[atlbob]

Just had my most recent oil change on my 2018 (50,000 miles) - and the dealer said that the lug nuts had become swollen and nearly impossible to take off during tire rotation. I know this has been a long time issue with Ford but curious if anyone else has seen this pop up on their F150. It wasn't a break the bank fix obviously, and it definitely beats me on the side of the road unable to get a flat tire off.

 

[Dunrollin]

I am very familiar with this issue. The crappy lug nuts from the factory are clad with a thin metal cover. One time I had to hammer a socket on, remove the nut and then put the socket in a vise. Using a screw driver I just hammered the lug nut out.

 

[jmperlik]

Watched several YouTube videos on this topic recently (Ford Boss Me & RainMan Ray's Repairs come to mind) and this issue seems to cause a lot of grief, so much so that I bought a set of Impact lug removers (both standard & metric) and carry them in my truck with a battery powered impact gun in case this ever happens to me or any of my friends. They are similar to the nut/stud extractors with a kerf that bites into the lug nut. It destroys the lug nut, but I'd rather have that then not being able to get the wheel off...

My diesel tech told me I'm probably going to need tires before winter, as the factory tires with 34K on them are getting down to their service limit. They rotate them every 4K-5K (oil change interval) but I'm not going to get 45K out of these like I did on my 2015. They are the same brand/make but not only are these wearing worse but I also see cracking/dry-rotting in the tire treads? I'll ask when I get new tires what condition the lug nuts are in and if they need to be swapped out. Like you said cheap insurance to swap them out while in for service instead of fighting with them on the side of the road.

 

[jmperlik]

As if almost on queue, Rainman Ray just posted a 2nd vehicle in the last week on this topic:

Three part video:
Video 1: The dealer can't fix it! This is Super Bad! - YouTube
Video 2: Dealership Fail! Metal Surgery on a 2019 Charger! Nice Car! - YouTube
Video 3: 2019 Dodge Charger! READ DESCRIPTION FIRST! Dealer Couldn't fix this! Must See! Bonus Footage - YouTube

I have sockets similar to what he initially tried and even those wouldn't work on this Dodge. This is the 2nd video where he need to pulled the cladding off and drill the stud out to get the lug+stud removed. Like I said, this is pretty knarly...

Edit: Sorry just realized these videos were on some lug nuts that were cross-threaded

 

[Reinharm]

Just had my most recent oil change on my 2018 (50,000 miles) - and the dealer said that the lug nuts had become swollen and nearly impossible to take off during tire rotation. I know this has been a long time issue with Ford but curious if anyone else has seen this pop up on their F150. It wasn't a break the bank fix obviously, and it definitely beats me on the side of the road unable to get a flat tire off.

I had this happen on my last 2012 F150 King Ranch after about 6 years. I just bought new chrome lugs. The 2018 Powerstroke has not as of yet demonstrated this issue but I'm sure its just a matter of time. It does seem incredible that your having this issue so soon. Is your truck immersed alot in water i.e. launching a boat, etc?

 

[mbates6o]

That a fairly common problem with all makes and models. Not sure why anyone thought that was a good idea, but even with all the problems. The manufacturers still insist on using them! Just go to any auto parts store and buy solid metal ones. And if you feeling froggy they have a whole range of colors out now

 

[Reinharm]

That a fairly common problem with all makes and models. Not sure why anyone thought that was a good idea, but even with all the problems. The manufacturers still insist on using them! Just go to any auto parts store and buy solid metal ones. And if you feeling froggy they have a whole range of colors out now

I guess $65K isn't enough to pay to get lug nuts that don't rust.....

 

[Kingford]

Good information to know and something to look out for. Thanks for posting.

In case it helps, I’ve had issues with old stripped lug nuts and the awful security lug nuts without no key. A trick I’ve used is to hammer an impact socket on, not the hex style, but the more round lobe-like style (name?), and off the offender comes. Harber freight has those socket sets. You likely will have to throw the socket away but it does the job in a bind.

