There are 3 stored owner reports matching the tires & wheels leading-label group for the 2012 Ford Explorer in our NHTSA-sourced dataset. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
This group counts stored reports whose component label starts with one of this site's matching prefixes, ignoring case. Each matching report counts once within the group. Components mentioned later in the label or only in the narrative are not searched. How component counts work
Loaded 3 of 3 matching reports.
Open the full vehicle complaint log (all categories)purchased my ford from duval ford jax fl. heard a grinding noise. probably brakes. but cannot remove tires to check brake pads. swollen lug nuts. nothing will fit the nuts to remove the tire.
Rear Hub assembly’s making loud grinding noise. This should be a Warranty Recall similar to NHTSA 17E048000. Please advise.
WE HAVE 74000 MILES ON OUR 2012 FORD EXPLORER. I WAS DOING THE 6000 MILE SERVICE, CHANGE OIL AND FILTER, ROTATE TIRES, CHECK FLUIDS, BRAKE INSPECTION, AND DO INSPECT OTHER AREAS. I WAS IN THE PROCESS TORQUEING THE LUG NUTS AFTER THE TIRE ROTATION. I USE A CRAFTSMAN TORQUE 1/2" DRIVE RATCHET FOR THIS. ON THE DRIVER SIDE FRONT AND REAR WHEEL 1 OUT OF THE 5 WHEEL STUDS WOULD NOT TORQUE TOO THE 100 FT. POUNDS. THE STUDS ON EACH WHEEL STRETCH AND ARE READY TO BREAK. WHY WOULD FORD USE INFERIOR MEDAL IN SOMETHING SO IMPORTANT. WE RECENTLY OWNED A 2001 DODGE DURANGO AND BOUGHT IT NEW. WE HAD OVER 200,000 MILES ON THIS VEHICLE AND I NEVER HAD THIS PROBLEM. AND TO REPLACE THESE FORD DIDN'T ALLOW ENOUGH ROOM. YOU HAVE TO REMOVE THE WHEEL HUB AND BEARING. WHICH I TRIED AFTER REMOVING THE 4 BOLTS AND AXLE NUT. IT WOULD NOT COME OUT. I BELIEVE IT'S BECAUSE OF THE 2 DIFFERENT MEDALS. THE ALUMINUM HOUSING AND THE STEEL BEARING HUB WAS FIND WHEN IT'S NEW BUT GIVE TIME IN THE ELEMENTS AND CORROSION SETS IN. I HAVE NO OTHER CHOICE BUT TAKE IT BACK TO FORD DEALER FOR THE REPAIRS. I DON'T TRUST THE OTHER WHEEL STUDS AND WANT ALL REPLACE FOR SAFETY CONCERNS. PLEASE HELP ON THIS PROBLEM. I BELIEVE THE MEDAL IS TO SOFT FOR WHEEL STUDS. THANK YOU. *JS
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
NHTSA source checks for this vehicle year
Checks are recorded separately for each dataset, not for the whole page. Dates use UTC. A missing check date does not mean no records exist.
Vehicle import recorded: May 4, 2026. This is the stored import date, not confirmation that every source was successfully refreshed.