So last weekend I had a 98 Dodge Dakota come in customer had his front brakes done the end of last summer but a family member.
He was complaining about noise that he felt was coming from the front brakes…. so I took it for a test drive and I'm hearing that exact noise that was in your video and when i applied the brakes noise goes away so I brought it back Jacked it up preparing to inspect the brakes ……when I put the gun to the first lug lug nut moved I was like what the hell? I did noticed one lug was missing and the stud was shiney clean like it had been covered it's while life….. long story short all 4 lugs were loose.
Tighten all the logs up replace the missing one and all is well.
So I'm yelling at the TV Eric check the front lug nuts!!!! lol.
How ironic is that????

I've been mechanic for 30 years. The First Day I worked I was taught you NEVER test drive a vehicle where a customer complains about Road noise without a full hoist inspection, and wheel inspection. Mechanic who taught this trick said if the mechanic is test driving the vehicle and the suspension breaks or looses steering killing people you are criminally liable for Homicide. PLUS how can you comments 90% of Dodge have wheel loose tire issues BUT then pull a front driveshaft off First without checking for a loose tire. THERE IS NO WAY THAT tire would not have been loose on a shake with weight off the vehicle on the hoist. DON'T even try and say you checked it.

You endangered people and yourself by test driving that Jeep prior to a proper inspection ?

Toyota recommends a 5 mile test drive and retorque BY ALL mechanics with aluminium wheels. Customers Do Not need to return at 100 miles. Have you ever seen a NASCAR going 200 MPH come back in for a retorque after a TIRE swap ? On lap 499 of a 500 lap race ?

Shouldn't you have caught that right away?

I am Heating and Cooling tech years ago driving company ford E 350 box truck with dually wheels left home early in the morning drove about two miles the truck was shaking stop at nearby parking lot it dark outside with a flashlight I was at rear leaf spring u bolts and shackles that was all good but noticed the right rear wheels only one lug and nut the rest were gone and try to move the to parking spot and lost the rear wheels I was very lucky I stop

I had a wild ride in the camper in the back of my father '63 Chevy 3/4 ton pick-up when the rear tire came off at 30 mph. He had just had a required inspection done where they removed the wheels to inspect brakes and such. They did not torque the lugs properly. Yep, a safety inspection left the pick-up unsafe. The wheel rolled out backwards and lifted the truck and camper up high then dropped it hard. The wheel went bounding off the road and jumped a 6 foot fence. I was standing up removing chest waders and got tossed like a 12 year old rag doll.

Changing wheels from summer to winter and vice versa is my personal nightmare. Nothing happened to me so far, but from heaving the car up on those dinky hevers to torque the wheels correctly. Before that, it´s true that car services overtorque it, often so much that I had problems to loosen the lugnuts.

I'm liking these diag videos! Driveo electricle, NVH. Keep it up you are helping a lot of people

🙌

Eric, I had new tires installed at a cheapo muffler & brake shop in Buffalo. I pulled out after it was done, drove about a block, got a terrible wobbly vibration. Pulled over, and 2 wheels had loose and missing lug nuts! Had to walk back and get the mechanic, who was very angry. He had also held me up for 2 hours trying to remove my factory glued-on plastic G6 GT wheel covers! I have also had wheels over-torqued to something like 300 foot pounds, at least. You just never know what you're going to get, these days. I always check my car over after it's been to a garage, for NYS Motor Vehicle Inspection.

"You picked a fine time to leave me Loose Wheel" (Lucille) 4 hungry children and a crop in the field.
Eric you rockin it bruh.

I wonder if the lug nuts themselves contribute to the issue. My 2005 Dodge Magnum used what appeared to be steel lug nuts covered by a soft metal cap for appearance. I found this out after several years when I started having trouble fitting the lug wrench over the lug nuts and was having inconsistent torquing. Several of these "beauty" caps were loose and a couple of them even came off. I replaced them all with chrome-plated aftermarket lug nuts and had no further issues. I'm sure a lot of Chrysler products used that type of lug nut.

Eric I can only assume the reason you guys deal with so many loose wheels is because of your climate, the corrosion builds up on those wheels and hubs and if a inexperienced tech is tightening the wheels down they may not realize that the corrosion has the wheel cocked uneven when they torque it down

Wait a minute. You didn’t say, “There’s yer problem, lady!”

"It's a Jeep thing"

Had a MGA roadster that I was driving on PA Turnpike and stopped for gas and as I was driving in parking lot heard something rattle in hub cap. Pulled the cap off and part of one of the 4 studs was broken off. Drove slowly to my destination with 3 studs and replaced the broken one.

This happened to me as a kid on the highway. That sound was forever burned into my brain.

Comment

My brother had a TPMS replaced by a chain owned tire center. Within a week he was driving on a country two lane road with no shoulder. It was almost dark driving about 50mph. The right front wheel came off and went over the guard rail. He managed to get pulled in a driveway. He’s 84 years old and tried to call me but he had no cell service. He dialed 911 and they dispatched a tow truck. He had it taken to a local tire shop. Three of the studs were broken off and no lug nuts on the remaining two. The shop got it back on the road. I went with him to the original store that replaced the TPMS and they had him to get an estimate for the body damage. The total repair was $3200. They sent him a check for the complete repair.

I have a 2005 wrangler unlimited and after a tire rotation by the Dealer I lost over half of the lug nuts on my trip all highway. Had to get all new nuts didn't go back to that Dealer. As one front wheel only had One nut left

So … are you suckin' on a cough drop at the end, or having a medical emergency?

Took a work vehicle into Jippy Boobs once for tire rotation. They broke off 2 lug bolts. They replaced bolts and got on my way. Good thing I checked torque right away. Spec is 90 lb-ft and I got a good 3/4 rotation before I got the click for 3 lug nuts on one wheel. Those guys sometimes are just warm bodies only.

1989 Jeep Cherokee – hour long drive, stopped on side of highway a couple of times because it was driving wonky, like it was super windy. Had no idea what was wrong. Got onto my off-ramp and one massive clunk/bang from the RR. Wheel had come off in this exact way – loose lug nuts let the wheel wobble like crazy. Destroyed the alloy wheel exactly as described, broke 3 of the 5 studs. Lucky it didn’t leave me at highway speed.

Torq Dork

I had a lose wheel come in a week or two ago, it was on a 2018 peaterbilt, dude swerved into one of those concreat bariors to avoid a passenger car, ended up worrlering out the rim, janking up the studs so much the hub had to get replaced, and bending the cross tube. I was barely able to get the old rim off it was so bad. Was not a happy driver that day, but at least he got it into the shop and didn't have to find out all this on the side of the road.

Did you get that front driveshaft back in?

regardless of make. i always retorque after a short trip. most of the time i find that one or 2 wheels will need a slight tightening .