart at speed will just about destroy the sheet metal around the wheel opening. If the tire went flat and dropped the wheel onto the pavement you would see definite marks from that on the wheel.

Fortunately, no one was injured and the vehicle was not damaged beyond the studs, wheel and tire.
 
#41 ·
nevrnf,

So those wheels definitely don't have the recesses for the clips? I ask because the back side of your wheels look similar to mine, which actually DO have the recesses. Hard to tell from the pic whether it's recessed or just worn.
 
#42 ·
Had a scary situation over the weekend. My daughter was on the highway and had the left rear tire come off at 70mph.
She did a great job of controlling it and getting off the side of the road upright and with zero body damage.
once i got to where the vehicle was about 20 miles from the Badlands Off Road Park and looked at the pieces it looks like the studs snapped right where the threads start. They were flush with the axle flange. The wheel disintegrated and the tire was destroyed as it was wrapped around the axle. Tires were last rotated 4800 miles ago and i use a torque wrench to tighten. The lug nut holes show zero signs of distortion like a loose nut would. She said she felt a vibration then moments after a loud explosion and the vehicle started skidding. There are no marks in the tire like a sudden failure. Tires are Goodyear Duratrack on Ultra Aluminum wheels. I am going now to do a full inspection of the axle to determine replacement parts needed as from my quick calculations i am below the $750 deductible and would prefer to keep this out of the insurance.
Has anyone had stud failure? I am sending the wheel and tire to TireRack as my rep said they would like to see it to try and to help determine if it was a tire or wheel failure vs just the studs failing.
Pictures and update to follow.
my sister had a jeep liberty we where driving to buffalo ny in 2013 from nyc 6hour drive. at half way in 3hours of driving km hearing a loud noise and my sister highers the radio LAUGHS and says I know I need a NEWER CAR. NOT KNOWING MUCH ABOUT CARS I called my brother in law while I was driving what noise and what could it be. I KID YOU NOT GOING YO BUFFALO NY FROM NYC PITT STOPS ARE 25 MINUTES AWAY FROM EACH OTHER.. HE SAYS NEXT PITT STOP PULL OVER FEEL THE RIM IF ITS HOT IT CAN BE THE WHEEL BEARING, I LOOKED UP WITHIN SECONDS THERE WAS NEXT PITT STOP I GOT OFF THE EXIT AND I DID JUST THAT.. AS I TOUCHED THE WHEEL AT 90 DEGREES WEATHER IT DIDNT FEEL HOT FOUND IT UNUSUAL DRIVING 3 HOURS HOT OUTSIDE RIM NOT VERY HOT SOMETHING TOLD ME LOOK and I noticed I had only 1lug nut left, so I went to the trunk i found 4 lug nuts i said to myself impossible i drove 3 hours with only 1lug nut. so I get the crow bar to tighten the rest of the lug nuts then I see 4 studs missing and that was it the NOISE the snapping of the studs and going thru the rotors.. mind u 3kids total of 5 driving in the left lane and trucks and trailers on this road could've been a disaster.. GOD SAVED US.. SO MY FRIEND I HAVE FRIENDS WITH JEEPS THIS IS AN ISSUE ON THESE VEHICLES DONT LET THE DEALER FOOL UBAND SAY THAT TIRE SHOPS OVER TIGHTEN THEM. BECAUSE ALL MY FRIENDS THAT HAVE JEEP HAVE HAD THE SAME ISSUE AT LEAST FOR OLDER JEEPS.. THE NEWER JEEPS WHAT SUCKS IS THE 2 PIECE LUG NUTS THEY swell up after time, they get stripped. buy 1piece lug nuts ACORN STYLE they don't swell up is NOT a 2piece cap and lug nut
 
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