NHTSA Investigation
PE97033
WHEEL SEPARATION FROM VEHICLE
Key Takeaways
- Investigation PE97033 currently maps to 1 tracked vehicle-year page across 1 make.
- This page summarizes the public investigation subject, status, timing, and affected tracked vehicles linked from NHTSA source data.
- The linked component on this record is wheels.
What This Investigation Page Shows
This page summarizes a public NHTSA investigation record tied to one or more tracked vehicle-year pages in our database. Investigation records sit between owner complaints and recall campaigns: they can remain open, close without a recall, or connect to a later remedy action. Use this page to see which tracked vehicles are linked to the record, then open the individual vehicle pages for complaints, recalls, and crash test context.
Investigation Summary
IN ADDITION TO THE A FAILURE REPORT TABULATIONS GIVEN ABOVE, THE MANUFACTURER REPORTED THAT AN ADDITIONAL 33 OWNER AND FIELD REPORTS HAVE BEEN FILED WHICH REFER TO PROBLEMS (LUG NOT TORQUE LOSS, LUG BOLT FRACTURE) THAT DID NOT INVOLVE ACTUAL WHEEL SEPARATION, BUT WHICH MAY BE POTENTIALLY RELEVANT EVENTS.THE MANUFACTURER ALSO REPORTED THAT A TOTAL OF 815 WARRANTY CLAIMS HAVE BEEN FILED FOR REPAIRS POTENTIALLY RELATED TO THE MATTER BY PURCHASING THE VEHICLES BACK FROM OWNERS AS A GOODWILL MEASURE.THE WHEEL SEPARATIONS CITED IN THIS PE INCLUDE MANY WHICH OCCURRED WITH THE VEHICLE BEING DRIVEN; IN THESE CASES SOME PROPERTY DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE ITSELF ALMOST ALWAYS RESULTED FROM COLLAPSE OF THE SUSPENSION .THE CRASH INCIDENTS CITED IN THE TABULATIONS ABOVE ARE LIMITED TO THOSE INCIDENTS IN WHICH DAMAGE WAS ALSO SUSTAINED BY A SECOND VEHICLE OR A FIXED OBJECT.THERE ARE INDICATIONS THAT PROBLEMS OF LUG NOT TORQUE RETENTION HAD BEEN EXPERIENCED DURING VEHICLE FINAL ASSEMBLY, AND FAILURE ANALYSES INDICATE THAT LUG NUT TORQUE LOSS COULD RESULT IN FATIGUE FAILURE OF THE LUG BOLTS. THERE ARE ALSO INDICATIONS THAT UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS, THE LUG NUTS MAY BE UNUSUALLY SUSCEPTIBLE TO OVER-TORQUING, RESULTING IN PLASTIC DEFORMATION OF THE LUG BOLTS WHICH IN TURN, COULD LEAD TO FATIGUE FAILURE.DUE TO THE OPEN ISSUES AND QUESTION RAISED BY THE PE, THIS MATTER HAS BEEN UPGRADED TO AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS.
Manufacturer listed on the source record: Ford Motor Company
Component listed on the source record: WHEELS
Affected Vehicles (1)
| Year | Make | Model |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Ford | F-150 |
Browse Affected Vehicles
Affected Models
Affected Years
All data is sourced from NHTSA public records. This site is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration or any government agency. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and may not reflect confirmed defects. For official information, visit nhtsa.gov.
Latest vehicle import recorded anywhere on this site: Oct 8, 2026. Individual vehicles and datasets may have older records; this is not this page's update date.