I was driving to speak at a church sportsman's dinner about 62 miles from my home on Saturday. About 18 miles from the place I made a right turn and heard a noise coming from the left front wheel. It was a steady, rhythmic sound that stopped when I straightened out. I pulled over to check. I thought maybe the wheel was hitting something, but I couldn't see anything that was loose, and I checked the wheel to make sure it was tight. It was. I concluded that I probably have a bearing that's going bad, so I got back into my truck and went on my way. I turned the radio off so I could hear better. Just under two miles before arrival I turned left onto the road the church was on. I heard a little sound, but not much.

A few hundred yards after the turn, my left front wheel came off, and I was riding down the road on 3 wheels and the stud on the bottom of my ball joint. The wheel traveled down the road, curved to the left, and ended up in a field after going about 300 yards. Fortunately no traffic was coming, and the wheel didn't hit anything. I thought at first that the hub came apart, but nope. Then I thought that the lug bolts probably sheared off. Nope again.

I fetched the wheel and hitched a ride to the church, 1.7 miles away according to my GPS. I rounded up a guy who took me to my truck. We loaded my stuff into his truck, and went back to the church. While I was setting up for the event, a few guys got together and checked things out. It appeared that the lug nuts (all 5) came off. The threads were a little damaged, but not much. The lug holes were torn up a little, but they found an auto parts store on Saturday afternoon, bought some lug nuts, got a floor jack, lifted the truck and put the wheel back on. I was able to drive home that night, stopping once to check the wheel.

I had just had new ball joints and tie rod ends put on the truck. I had driven almost 900 miles since the repair. It could have happened the previous weekend, on an Interstate doing 70 mph, 300 miles from home, but it didn't. It could have happened in the dark, and I would have lost the wheel, but it didn't. It could have happened far enough from my destination to prevent me from getting there, but it didn't. It could have happened in traffic, causing other vehicles to be involved, but it didn't. The wheel could have stayed inside the wheel well, destroying everything badly enough to look like a bomb went off. I'm thankful to God that it was as unserious as such a thing can be, doing about $1350 in damage. The truck is driveable, but I won't be going far until this is fixed.

Steve.

Yes, I've had both sets of duellys come off at different times. Once on side streets at low speeds, and once on the freeway at full speed in heavy traffic.

I had a new set of aluminum wheels and tires installed on my truck. A day or so later, I noticed it began to vibrate. It got worse and worse quickly. Before I could pull over, my right rear wheel passed me.

I went back to the shop to complain. He asked if anyone saw it. I said yes. The guy behind me had a flashlight, and helped me find enough lug nuts to get home with.

After hearing my answer, he replaced my wheel, studs, and asked if there was anything else he could do for me.

You picked a fine time to leave me, Loose Wheel......

Kenny Rogers

...Four hundred children and a crop in the field....

That was an odd song.

Aluminum flows under pressure. ( know this from a powerhouse explosion, CAUSED by aluminum flowing under pressure after the Bush bars were installed and wired). I would suspect aluminum wheels should be torqued a few times, and checked more than steel rims.

I had a front wheel come off in high school. I was swapping tires around. I probably forgot to tighten nuts after I let the truck down. It was a surprise!

""You picked a fine time to leave me, Lucille
With four hungry children and a crop in the field
I've had some bad times, lived through some sad times
But this time your hurting won't heal
You picked a fine time to leave me, Lucille""

I haven't lost one but did see a jacked up truck lose a big 'monster mudder' one time. The left rear wheel came off the truck in front of me and went into the oncoming lane of traffic, headed right at a Renault Le Car. The tire hit a rock or something, bounced up in the air and the car drove under it. The drivers eyes were about as big as that tire.

Dale

Were some people born with no sense of humor?

I had a 73 ford Torino, with 351 Cleaveland, with four speed. I left work one night, stomp on the gas and my right rear wheel took off and passed me!

I've had many vehicles since then with aluminum wheels and have never seen this again. Could be, but I expect the guy at the tire shop just failed to tighten them beyond hand tight.

Buddy's trailer tire came off a couple years back. Got pretty sporty. Boat ended up getting left about halfway home on a 150 mile each way day trip. Always something with that guy. Don't fish with him much anymore.

...if it WAS humor. half the folks on here can't spel rite.

So, Lucille was what...the left front? What do you call the other three?

I was following a guy one time and saw both rear tires on his truck start inching away from the bed. in just a second...BOOM! The ass end of the truck was on the ground. I don't know what would have happened to make the rear axles come out of the center chunk like that.

