Wheel studs keep breaking

[2010fordfusionse]

For the last 2 years my wheels studs would break off every 3 months or so, 1 at a time. Every time I would have to pay over $100 to get them replaced.

 

I then found out they have a recall for these by getting a letter in the mail. So I took to ford to get it fixed. The result was "we checked your wheel studs and replaced you lug nuts and your wheels studs are fine" even though they broke off already over 5 times!! They say they are ok.

 

1 year after taking to ford I have 3 more break off! I contacted ford to have them fix my issue and they tell me once we did a recall we can't do it again. I told them well you guys did not fix my wheel studs. They told me the report says your wheel studs are fine!!! Really? Well they keep breakin off!!!

 

Now I have 3 broken wheel studs and what should I do guys... Keep fixing them or sell the car and get a new one... Ford won't help me with this... I really do not want to sell this car.

 

( costs around $160 for parts and labor to change each wheel stud no

Joke! It was 1.5hrs of labor at 3 different shops that I went to)

[akirby]

I don't think your wheel studs are bad - they shouldn't keep breaking. Which ones are breaking (which wheels)? Do you have aftermarket wheels?

[mozz]

Thought the problem was the steel wheels moving because the holes were oversized?

[cbxtc6]

I've replaced a few on mine, even after the recall. Yes, steel wheels. The parts are fairly cheap, ~ $3 per stud. The issue is, once they are replaced, you NEED to re-torque the lug nuts after a few hundred miles. Then, after a few more hundred miles, re-torque AGAIN. Most folks get the studs replaced, then think it's fixed. They take many heat cycles and re-torques to seat properly.

[kwicker]

Same problem here, over and over. All but one on the front wheels; the drive and turning wheels. My Ford shop changed all 10 front studs on the dealer's dime after we paid for others. Then, after we bent a rim (not at all sure how that happened), they installed a new right front 17" steel wheel. When we got home, I took the wheel off to see what the difference was between the 2010 wheels and the new 2017 wheel. The new wheel was stamped 12/2016 manufactured date. I did not notice, or measure the stud holes in the wheels. I was particularly interested in the size and overlap of the hub hole in the center. The old wheels have almost zero overlap between the hub and and wheel center. The new wheel has about 1/8" overlap. When reinstalling the RF wheel, another stud broke before I got to 100 ft-lb on a $400, calibrated torque wrench. I took the car back to the dealer and they replaced all five studs on that wheel with Dorman 468 studs and new Ford lug nuts. Meanwhile, after speaking to Dorman, I had ordered Dorman 468 studs and replacement lug nuts. Since then, I have replaced all five of the LF wheel fasteners with the Dorman parts. Since that was just yesterday, I have nothing to report yet.

 

Our daughter also has a 2010 Fusion with 17" wheels. She lives 600 miles away and will be home at the end of May. She has experienced NO problems with her lugs, so I am anxious to compare her wheels, studs, hubs, etc. when she is here.

 

Thanks for the idea of re torquing the nuts. That may have real merit in this case. As a 35-year graduate Mechanical Engineer, this drives me nuts. No pun intended.

[elvis presley]

Still breaking wheel studs! Based on the original letter from Ford to NHTSA, they knew that the 17" wheels were bad. They were breaking in the plant. My suggestion is to get rid of the crappy steel wheels.

I'm going to swap mine with aluminum wheels from a Mustang, I'll let you know what happens!

RCDNN-11V574-3892.pdf