soccerkrazed229 Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 Hey all, I am looking for a little help with a situation I am in. I recently got my oil changed in my 2010 Ford Fusion with the chrome snowflake hubcaps, when the tech came out and said that my lug nuts on my tires were "swollen". I never heard of this before, but apparently the stock lug nuts are made of 2 pieces, a steel base with a chrome cap and when the steel rusts, it expands the cap and the correct socket won't work anymore. Ford offered to replace them for me for 170 dollars, which is ridiculous. Problem is, I cannot for the life of me find any aftermarket lug nuts that will hold my hubcaps on my tires. Plenty of lug nuts are the correct thread and size, but none i seem to find will "bite" onto the hubcap to hold the cap onto the rim underneath. Does anyone have any info on where I could find any aftermarket lug nuts that won't cost me an arm and a leg? I found one on dorman.com and stopped at local auto stores and they either don't have them in stock or want to charge like 10 bucks a piece for them, which is more then ford is offering. Any and all help is much appreciated. Here is what the current lug nut looks like, the lip of the lug nut is what holds the hubcap in place. http://www.dormanpro...&SEName=611-306 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hermans Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 This a common, well documented problem with Ford, There are many threads on this. I bought mine at Pepboys. 20 for about $35.00. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff_h Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Here's a set for $20 - http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00H1IBKIK/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soccerkrazed229 Posted January 17, 2015 Author Share Posted January 17, 2015 Thank you guys for the quick responses. My only concern is that i bought a set from pep boys. Brought them home and the base of the lug nuts were not large enough to retain the hubcap on the rim. If i had any other rim where the lug nuts did not hold the hubcap on, any type of lug nut with the proper thread size would work, but since the lug needs to be wide enough to hold the hubcap, it is harder to find. I appreciate your guys help. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hermans Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Thank you guys for the quick responses. My only concern is that i bought a set from pep boys. Brought them home and the base of the lug nuts were not large enough to retain the hubcap on the rim. If i had any other rim where the lug nuts did not hold the hubcap on, any type of lug nut with the proper thread size would work, but since the lug needs to be wide enough to hold the hubcap, it is harder to find. I appreciate your guys help. The ones from Pepboys fit my 2010 perfectly. I would suggest you bought the wrong ones. This has been awhile now and I no longer have the piece of crap car or the lugnut packaging. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soccerkrazed229 Posted January 19, 2015 Author Share Posted January 19, 2015 The ones from Pepboys fit my 2010 perfectly. I would suggest you bought the wrong ones. This has been awhile now and I no longer have the piece of crap car or the lugnut packaging.Do you know which brand they were or what the package was? Every auto parts store I have gone into with a lug nut, including pep boys has not been able to help me. The Ford dealer wants almost 9 dollars a lug nut and it is very frustrating. Im about to just throw out the hubcaps as I can find lug nuts easy, just not ones that will hold them on. Thank you 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GodfatherJAM Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 Same question but a 2013 Fusion. bought 16" winter tires on steel and found a set of OEM hubcaps that physically fit but the solid lugs don't have a lip to keep them on. I don't want to use the bi-metal factory nuts and I'm not sure if I can as they are for the factory 17" alloy. (wonder too if the had a different bevel to them for that wheel type). Thanks 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diesel_Brad Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 Just throwing a bump at this I just took my winter tires and wheels off last night(steels with hub caps) and the nuts are about JUNK. Had to fight getting the nut out of the socket on 15 of the 20 nuts 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bitfacetious Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 Same here. Just bought a brand new set for when the car gets out of the shop. I never realized they were two pieces until I watched the outer cap separate while trying to tighten one. Really ford?! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diesel_Brad Posted April 26, 2016 Share Posted April 26, 2016 Does anyone make Good aftermarket nuts for the steel wheel/hubcaps? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackIce06 Posted April 28, 2016 Share Posted April 28, 2016 Same thing happened to mine. Could barely get a few of them off. Shop wanted to charge me $5 a piece to replace all of them. I found this whole set on amazon for $20. They're solid steel, no cheap cap. They look and fit perfectly. Just search DPAccessories D3116-HT-2305/20 on amazon and you should find it. I think I paid about $20 for the entire set and free shipping! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diesel_Brad Posted April 29, 2016 Share Posted April 29, 2016 Same thing happened to mine. Could barely get a few of them off. Shop wanted to charge me $5 a piece to replace all of them. I found this whole set on amazon for $20. They're solid steel, no cheap cap. They look and fit perfectly. Just search DPAccessories D3116-HT-2305/20 on amazon and you should find it. I think I paid about $20 for the entire set and free shipping! And they work with the hub caps? They dont look like the shoulder is big enough(if it is the right pic) 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackIce06 Posted May 17, 2016 Share Posted May 17, 2016 I don't know if they'll work with hub caps. My sport doesn't have hub caps. Those lugs I mentioned from Amazon are longer than the originals so they might not fit with hub caps. