Driving home from work on day in my 2004 Ford Explorer and I hear and odd noise coming from the car. It was still driving normal so I continued on with my commute to home. When I get home and pull into the Alley to head to the garage I roll down the windows and I can definitely hear something. I pull into the Garage and walk to the back side of the car and at the passenger rear tire I see that 3 Lug nuts are missing. I look down inside and see that the lug studs are GONE. I see I still have two lug nuts left on the car I grab each one and on is spinning freely and the other is still tight. I drove home and over and interstate bridge with ONE FRIGGIN LUG NUT HOLDING MY TIRE ON!!!! I feel lucky to still be here. Lucky for me I’m pretty handy so I replace all 5 lug studs myself so the cost was minimal but what a pain in the ass and the close call was pretty big scare. I was also without my car for a few days while I was gathering the tools and parts I needed to fix it. Thankfully I’m married and my wife stays at home so I could drive her car to work.

I am a mom of 5 kids, going to pick up one on Saturday A.M. from a pottery class 30 min. from home. SUPER HOT outside, 90 degrees, had my 2 week old baby that was delivered by c-section in tow. It was really great crawling all over the hot pavement trying to figure out a solution to the problem with a fresh incision from hip to hip. Not to mention waiting with a newborn for a ride, being late to get my son, and unloading all the stuff from my car. THEN being without the only car that will seat our whole family for a few days!

While traveling southbound on the interstate at night, in the winter, and in southern Illinois the vehicle began to fishtail. It felt like I had a flat tire because of a thumping noise that I heard and felt. I removed my foot of the accelerator pedal and let the vehicle slow itself down. I did not want to use the brake pedal for the concern that I might lose total control of vehicle. I was able to pull over to the shoulder and began looking for the flat tire. To my amazement I discovered that none of my tires were flat. What I did realize after dodging several vehicles was that my left rear tire was leaning away from the wheel well area. A closer look showed me that 3 lug nuts and 3 studs were missing and sheared off. The 2 remaining lug nuts were both loose! One was three turns from coming off and the other looked like it was being held on by the bent stud pushing the lug nut onto the the hub. I looked down the road and observed a right curb approx 100 yards away. I am grateful that I was able to avoid a major incident. I am even more grateful that the tire didn't fly off going around the curb and kill an on coming person or family going somewhere for the holidays!!! I am headed to the Ford dealership now to pickup the vehicle and head home to my family! Merry Christmas!

Almost a year ago, while driving, I took a left turn and felt a weird bumping from my right rear tire. Long story short, I had the car towed to a repair shop. All but 2 of the lug nuts out of the 20? on the 4 tires combined had sheared off! Thank God I was going slowly and pulling into my driveway ( I had just driven 750 miles in one day mostly highway at high speeds). I had everything repaired/replaced at a cost of almost $600.00. The same thing happened again this morning on my way to work!. How can this not be a recall issue? I wonder how many people have had accidents and been injured or killed because of this but it was not reported. I can't afford to keep fixing this problem, not to mention continuing to risk my life. I have no choice but to get it fixed again but it is definitely to find a new vehicle made by a company other than Ford.

This is the second time this has happened... A month ago the driver's side rear stud were sheared and now the passenger side....... TOTALLY dangerous and very much an inconvenience... I just had mega work done on the rear end after the last incident and now it happends again. I trust my shop but I need a resolution to this problem as I drive a great deal and the law of averages would say I have been very lucky that no one has ended up hurt after this has occurred twice - as some point the luck will run out and then what??? Anyone with info on this issue, suggestions would be appreciated!

Unbelievable, I was driving down the highway when the steering wheel starts to shake... i started to slow and move to the side of the road when my front right tire came off... the studs had all sheered off! i am very fortunate on so many levels, that i was able to get the car to the side of the road, that the car didn't flip, that i was driving it (my wife typically drives it).

Long story short, i fixed the problem, changed the studs, lugs had to buy 4 new tires (as one had blown) spent in excess of $ 1,000.00 (and thankfully not paying for a funeral)... do i have any recourse with the manufacturer?

I believe Ford is negligent in this matter. I was driving with another adult and three minor children. I felt something was wrong and began to slow down. If we were not going slow, I imagine we would have been killed or killed someone. As I slowed down, the right back tire flew off and we hit the ground. The tire went up across two lanes, hit the curb,and went across all four in the other direction. We had to get out in the midst of traffic. The Upper St. Clair Police sent two officers. AAA sent a tow truck. The explorer is now in the auto body shop. We are very shook up and all have had head and body aches since this occurred. I wish someone would do a class action suite against Ford.

had new tires put on my ford explorer, a few months later my husband was driving and hear a noise coming from the back so he pulled over 3 studs were broken off and the wheel was hanging off, got it fixed then i was driving and the truck would not move while i was turning a corner, looked at the back tires and the other back tire was hanging on by two lug nuts, the other 3 were missing including the studs, found one on the ground with the lug nut still attached, a few days later i looked at my lug nuts and noticed another one missing with no stud sticking out..... needless to saw i don't have the truck anymore... Ford should have done something about this problem

Driving home last night I noticed a thumping noise in coming from the car. I didn't think much of it as I thought with the snow and ice perhaps the 4wd was still engaged. When I got home I started looking around to find out that I sheared off 2 wheel studs and lost one lug nut so only 2 lug nuts were holding the tire on. This tire has been on and off a few more times than the rest due to a bearing going out and then the parking break going bad on that side. My fix will be to knock out all 5 studs and replace them all as I'm sure the remaining three studs are far to stressed to allow them to remain.

I'm just glad it didn't fall off while going 70mph going across the I-74 bridge over the Mississippi River

This is my second complaint regarding the Ford Explorer wheel stud shearing off. This happened two days after Christmas and a trip with my family to visit relatives. My wife was driving and made a turn at a red light and suddenly felt the vehicle's back end drop a little. She stopped immediately, got out and saw the rear wheel hanging on by one stud and the wheel angeled in towards the body! All other studs were missing. After a tow, a replacement of the wheel hub and wheel, I dropped alot of money. Luckily my wife was not hurt and luckily this did not happen on Christmas day with all of us in the vehicle. Thanks Ford for inferior parts!

I have a 2004 Ford Explorer. My wife heard a familiar noise and pulled into a parking lot. Sure enough, two of the five studs sheared-off and a third lug nut was ready to come off. The tires were due to be rotated so this was not as a result of a mechanic not tightening the lug nuts, they were on for some time. I said this was a familiar sound because this was the second incident. This incident didn't cost much as just the studs and nuts needed replaced. Ford needs to stop buying inferior parts!