Another time, I was driving down I 40 in fairly heavy traffic when a semi wheel passed me, drifted into my lane in front of me, and finally landed on it's side. Luckily, there was barely enough room for me to change lanes. I didn't look back to see what the person on my tailgate did.

Later for dinner" or "also rans".

Was goin down a 2 laner andsomething caused the right rear to lock up

Dang wheel with no center and tire passed us and went about a1/4 mile out in a field.

Managed to rob 3 studs from the left side and limped home.

Never figured out what cased it to lockup.

and I alawys heard...

400 children....

and the cops in the field....

Lost the rear wheel on my motorcycle, in a short-track heat race.....didn’t win! memtb

I didn't lose the wheel, but I did lose the timing chain on a freeway at 70mph. Locked up that engine and rear wheel into one long skid as I snaked through LA traffic and got it to the side of the road. Did not lay it down, but it was a hairy ride.

Sounds like the shop that did the ball joints didn't properly tighten the lug nuts.

LOL! I don't guess you did.

In high school we were gonna run up to Winnepeg Manitoba for drag races. Going down the road in my 63 impala sis with 409 and a tire passes us. We were doing 70 and no vibration at all . Slowed down and at about 20 the left front end went down on the brake drum. No problem. Found the tire in the wheat field and stole lug nuts from the other wheels and went on our way. Good times. Ed k

I was pulling my Datsun 260Z from Ohio to Oregon many years ago. Was using a U Haul rental hitch. My pick up was a 78 chev.
I started hearing a growling coming from the rear. Shortly there after the left rear tire and wheel came off and passed me. Fortunately there was no traffic and I was able to control the vehicles.
Apparently I or someone did not tighten the lug nuts.

I came damn close once while hauling a load of hay on my 89 F250 flatbed. Was on the interstate and the truck felt like I was getting a flat tire. Glad I pulled over to check because I was down to one single lug nut holding my wheel on. Had just had new tires put on a few hundred miles earlier. The shop that did that work paid my tow bill, replaced damaged lugs and lost nuts. Mechanic admitted that he most likely got side tracked and failed to tighten that wheel. I still go to the same shop.

Ha! I found it.........

good stuff......

I was going to the post office in Elizabeth (TR knows the place), before NAPA moved across the road. The little cable end that holds the spare up, under the 99 f-350 broke. The spare fell down vertical-like and jacked/raised the ass-end of the truck up, felt like hitting a big ol' speed bump. The wheel took off rolling across the parking lot and ran smack-dab into the wall off the backroom at NAPA. It was probably going about 35-40..... It knocked a buncha crap off the shelves and scared the piss outta the guy that was turning brake drums in there. Good thing was, they was quick to order me a new winch for the spare while I was there.....

Lost a set of dually's off a 1 ton. Twice, 15 years apart. Both loaded. One halfway up the Pahsimero. That wasn't a cheap tow.

Lost a front wheel off a Tacoma. Kinda. Ball joint snapped in the mechanic's driveway and "plop", there she sat.

But the one I remember most vividly is pulling a load up the east side of Snoqualmie in the semi, and losing both rear drive tires on the driver's side. Never did find either tire, as far as I know, they are still rolling.

I'm better at checking lug nuts, now.....

That was during Kenny's wild drug days..........

No I haven't but I have found a couple of trailer tires on the side of the road, one compete with the drum and bearings!

I"ve never lost one, but was heading east on I-80 in central Pa. one time headed to deer camp and the semi next to me on my right side lost a tire off it's trailer. Luckily it was on the other side of the truck and went off the side of the road. Those big tires could do one heck of a lot of damage if they hit a car.

Another time I was coming home on the old hiway, which is the service road that parallels I-70 right by the ranch. The UP mainline track runs next to the old hiway. The rear dual drivers(complete with axle sticking out) from the passenger side of a semi on the interstate, came off at 70 mph. They rolled down the bar ditch between the roads, and jumped the old hiway about 30 feet in the air. They landed in the field between the road and tracks, rolling full-steam. When they hit the raised track bed, they was airborne again, this time maybe 50 feet high. They plowed thru my steer pasture fence, and ended up about a half mile down into the creekbottom. I felt sorry for the female truck driver, as there was no way she coulda rolled them duals back to the rig(even being about 400 pounds herself). I run home and grabbed a chain and the tractor and retrieved them for her. Her truck set there overnight before she could get towed to a shop in Limon, and get back on the road. She didn't even offer to fix my fence......