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmcjaho Posted December 18, 2016 Share Posted December 18, 2016 This is a problem with a lot of factory lugs - not just Ford. Both my 2006 Chargers had the same problem. I didn't have hubcaps either as they both had Aluminum wheels so the aftermarket "lock"nuts I bought worked fine for me. My 2010 Fusion Sport has the same crappy lugs and I will be upgrading to the same ones as I put on the Charger in the spring - for around the same price (in CAD$) that Ford is asking you for more of the same crappy lugs. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate88 Posted April 7, 2017 Share Posted April 7, 2017 I'm looking for some advice on replacement lug nuts. Mine on my 2010 fusion are swollen and need replaced. The only ones I can find that appear to be identical are dorman and they are anywhere from 8-10$ a piece. I've found some on amazon that are about 4$ a piece and claim to be dorman, but the reviews are horrible! I've read some older posts about the lugnuts here and I keep seeing Mcgard and also read something about a recall. Was this covered on the recall? this is what I need http://www.autozone.com/tire-repair-and-tire-wheel/wheel-nut/dorman-wheel-nut/548020_798254_16565_142831 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fusionff Posted April 7, 2017 Share Posted April 7, 2017 I ordered Gorilla lugs for my truck, they are solid one piece lugs. They were definitely less expensive than those Dorman lugs that you posted. I think these will work on the Fusion, verify for sure, but Gorilla makes quality lugs. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirtanon Posted April 7, 2017 Share Posted April 7, 2017 (edited) Why not just get a set of lug nuts from your local tire shop? When I bought wheels from Craigslist to put on my Fusion a couple years back, it also needed new lugs. I took the car and wheels to my local Discount Tire, and just bought a set of lugs they offered. I think it was $45 for a pack of 20, including the special socket. Have not had a single problem with these lugs since. Edited April 7, 2017 by sirtanon 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank F Posted April 7, 2017 Share Posted April 7, 2017 Swollen? As in a 19mm six point socket won't fit on them? Did they get super-heated to distort? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate88 Posted April 7, 2017 Share Posted April 7, 2017 The local ford dealer and a few other places told us 8-10$ for lug nuts. I've searched all the local auto parts stores and they are all 8-10$, but I can pretty much only find dorman ones. The ones in the link I don't believe have a large enough collar to hold the hubcap on and i have looked into buying on ebay or a junkyard, but how do I know I'm not getting something thats already swollen. Yes, by swollen I mean the outside. I took one off today to get a better look at a replacement and I had to pound the socket onto the lugnut and then place it into a vice and pound the nut out of the socket with a hammer and punch to get it out. If we ever have a flat it will be almost impossible to change on the roadside. with that said I think I found a replacement made by west coast accessories. They are 50$ for a pack of 20 on ebay, I'm just not sure about the quality. I've been in contact with the company to get more info. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank F Posted April 8, 2017 Share Posted April 8, 2017 I've read a lot of people having problems with these 2 piece wheel nuts on the Fusion and the Focus. Unless they were gorilla-ed on like my 2009 Focus and thus ruined in taking them off with a 3 foot cheater pipe on a 18" Craftsman breaker bar, I just don't see where they "go bad." One thing you MUST do is get the 19 mm socket on them completely. Use a good 6 point 19 mm socket (I have one ironically from a cheap ebay telescoping lug wrench where that 19 mm socket fits with no wiggle room), but make sure it's fully seated. At an angle, and yes, you'll distort the outer stainless steel cover. Put socket on securely and those wheel nuts will last the life of the vehicle. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drolds1 Posted April 8, 2017 Share Posted April 8, 2017 This is just amazing to me. The early Lincoln LSes has the same problem in 1999. The outer decorative cover would eventually become distorted and you'd have to hammer a 6-point,19mm socket onto the lug nut. Ford eventually replaced them. Some owners found that certain Chrysler lugs fit and were much more robust than the Ford pieces. Some things never change! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hermans Posted April 9, 2017 Share Posted April 9, 2017 I just changed out the winter tires on my 2013 MKZh and 5 lug nuts were replaced. Luckily I had 20 spares from when I bought the snow tires from Tire Rack. When I had this problem on my 2010 I bought 20 from Pepboys for $35.00. You'd have thought Ford would have fixed this years ago. BTW dealer full price for 20 is $186.00. The tech that worked on my car said Ford now supplies the dealers with a special socket that works really well. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TinCan1949 Posted May 18, 2017 Share Posted May 18, 2017 (edited) Swollen Lug Nuts The definitive answer on the strange lug nuts for some 2010-2011 Fusion/Milan cars. These leg nuts have two functions; to hold the wheel at a torque of 100lbs and snuglyhold the suspended wheel cover. The lug nuts have a beveled end for the wheel and further up the nuts a ridge to act as a retainer for the wheel cover. That is what makes these so unique. They are steel with a chrome cap, which always rusts and swells. These are hard to find and way more expensive than other chrome ones. The replacements are Dorman 611-306 and range in cost for 20 from $100 to $180. I had to replace all 20 of mine recently as my lug wrench would not go over the swollen nuts. And on one of the new ones the cap fell off and the store replaced it. Crappy design Ford and crappy manufacturing Dorman. The pictures are of the whell cover, online prices, and the defective replacement nut cap that fell off. BTW: other companies use the chrome cap method too vs solid and they all rust and swell. Edited May 18, 2017 by TinCan1949 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted May 19, 2017 Share Posted May 19, 2017 Had those on my 1995 Ranger. They've been around forever. Also had them on a Lincoln LS but replaced them with solid ones. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twiggy144 Posted May 19, 2017 Share Posted May 19, 2017 My local auto parts store sells wheel nuts for $0.75 each. I always keep a few in my glove box, and when one nut gets too rusty for my taste, I discard it and use a new one. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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