HELP HELP HELP!!!!!!!!

[defflepp1]

Now im not sure if this is the best place for this but, tonight driving home in my 03 GT the drivers side front wheel CAME OFF!!!???!!?!?!?! the lugs sheared right off of the splindle!! their just gone. i was wondering if anyone else had this happen to them and what people think i could do, ive got full coverage insurance on it so hopefully they might do something for me.

[leftoverture]

Well I hope you and the car are OK. Typically when something like this happens it's because the lug nuts were loose. Not necessarily real loose, but not torqued down so that the wheel could vibrate enough to weaken the studs. I've never had it happen.

[twress]

Originally Posted by leftoverture

Well I hope you and the car are OK. Typically when something like this happens it's because the lug nuts were loose. Not necessarily real loose, but not torqued down so that the wheel could vibrate enough to weaken the studs. I've never had it happen.

I to have never seen that happen but I agree with leftoverture on his thought. I had lugs nuts work themselves off on my old Geo Tracker before. I was driving and all of a sudden the front started to shake real bad, I pulled over and had only 1 lug nut left on and it was about to fall off stopped just in time. I hope it didn't do to much damage to the PT.

[CREWZIN]

It happens in NASCAR. With 12-14 second pit stops, once in a long while the tire changer is in such a hurry that the lugs don't get tightened down all the way and at the speed they travel, it doesn't take long for the lugs to work themselves loose and the tire would go flying off down the track. Almost all of the time the driver can feel the vibration of the wheel before the tire actually comes off and pits to have them tightened.

I'm surprised you didn't feel a heck of a vibration before the wheel came off and give you a chance to pull over to the side.

[Candyman]

Hey their defflepp1,

First, and foremost I hope you are alright and as mentioned above I hope you didn't wind up with too much damage to your PT.

A couple of thoughts that could have led to your unfortunate incident possibly:

1. A couple of months ago my Sister who owns a Mustang GT called me up to tell me someone had apparently tried to steel her wheels while parked in a car port at her apartment complex and found her car still sitting on the ground but with almost all of the lug nuts removed and scattered on the ground. Man that could have been a potential mess if she had tried to take off like that. Doubtful in your case but ya never know, stranger things have happened.

2. I have had several people wind up for some reason cross threading my lug nuts on my PT when using an impact and have wound up with several studs sheered completely off. Never seen problems other than while removing or mounting the wheels on a lift though and never had a problem while driving on our incredibly un-smooth roads here in So Cal.

3. As mentioned above, and what my gut feeling would be is that you might have had some kind of a vibration or something out of whack that over time might have vibrated just enough to back the nuts off, or cause some type of weakness in the studs which may have likely resulted in the eventual wheel coming completely off.

Those are just a few thoughts anyway of potential things that could wind up causing the wheel to come off. From what it sounds like, you easily could have rolled it at a high rate of speed and things could have potentially come out much much worse, so I would say knock on wood, someones looking out for you.

Hope you get your PT fixed as good as new and be back to Cruising before you know it.

[defflepp1]

thanks everyone for the concern im fine and the car aint too bad other than, obviously missing a wheel well as for feeling a vibration the front end has been out of whack for some time and with money being tight i havent been able to fix it so i just thought is was that problem getting worse. thank god that i wasnt on the highway, actually i just pulled off the highway, stopped went to make a turn and thats when the studs must have snapped and the wheel got pinned inside the fender. now does anyone know if insurance would cover something like this? ive got full coverage on it and i think i heard that insurance covers stuff like this but can someone set me straight.

[CREWZIN]

Collision coverage should take care of it, minus any deductible.

Generally, Collision insurance covers damage to your automobile caused by collision with another object or by upset. Comprehensive insurance covers damage to your automobile for things other than Collision so for vandalism, hitting an animal, hail damage, flood water, theft or glass breakage.

[defflepp1]

ok so what do you think it would cost to have the fender replaced, bumper, spindle, new rim and the labor costs? cause im thinking they might just total it out

[CREWZIN]

Can't help you there except to say that unless your cruiser is a piece of crap, those parts aren't enough to total it. Be prepared to shell out your deductible.

[defflepp1]

ok well atleast my deductible is ony 500 so that aint too bad, and thanks for all the help man you rock