2010 got a new white pickup. Had the bed spray lined and decided to do the rear wheel-wells also so they would match the fronts. About 9-10 miles after leaving the shop the driver side rear tire left me on a slight curve. The shop owner's son forgot to tighten up the lugs on one wheel. The lug nuts ended up on the roadway with all of them close enough to scoop them up in one swipe. I marveled at that. Damaged the aluminum wheel, lug nuts, studs, fender flare and some brake components.

78 dodge power wagon, 6" lift kit

Driver's side front

Going around a curve, a 36" mudder passed me. I was like what the hell...
Wheel crossed the the road, jumped an embankment, took out 3 strands barbed wire and went about 400 yard down in a pasture full of black angus. lol


Oh...the good part- put the drivetrain geometry in a bind, blew the ujoint on the front transfer short shaft, the shaft dropped hit the pavement and rammed itself back up into the front of the transfer case.


Sucked

Were'nt too bad, I had a spare 79 powerwagon. Rebuilt the whole thing and decided to drop a 383 big block in while doing the transfer work.

Had a Passenger side front wheel come off my snow plow truck. I tighten the 1 1/8" lugs with a 4' breaker bar. I always assumed it was another plow guy, who thought he did not need the competition.

But it went 900 miles before coming apart? I don’t think so. No one here believes that, not the insurance company, not the body shop that will do this work, not several others.

30 miles? Likely, but not 900 miles.

Steve

Watched the left side set of duals come off a semi trailer. He was turnin right, they hopped up on an elevated median and straightened out traveling down the median a hundred yards or some before stopping. Lotta oncoming traffic on the otherside, how or why they stayed on that median I'll never know. Chased down the driver and told him what had happened, he had no idea.

Yer stories believable to me. They quick hit em with the air wrench and never torqued em. Took awhile for all 5 or 8 of em to work loose.

Dad ordered a brand new half ton Ford 4x4 when I was a kid and we hopped in it about a month after he got it and headed to KS to hunt pheasants. Easing down a dirt road with 6’ banks on either side at daylight heading to a field to walk when a guy in an old Toyota pickup comes tearing out of his driveway about a 1/4 mile ahead of us and slides onto the road giving her hell in our direction. About 100 yards before we met his left front tire takes off on it’s own heading right toward us at about 60mph. Nowhere we could go and we were both thinking that if we lived dad was going to be some kind of pissed when that tire wrecks his shiny new truck.

As I was sliding down into the floorboards to take cover I glimpsed that tire taking a hard left turn for whatever reason about 30’ off our bumper. It climbed right up the embankment and hopped the fence to spin out harmlessly into the pasture.

The dude jumps out and starts hollering asking if we have a jack and a 4way because he’s late for work and going to get fired. We helped him get everything together and then he says, “ this damn thing does that all the time” as he’s robbing lug nuts off the other three corners. We get to looking and none of his 6 bolt wheels have more than 3 lugs on them. He spun them on and dropped her off the jack, said thanks and spun out heading for town.

ROFL! Yep, that sounds like a Ford all right... but the Cleveland was, and is, a winner.

I've had several - from a snapped axle on a '63 Scout (being towed) and a '68 Scout (being driven, in town, slowly - as I was turning a corner)
to several on trailers - usually from letting someone else tighten the bearing nuts.
The most memorable occurred while taking a horse to Texas.
In down town Mosquero NM (population 93 in 2010), the left rear tire on my horse trailer came off. I saw it drifting straight toward the local Sheriff's truck, but managed to pull over enough to get in front and tag it with the stock trailer. Luckily.it went into the only vacant lot in the middle of "town", and toppled over just before hitting the side of the hotel.

I was over 700Mi from home when I heard a loose wheel, pulled over and tightened it back up. 8-Bolt AL wheels on a Ford Superduty that index on the hub rather than the lugs.

Was turkey hunting public ground, parked by the fishing pond.
Evidently somebody is against turkey hunting there, as I was the 3rd victim according to the police.
Seems as though they like to loosen the lug nuts on turkey hunter vehicles.

Leaving the turkey spot, had a Jeep GC w lift and 32's on it. Clunker.
Made some noises on slow speed turns (90 degree crap with decent drop offs). Made it through about 4 or 5 of those, kept hearing the "clicking" on turns, but not on straights.
Being half deaf doesn't help.
So I'm on the straightaway near town and bam, ass end drops down and I watch a Goodyear MTR roll by, through the tension wire fence and out into a disc'd field.
I fetch it, put it on, stole a lug nut from each of the other 3 wheels and slowly drove into town, bought more lug nuts.

