Ford Motor Company: Wheels › Lugs/Nuts/Bolts/Studs
Ford Motor Company reported this defect to federal regulators on May 13, 1998 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 1,520,000. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: MULTI-PURPOSE VEHICLES AND LIGHT DUTY PICKUP TRUCKS. THE LUG NUTS ON THESE VEHICLES MAY NOT CREATE SUFFICIENT CLAMP LOAD ALLOWING WHEEL MOVEMENT IN RELATION TO THE HUB/ROTOR MOUNTING SURFACE.
The risk
THIS CAN RESULT IN THE LOOSENING OF LUG NUTS, STUD FATIGUE FAILURE, AND THE POTENTIAL FOR A WHEEL SEPARATION FROM THE VEHICLE, INCREASING THE RISK OF A VEHICLE CRASH.
The remedy
OWNERS OF THESE VEHICLES WILL BE RECEIVING TWO NOTIFICATIONS. THE FIRST NOTIFICATION, WHICH BEGAN IN MAY 1998, WILL PROVIDE AN INTERIM REPAIR PROCEDURE UNTIL PARTS BECOME AVAILABLE. THIS INTERIM PROCEDURE CAN BE COMPLETED BY OWNERS OR THEIR DEALERS. IT SPECIFIES THAT THE LUG NUT TORQUE MUST BE VERIFIED TO BE 100 LBS. THEN THE LUG NUTS NEED TO BE TIGHTENED AN ADDITIONAL 1/8 TO 1/4 TURN MORE. THERE WILL BE A SECOND OWNER NOTIFICATION, WHICH IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN JULY 20, 1998, UNDER WHICH DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE WHEEL STUDS AND REPLACE THE WHEEL LUG NUTS.
8 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 Ford Expedition | 836 | 7 | 73 | 43 |
| 1998 Ford F-150 | 1,381 | 18 | 91 | 83 |
| 1998 Ford F-250 | 56 | 9 | 1 | 2 |
| 1998 Lincoln Navigator | 192 | 6 | 22 | 14 |
| 1997 Ford Expedition | 853 | 9 | 74 | 52 |
| 1997 Ford F-150 | 2,758 | 26 | 262 | 165 |
| 1997 Ford F-250 | 304 | 14 | 19 | 20 |
| 1997 Lincoln Navigator | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
What this page is, and what to do next
A recall is not an opinion. It is a Part 573 report a manufacturer is required by federal law to file once it decides a defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety, and it commits them to repairing the vehicle at no cost to the owner. The three passages above are the manufacturer’s own wording as published by NHTSA.
This page describes the campaign. It cannot tell you whether one particular car has already been through the shop — that is tracked by VIN, and only the manufacturer knows it. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a franchised dealer, quoting campaign number 98V095000.
Full record for the 1998 Ford Expedition → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →