The dismissed lawsuit still poses problems for Ford drivers, despite the fact that it was dismissed.
A proposed class-action lawsuit that alleged the two-piece design was dangerous was dismissed by a federal court.
Critics said that it was hard to remove the caps of the lug nuts because they were prone to swell and change shape.According to the suit against Ford, vehicles with "swollen and delaminated" lug nuts can't be safely driven.
A U.S. district court judge in Detroit dismissed the complaint due to insufficient facts.The decision is not being appealed.Some Ford dealership service managers don't like the lug nuts.
Jeremy Collins, parts and service director at Kelly Ford, told Fixed Ops Journal that it was a bad design.They don't do a recall.
The Focus, Fusion, Escape, F-150, Flex, C-Max, Expedition and F-350 were some of the cars and trucks that Ford used the steel lug nuts on.Detractors contend that dirt, road salt and water can cause problems under the cap, and that if the nut on the hub is not tightened, the wheel could fall off.It's difficult to remove the nuts under less dire circumstances, and over-tightening can damage a bolt.
Some owners of affected vehicles complained to dealers that the wrench in the tool kits that came with their vehicles wouldn't fit a lug nut cap that had expanded, making repairs impossible.Ford was accused of using an inferior design to save on manufacturing costs.
The design of the nuts is defended by Ford.Wrong-sized sockets wrenches are one of the reasons why the automaker blames problems on improper use of tools.Some Ford dealers say they have not had problems servicing vehicles with the lug nuts.
Collins concedes that he only sees a few problems with the lug nut each year.Some of his customers were faced with having to replace the nuts on their wheels.Some trucks have more than four nuts per wheel.
An aftermarket kit can cost up to $79, but a replacement kit from Ford can be as low as $220.Nine out of 10 customers choose the cheaper kit.
Trysha Maness is a service adviser at Brad Manning Ford in DeKalb, Ill.She advises customers to replace damaged nuts.
Maness says that working on damaged nuts may require larger tools.She notes that other manufacturers use the same design.
Rick Wegley, a dealership consultant with NCM Associates Inc. in Kansas City, Mo., says caps like those molded to the Ford lug nuts "tend to mushroom if excessive Torque is applied" when they are installed or removed.If this happens, a technician may have to use an oversized wrench to remove the affected nuts.
The cap may detach if excessive force is applied to the lug nut.
A professor of automotive service at the Washtenaw Community College in Ann arbor, Mich., identified a potential problem with the use of power-operated wrench to install lug nuts.He emphasizes to his students that such tools are not as reliable as handheld tools.
Sriram Narayanan is an associate professor at Michigan State University's business college who specializes in supply chain management.Priority for service could be included.
W.C. Benton, a professor of operations and supply chain management at Ohio State University's business school, has consulted and published extensively on quality concerns in the auto industry.
"Ford should be careful about this," he says.It raises serious safety issues.
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