FWIW I check the lug nuts if I've had a shop work on my crap.
Saved my arse more than once.
If I work on it I torque em, then check again around 100-150 miles.

That definitely could have ended a lot worse......glad it didn't.


PS....buy a lottery ticket...stat.

Coworker and her husband, south bound on I-75 between Lexington and Richmond, maybe 15-20 years ago in a full size pickup truck. North bound semi lost a tire wheel assembly at expressway speed. It jumped the median and came down on the front edge of the roof right above the inside rear view mirror. Drove the roof down almost to the seat directly in between them. Best of my recollection, neither of them injured. "But, by the grace of God..."

That happened to me with a boat trailer on a fishing trip on day.....not a good day. Well, actually it was a great day because no one got hurt and no accidents were caused. Have not taken wheel bearings and their maintenance for granted since.

(GROANNNNNNNNN)

Had the front wheel come off a Case 580 going full speed on a logging road.

Another dirt track event. I was at a dirt track car race (3/8 mile high bank oval), and a “sprint” car lost a rear in turn 3. The tire, doing in excess of 80 mph, left the track thru the pit road entrance to the track, went thru the entire pit area, missing dozens of cars, many people and stopped after hitting the perimeter chain link fence. Still amazed that nothing or no one was hit! memtb

Never lost a wheel. Friend of mine lost the skids on a Cobra over in Nam one day. Maintenance set up 3 jacks and he set down on them. Is called precision hovering under stress.

Had a spindle break on a Chrysler Cordoba and the front driver wheel came off the car. I never bought another Dodge, Chrysler Mopar after that one. I was going 50 mph when it happened.

Never had it happen to me, but I hand torque my wheels. I also had a spindle break on an early Mazda RX2 when turning into my driveway many years ago. Talk about ice water through my veins, because just a few moments earlier I had exited the freeway via an elevated overpass at a very high rate of speed........

A few years back a cop had a guy stopped, a wheel came bouncing down the road and killed the motorist, never did hear if the ticket was voided.

Had someone lose a wheel and it bounced across the lot at work while I was out picking trash. Missed me, but cracked the cinder block building. Would have been like that one in the video. Also ran over someones spare truck tire in the middle of the I70 I25 interchange, rush hour and dark. Ruined the wheel and tire, and there I sit with people passing me like crazy. Finally managed to limp over into the off lane and get it fixed. Still mad at whoever.

I followed a front wheel from a Bronco for a block when the "better idea" twin I beam hub broke, it turned into a K Mart, rolled past the front doors, went into the parking lot and hit a cadillac door.

I had one of those scouts. Went home and the BIL was parked in front, made me irritated so I popped the clutch, and that dinky axle broke. That was the old style shimmed tapered bearing axle, a lot of work to get back right (and recheck your work if you ever do one)

In that video, the trailer that was wagging never did slow down, must have been brain dead.

1964 Bug. back wheel . nut came off the axle shaft. rode up a bank on the tire and wheel that stayed in the fender. had my wife and 6 month daughter in the car. walked back a mile and found the nut. lifted the car while the wife put the thing back together . found a piece of barbed wire and wired it back. drove it another 2 years.

Driving a Mack truck with a 6000 gallon trailer attached.

The bud lugs broke on the left rear and before i could get it shut down ,the rim broke the center out.

It just missed a car going westbound and passed me up.
It went a few hundred yards ahead then went to the right and jumped a sand dune on the south side of the road.

I got to the top and got to see it in a grain field doing donuts.it bead out a circle about 40 yards flat.

Had a 1963-5-8 Scout that the left front came off at about 50 mph (approximate top speed). It was no big deal since the wheel that came loose didn't hit anyone. Odd to see your wheel taking off across the median though. The wheels I had for that truck were 16 inchers, not that common in 1982, and the holes in the rim were wallowed out a little. I had rotated the tires and didn't get the lug nuts seated in the center of the hole. Live and learn (assuming one lives).

Had another time when the right rear (could have been the same rim) work loose, but I had enough warning I could stop, jack it up, and tighten the 3 studs that weren't broken off. Tire dealer was the one who dropped the ball on that one. Good times.

