2017 Ford Escape

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while taking the vehicle in for a routine tire rotation, the dealer informed the contact that the lug nuts were swollen, and the tires could not be rotated. The contact's wife purchased a tool to remove the lug nuts and purchased replacement lug nuts. The vehicle was returned to the dealer, who was unable to use the tool to remove the lug nuts. The vehicle was taken to another dealer, AutoNation Ford Gulf Freeway (12227 Gulf Fwy, Houston, TX 77034), who was also unable to use the equipment to remove the lug nuts to replace them lug nuts with ones purchased by the contact. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 74,800. The VIN was not available.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while receiving regular maintenance, the mechanic informed the contact that the lug nuts were swollen and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that after researching the issue, the contact became aware that the lug nut chrome caps would swell after a while, making the lug nuts difficult to remove with the standard equipment. The vehicle was taken to another mechanic, who was unable to remove the lug nuts due to the swelling. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and confirmed that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000.

I have a 2017 Ford Escape and just had it in the Ford dealer for inspection and was informed that all of my lug nuts are swollen a;nd stripped and need replacement.  I checked online and found that this is a recurrent issue with Ford vehicles where the lug nuts can swell due to a two-piece design with a steel core and decorative outer shell, often made of aluminum or chrome. The outer shell can corrode, swell, and delaminate making it difficult or impossible to remove the lug nut with a standard lug wrench. This is a common issue among Ford models and can lead to drivers being stranded with flat tires.  There was a Class Action suit started in 2017 that was subsequently dismissed.  I feel that this is negligent on Ford's behalf as it is a known design fault and safety issue and they should be issuing a recall to replace these lug nuts at no cost. I agreed to have Ford replace the lug nuts as I was concerned for my safety, should I need to get the lug nuts off. The cost was $267.95 plus 6% tax = $284.03. I was also informed that the replacement lug nuts are the same design and are only guaranteed for 2 years. I fail to understand why this safety issue doesn't warrant a recall to be issued and I should be reimbursed for my replacement.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon inspection at a local dealer, it was noticed that the 16 lug nuts for all four tires were swollen and the rear shocks needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired under warranty with the same parts used prior to the failure. The contact was concerned that the repair was intern and the failure would be recurring. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 58,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon inspection at a local Tire Shop, the contact was informed that the lug nuts on all four wheels were cracked. The contact had 14 lug nuts replaced out-of-pocket; however, there were 6 lug nuts that still needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The lug nuts were OEM parts. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 54,135.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while the vehicle was at the dealer for a tire rotation, the dealer informed the contact that the lug nuts were defective and needed to be replaced to perform the tire rotation. The lug nuts were replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that there was no recall related to the failure. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 41,596.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while attempting to change a flat tire, he became aware that the lug nuts became deformed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the lug nuts, informing the contact that the lug nuts were over torqued, resulting in damages to the lug nuts. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 77,000. The VIN was not available.