 

[cheetah4570]

So the soft metal covers on my stock 2018 F-150 lug nuts were starting to deform and get stuck in the socket when I tried to remove them. I read some of these threads and decided it could become a problem rather than a nuisance. Looked around and found these lug nuts from Driven Products. Just installed them and they are fantastic. Much better looking and better made than stock, torqued down nicely and smoothly. Well worth the price and effort.

Ford F-150 Expedition One-Piece Lug Nut ACPZ-1012-B

Ford & Lincoln One-Piece Wheel Lug Nut. Replaces ACPZ-1012-B. Fits Ford 2015-2020 F-150 Expedition and Lincoln 2015-2020 Navigator. Fast and free shipping.

www.drivenproducts.com

 

[Dunrollin]

They look a lot better than OEM.

Several years ago I had to remove one of those locking lug nuts. I can't remember how I did it, maybe ground a few flats so a wrench would grab it? Anyway, I got it off.

 

[atlbob]

I had this happen on my last 2012 F150 King Ranch after about 6 years. I just bought new chrome lugs. The 2018 Powerstroke has not as of yet demonstrated this issue but I'm sure its just a matter of time. It does seem incredible that your having this issue so soon. Is your truck immersed alot in water i.e. launching a boat, etc?

Nothing out of the ordinary on water immersion - typical driving. I’m not dropping a boat into a river or lake or anything. I’m just happy to have a tech that recommended it before it really became a problem.

 

[Chrispy]

I just ran into this issue today trying to get the lug nuts off to do a wheel hub assembly swap. I thought I was going insane as I thought the size called for a 21mm socket.

So the soft metal covers on my stock 2018 F-150 lug nuts were starting to deform and get stuck in the socket when I tried to remove them. I read some of these threads and decided it could become a problem rather than a nuisance. Looked around and found these lug nuts from Driven Products. Just installed them and they are fantastic. Much better looking and better made than stock, torqued down nicely and smoothly. Well worth the price and effort.

Ford F-150 Expedition One-Piece Lug Nut ACPZ-1012-B
Ford & Lincoln One-Piece Wheel Lug Nut. Replaces ACPZ-1012-B. Fits Ford 2015-2020 F-150 Expedition and Lincoln 2015-2020 Navigator. Fast and free shipping.

www.drivenproducts.com

Thanks for the link! Will be picking up a set.

 

[Dijit]

I recently had a flat in Florida. Got my tire tool out and presto!! It didn’t fit. Luckily I had a 4-way in the bed. Woke me up and I’ve got some one piece lugs headed this way for a change out. Thanks #cheetah4570 for the link.

 

[jmperlik]

Just ordered the same solid chrome lug nuts from Driven Products in preparation for a new set of Michelin LTX M/S2s being installed this coming Friday = going to make sure I don't get bit by this swollen lug nut issue. Thanks to @cheetah4570 for the product recommendation/link.

 

[Dijit]

@jmperlik, that’s weird. My flat was caused by some galvanized 1/2” braided wire clamp so I decided to get new rubber all the way around (40,000 miles) since that tire was unrepairable and I too chose the Michelins. Very smooth, you gonna like.

 

[jmperlik]

Here's picture of the dry-rotting/cracking inside the treads on my original/factory-installed Hankook Dynapro AT M tires on my 2018 Ford F150 Platinum PSD with ~36K miles on them:

All four (4) tires have this cracking inside the both outer treads, highlighted in pink in picture. Don't remember my last set of factory Hankooks doing this and not sure if this is "normal" or not, but I don't like the way they look, as the cracking is around the entire tire on both inside & outside outer treads.

There is still probably another 5K of tread left on them but wasn't sure I wanted to go into winter with these in the condition that they are in, so I am replacing them a little earlier with Michelin 275/55-R20 LTX M/S2s. I'm taking advantage of FordPass credit card and Ford Tire Price Match guarantee offers and letting my dealer handle tomorrow, along with replacing the factory lug nuts with a new set of solid ones from Driven Products = should be ready for winter this season!

