You may want to check the lug nuts on the left side of your 2023 Ford Bronco or Ranger, as a production issue may mean that they were not fully tightened at the factory. That could, and indeed has, led to wheels falling off the trucks.
Back in February, the machine that torques the lug nuts on the left side of vehicles at Ford‘s plant in Dearborn went down. While the automaker was repairing the part (which took from February 9 to 11), it put a manual backup process in place to tighten the nuts to spec.
Unfortunately, Ford later discovered that the process didn’t work properly, leading the lug nuts on some vehicles not to be tightened to spec. Fortunately, it’s only an issue for the left side of the vehicle, as the machine on the right side never broke down.
Read: Toyota Recalls The C-HR Because The Rear Wheels Could Fall Off
However, it means that the wheels on an estimated 442 Rangers and 992 Broncos could loosen. In all, Ford must recall 1,434 vehicles from the 2023 model year, and estimates that around 19 percent of them could present this issue.
In fact, Ford is aware of one warranty report of loose lug nuts, and two instances of wheel detachment. Although no injuries have been reported as a result of these cases, in one instance the detached wheel allegedly made contact with another vehicle.
As a result, Ford advises that the owners of the vehicles should not drive their vehicle until the lug nuts have been correctly tightened. Fortunately, the solution is a relatively simple one, and customers with a torque wrench can tighten their wheels themselves – Ford will send out an information about correct torque specs, but that can also be found in the owner’s manual.
For owners who do not own a torque wrench, or who would simply prefer that Ford fix its own mistake, the automaker is also offering to send its mobile repair team out to correctly tighten the wheels where possible.
In either case, Ford must inspect the vehicle in order to ensure that the wheels are on correctly, and to report that information to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Update: Ford sent us the following statement regarding the recall:
“Certain 2023 Broncos and Rangers are equipped with lug nuts on the driver’s side that may not have been properly tightened to specification. We contacted customers and instructed them not to drive their vehicle until they can verify the torque of the lug nuts. For owners that want to and have the skills to verify the torque on the lug nuts, instructions were provided for torque verification.
Owners performing this procedure must still schedule an appointment with their dealer for an inspection as part of this recall. Ford is helping connect customers to their local dealer to have their vehicle inspected and repaired through mobile service or a schedule pick-up and delivery or arranged tow at no cost.”
