Swelling Lug Nuts

[MaverickTopGun]

Question: Why does Amazon say these "McGard 64073" Lug Nuts will not fit a MY2022 Maverick?
Is it because they are a little longer like you mention?
Can you post a picture with them installed on your Maverick.

Not sure why Amazon did that. The McGards are a bit longer, not much.

Shiny chrome lug nuts are more visible if you drop one on a dark rainy night by the side of the road. And chrome looks great. Black lug nuts are fine, they look good on the wheel at least.



Here are 2 McGard 64073's (3 are OE lug nuts) on a Mav XLT wheel, to compare the look:

Some full set or subset of the below parts works OK.. ... All this fits behind the back seat (near Ford's tire kit), and/or under the back seat in those cool bins:

Mixpower 1/2-Inch Drive 22mm Non-Marring Impact Deep Lug Nut Socket
McGard 64073 chrome lug nuts
Gorilla Automotive 61641N Chrome Acorn Gorilla Guard II Wheel Locks
Pittsburgh Pro 1/2 in. Drive 25 in. Breaker Bar
3 lightweight plastic wheel chocks
Small tube of rubber cement to coat the tire hole repair rope or screw.
Small Slime electric tire pump or similar
Fix-A-Flat Aerosol Emergency Flat Tire Repair and Inflator or similar
Tire pressure gauge

If the above Amazon links fail, just google terms like "Tire Repair Rubber Nail screw" for a light, compact, EZ to carry plug solution.
Also "Slime T Handle Tire Plug Kit" for the rope/string plug kit

Note: You need a 22mm (or 7/8") socket or lug wrench if you go with McGard 64073, bigger than the OE 21 mm (or 13/16").

You can strap a breaker bar (nice to have; the leverage makes things easy) to Ford's kit already behind the back seat:

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[MaverickTopGun]

The stock lug nut wrench that comes with the jack for the vehicle will not fit the McGard lug nuts. The McGards will need a smaller lug nut wrench.

Need larger. You need a 22mm (or 7/8") socket or lug wrench if you go with McGard 64073, bigger than the OE 21 mm (or 13/16").

 

[Joe Kelly]

Ford should have Crome plated the lug nuts.

 

[MichaelG]

Need larger. You need a 22mm (or 7/8") socket or lug wrench if you go with McGard 64073, bigger than the OE 21 mm (or 13/16").

Opps, got it backwards.

 

[Dad]

I thought you had to take medicine if your lug nuts swole up? Oh never mind! LOL

This post was just begging to happen.

 

[vabchusa]

The 2 piece lug nuts are not made for pneumatic tool use....should only use hand wrenches or they will deform. If you have this happen get the normal sized socket and a 4 lb hammer and beat the socket onto the lug nut to reform. Had this problem when I had a flat, road service couldn't get them off so had to get towed to a tire shop.

 

[sprcoop]

The 2 piece lug nuts are not made for pneumatic tool use....should only use hand wrenches or they will deform. If you have this happen get the normal sized socket and a 4 lb hammer and beat the socket onto the lug nut to reform. Had this problem when I had a flat, road service couldn't get them off so had to get towed to a tire shop.

Same thing happened on my 2012 Focus. Heading to play golf and get a flat (dash light goes off at 26PSI). Pull into convenience store parking lot before totally flat. No problem, I can change a flat in about 15 minutes.

For some reason the stock lug wrench does not fit on any of the lugs, WTF? Used my road side service and 90 minutes later (not playing golf today!) he shows up (not a tow truck) and none of his wrenches or sockets fit. Used my road side service to have it towed to the dealer. Two hours later I'm at the dealer and talked to the service manager.

I explained the issue and he had a swollen lug nut on his desk to show me with pride. "They are 2 piece so they swell up and the socket doesn't fit". News to me.

To say I was livid was an understatement. "So you are telling me that you are sending folks out with lug nuts that may or may not be removable? What if I got a flat where there is not a cell signal and I can't change the tire with tools provided by Ford?" He just gave me a blank stare. Moron!

FYI only the Ford dealer has taken off those lug nuts when they do tire rotations during my free oil changes, nobody else. So they knew they were bad.

I immediately changed out for one piece lug nuts on mine and my wife's Focus.

When I think about it I just want to punch someone in the face!

Rant over

 

[TheWizziard]

This issue was new to me so I did a little investigating. Someone on another forum did a deep dive into this. Many people think that the covers are swelling. Rust is said to be the culprit. He made a good point. Severely rusted lug nuts are a rare problem. He found that the "swollen" lug nuts actually had the covers rotated on the underlying nut. Presenting an deformed shape.