The Hankooks are much better than the Pirelli Scorpions that came on my 2010 Platinum, which were a horrible truck tire that didn't make 30K before belts started showing and had flat spots that would develop overnight sitting on my asphalt driveway.

Any one else seeing this condition on their factory Hankooks?

 

[Dunrollin]

@jmperlik What is the date code on those tires? They look like 10 years old. I just replaced Michelins on the motorhome that were 10 years old and looked much better than yours do! Mine on the F150 are also Hankooks made in the 35th week of 2018 and still look great but with only 27K miles.

 

[jmperlik]

@Dunrollin - here is a pic of the DOT code, where I think the Week/Year date code is within the oval?

2418 indicates 24th week (June) of 2018, which sounds about right, as I took delivery of my truck in September of 2018.

Your tires look brand new with no cracking and plenty of tread still left on them!

Very strange! Must be the Northeast winters...

I also just noticed a pretty good chunk missing out of the sidewall on my right rear tire that I hadn't noticed before, so probably another good reason for new replacements.

 

[jmperlik]

Just got back from the dealer for my tire installation: 2.5 hours in/out which included:

• Unmount old tires
• Mount & balance new tires
• Rear brakes/pads
• Reinstall wheels with new DrivenProducts solid lug nuts
• 4 wheel alignment
• PCM flash for 20E07

Rear brakes were a bit of a surprise (from my previous F150s, I have had the Fronts replaced at ~40K-45K and the Rears in the ~50K-60K range) but I get free pads and partial labor to install those as part of my Ford Protect Maintenance ESP. Fronts were over 5mm and rears were under 3mm. Ford Protect ESP requires pads to be under 3mm and won't allow to dry-slap new pads on or cut rotors either, so only option is new rotors = $272 for new rear rotors installed (parts & labor), which was a lot less than I remember when I had the rear rotors/pads replaced on my 2010 F150 Platinum. They had six (6) no-show service appointments this morning so they actually had two (2) techs working on my truck in parallel at the same time to get me out in that 2.5 hour service window.

Going in I knew there was a $70 rebate or 25K? FordPass points promotion for four (4) new tires dealer installed. You can print off a form and send the rebate in the old school way or you can submit it online via owner.ford.com. When I went to fill out the form online, I found I lucked out as an additional $30 Blank Friday special started today (runs thru 12/06/21) on top of the $70 standard rebate, so you can get $100 gift card or 40K Ford Pass points for the next month:

Considering they also price matched the tires ($250) to a Walmart price I found online, and everything else was fixed price services, I didn't feel like I was being fleeced. I could have gotten the mounting & tires for $12/tire cheaper at BJs ($238/tire) but between the points/rebates and further distance to BJs, I let my dealer handle as I would still need to bring it to them for the alignment. I can see my Ford dealer is trying to be competitive with discount tire stores.

Truck does ride a lot nicer/smoother on the Michelins...

Just thought I'd report on the extra $30 Black Friday Bonus rebate thru Ford for anyone looking for new tires before winter = now is the time to strike for a little extra cash before the holidays.

 

[beaker]

Just ordered the same solid chrome lug nuts from Driven Products in preparation for a new set of Michelin LTX MS/2s being installed this coming Friday = going to make sure I don't get bit by this swollen lug nut issue. Thanks to @cheetah4570 for the product recommendation/link.

I was researching whether to purchase these lug nuts myself. In looking at the specifications; however, I see that they have a 13/16" hex for the nuts. This might not be a big deal to some, but even my domestic vehicles dating back 28 years have no SAE hardware; it baffles me why the aftermarket continues to make hardware for vehicles using SAE dimensions. I personally have moved all of my SAE tools out of my primary toolbox because they were simply clutter. I have some 1984-vintage heavy equipment that I visit that tool box for; not much else.

Not that I have other people work on my vehicles, but if I called AAA for a flat, I would expect them to pull out a 21mm wrench to change a tire on a late model f-150; this is a great way to round a 13/16" fastener. No sale for me. Rant over.