My wheel nuts keep falling off

Hello Paul, I own a Honda CRV 2004 model. All has been well until my wheel nuts started falling off and twice my wheels have almost fallen off. What could be the cause? Ahmed

Hello Ahmed, wheel studs are threaded and are usually secured by the threads on the wheel nuts wheel hub assemblies of each wheel. However, there are occasions when the wheel studs or nuts may come loose and could cause an accident.

Over torquing wheel nuts or studs can happen when you manually use brute force when using the wheel spanner or wrong torque settings of a pneumatic pump wrench.

Over torquing will stretch wheel stud or nut threads which will lead to their seizure, cracking and failure to perform by securing the wheels.

Under torquing does the opposite with the same effect of the wheels coming lose. Reuse of poor quality or damaged wheel nuts and studs whose thread condition or surfaces are wornout, bent or corrosion damaged can lead to failure to secure a tyre while you are driving.

The presence of dirt, rust, paint chips on the wheel stud or wheel nut threads can cause false torquing or the wrong impression that they are securely fastened.

When you drive fast, the nuts and studs will come loose. Driving your car with loose or missing wheel nuts or studs causes those next to them to become loose.

Car manufacturers design wheel stud or nut positions around a wheel in such a way that they support each other as they provide clamping force to secure your wheels.

When one of the studs or nuts fail, the vertical and rotational forces are redistributed to the remaining nuts and studs which will loosen as they carry a load beyond what they are designed to carry.

Always remember to check the condition of the threads, confirm that the studs and nuts are securely tightened using the correct spanner or pneumatic wrench torque setting. Studs should be fitted carefully.