Loose Wheels Prompt Ford Bronco, Ranger Recalls

Some of the reasons that cars and trucks have been recalled over the years have verged on the bizarre. Others, such as the recent recall of two 2023 Ford models, make a little more sense. On April 20, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued a recall of 1,434 2023 Ford Rangers and Broncos — though they also estimated that only 19% of the vehicles covered would actually exhibit the issue the recall aimed to correct.

What was that issue? It’s very simple: the lug nuts on the drivers side of the vehicles in question “may not have been properly tightened.”

“Insufficiently tightened lug nuts on the vehicle’s road wheels may result in loosening of the wheel attachment and potential wheel detachment from the vehicle,” the agency’s warning continues. The NHTSA also notes that drivers with affected vehicles might observe “vibration and noise” while they’re behind the wheel.

Stating the obvious: no one wants a car’s wheel to fall off while driving — not the car’s driver, not anyone on the road behind them and not the manufacturer. According to a recent article at Autoblog, Ford is notifying affected owners — and is giving them a few options to choose from when it comes to getting their vehicle repaired.

Tesla Announced Multiple Recalls Affecting Over 350,000 Vehicles This Weekend

One affects airbags, the other affects tail lights

Ford is asking that drivers not drive vehicles affected by the recall “until torque has been verified on the front and rear left-side wheel lug nuts.” The automaker also states that a dealer must conduct the examination — though they also state that the vehicles’ owners can check the lug nuts themselves “[a]s an interim action.”

The recall notice includes a handful of examples of wheels that were affected by this — though no accidents or injuries seem to have taken place as a result of the issue. Hopefully, the issue can be resolved before any other incidents take place.