I agree with other members that this is a dangerous situation to be in in when you are out and about.

I'm sure it is cost related but for the problem they can cause, I don't think they should exist.

 

[TheWizziard]

The 2 piece lug nuts are not made for pneumatic tool use....should only use hand wrenches or they will deform. If you have this happen get the normal sized socket and a 4 lb hammer and beat the socket onto the lug nut to reform. Had this problem when I had a flat, road service couldn't get them off so had to get towed to a tire shop.

I agree that pneumatic tools can provoke this problem but the nuts are "made" to be removed and installed on the vehicle. Almost all garages/tire shops use pneumatic tools. They are installed at the factory with power tools.

Therefore the nuts should be "made for pneumatic tool use"

 

[larryhokie]

A bit off topic, but may affect Maverick. I had my 2014 Escape in the dealer for maintenance last week. They said that the lug nuts were swelling and needed to be replaced. Not trying to sell me new ones, suggested I get some at auto parts store and they would replace mine. Apparently they have an outer "chrome" cover that gets water under it and then swells to the point that the lug wrench won't fit over it. I've never heard of this before.

 

[Darnon]

This issue was new to me so I did a little investigating. Someone on another forum did a deep dive into this. Many people think that the covers are swelling. Rust is said to be the culprit. He made a good point. Severely rusted lug nuts are a rare problem. He found that the "swollen" lug nuts actually had the covers rotated on the underlying nut. Presenting an deformed shape.

Rust might not be a problem in Texas. Here they definitely do rust beneath the caps, swelling it and sometimes cracking the cap which only exacerbates the process. Usually they get spun in the rare instance they're severely rusted underneath or, more likely, someone mistakes it for a 13/16 (21mm) because a 3/4 (19mm) doesn't fit anymore and rounds it off.

 

[larryhokie]

A bit off topic, but may affect Maverick. I had my 2014 Escape in the dealer for maintenance last week. They said that the lug nuts were swelling and needed to be replaced. Not trying to sell me new ones, suggested I get some at auto parts store and they would replace mine. Apparently they have an outer "chrome" cover that gets water under it and then swells to the point that the lug wrench won't fit over it. I've never heard of this before.

Happened on my 2013 Escape. I had a flat and had great difficulty getting one lug off. I ended up having to lower the jack with all but the one loosened and gently rock the car forwards and back a few times. Then I jacked it up and was able to remove the stuck bolt. When I got the car back to service the tire it was recommended that I replace all lugs. I did.

 

[AwHeck]

A bit off topic, but may affect Maverick. I had my 2014 Escape in the dealer for maintenance last week. They said that the lug nuts were swelling and needed to be replaced. Not trying to sell me new ones, suggested I get some at auto parts store and they would replace mine. Apparently they have an outer "chrome" cover that gets water under it and then swells to the point that the lug wrench won't fit over it. I've never heard of this before.

Just last week had a slow leak on a tire on my 2015 Fusion(44,000 mile original equipment) and took it in for an inspection. Had a nail in the sidewall so replaced all 4. They said the lug nuts were swollen and needed to be replaced. Never heard of that before then.

 

[MaverickTopGun]

I'm sure it is cost related but for the problem they can cause, I don't think they should exist.

Happened on my 2013 Escape.

They said the lug nuts were swollen and needed to be replaced. Never heard of that before then.

Wow, all the stories of problems, you'd think Ford would have responded years ago!
Ford got sued 5 years ago, then used their lawyers to slow-walk it for two years, then the court dismissed the case with an attitude of "Well, then don't buy a Ford if you don't like their stuff." The suit was about the safety issue by the side of the road.

Note to Jim Farley:
Don't do stupid things that hurt the Ford brand.

I'd give him a list of the top ten idiot things that Ford persists with.

 

[Optimus]

The joke back in the 1990’s was that it was illegal to drive around with swollen or exposed nuts. We called them “tim caps,” and they were on multiple brands of vehicles from the factory. While the cap itself never seemed to corrode, it was thin and easily deformed. Rust could swell it, or using the wrong socket size or not putting the socket on all the way, etc…. would mash it up. It was common to have the tin caps rip during removal (think soda can thickness). Once the caps fell off, then the normal socket size no longer fit snuggly, and it was too loose. The bare steel nut inside loved to corrode.

It appears nothing has changed in decades.

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