Guys a few years older than me from the neighborhood took all the lug nuts except one off all four wheels of ricky blankenships junky ford country squire wagon . The road was straight for about a mile then a curve at butch speckers house , when one wheel came off they all did . I saw the white scuff marks on the road - ricky got'er jacke up and going in about an hour and half he said .

I had a spare tire for my motorcycle carrier come loose and go under the trailer launching it about two feet off the road . Never knew what happened then it popped in my head - spare tire - had to find a walmart and get another . Bent the control arm rod doodad the keeps it from shimmying .

The russians have a lot of trouble on the road -eh .

In 2013 I had my F150 in for it's first service at the dealership where I bought it. The first service was free. Oil change and tire rotation.
The dealership was right around the corner from the freeway. I leave and pulled onto the freeway and heard a noise that sounded like I was dragging something under the truck. I pulled over to take a look and found that the plastic fairing thingy that covers the oil pan had come loose and was hanging down and dragging. I didn't even know what it was at first. I crawled under and figured out how to attach it. Just a couple of twist clips. So I pull back into traffic and head back to the dealership to have them take a look since it was dragging.

I'm only about a mile away. I start to hear a different noise and the truck is vibrating when I'm about a block from the dealership and I'm thinking what now. I pull into the service lane and get out to walk around the truck and see what the new noise is. My passenger rear wheel only had two lug nuts still on and were holding on by a couple of threads. The wheel was about ready to fall off.

The service manager came out to look and I got to use all of my words. I think it took me a good 10 minutes to calm down. I got a rental for the week and a new wheel and misc parts. How you can miss tightening the nuts is beyond me.

In younger years, some buddies and I were getting back in my truck at the local beer store, when we saw a raggedy old IROC Camaro heading at us on the street. The front wheel began vibrating and shaking and the kid got it slowed down to maybe 30mph before it came off and the car sat down hard on the front corner. The tire/wheel rolled straight at us, hit the curb, bounced by about 3 feet from the truck, and went out through the other side of the parking lot and into traffic from another street. The kid was chasing it on foot as soon as his car stopped. We got a really good laugh out of that one as he ran by us.

Most days.

There appears to be many reasons why lug nuts come off, besides failure to torgue-tighten them.
LINK: Why do nuts come loose?

Steve.

Closest I’ve come. Turning into my driveway.

After a tire change, I re-torque at 50 and 500 Miles.

Happened to me once years ago. I was towing a homemade livestock trailer when I heard a noise, stopped immediately and as I opened the door a trailer tire slammed into the door. Luckily I hadn’t swung my legs out yet or I’d have been a hurting unit. Years later I am sitting in my car in parking lot at the Camp Pendleton north gate on I5 when I look over and see a semi tire zipping through the ditch and roll out into a field. The bearing was still smoking as it laid there. Would not want that thing to hit me. Dave

that overtorqueing thing really bothers me. I have seen studs that look like a miniature file, and have had to use a 4 foot cheater to loosen a friends wife's lugnuts when he was away and she had a flat. I also like a little bit of never sieze on the studs when going back on, and use the skip one pattern, or similar on 6 and 8 hole. (I did see a Ford with 7). Another thing is finger tightening, then letting the wheel down to finish and the holes can't center.

As a dumb 18 year old kid I lost a rear wheel on my '57 Chevy. It smashed the brake drum but did no real harm otherwise. My fault, I had a flat a few days before and tightened the lug nuts with a crescent wrench.

Driver's side front wheel on my 1991 Ranger Club cab 4x4. I was doing 70 mph on I-69 south of Shelbyville, IN, returning from a training class. I was kicked back, listening to some tunes, hoping to eat up some miles. Then the wheel departed and I was driving on a rotor. Truck handled great, I used the brakes a few seconds earlier than I should have as I put a small flat on the rotor.

Couldn't get my jack under the truck to pick it up, too low. Couldn't find my tire, it flew off into a cornfield. Called 911 on the cell and asked for a wrecker. Driver of wrecker went up and down I-69 looking for my wheel. Never found it. We got the truck up, used a lug nut from the 3 other wheels to secure the spare and put the truck on the wrecker. Prior service USMC, gave me a discount, I gave him a fat tip.

Preceding this, on the night before I was leaving to go to training, I had brake problems, changed the fronts, found out the backs were expired also. Loggers with hydro axes showed up to cut my timber and I had to deal with them. Anyway, it the rush to do everything at the last minute I must not have torqued the front wheel properly.

While I was in away for that week, I thought from time to time that I should get out the lug wrench and check things but I never did. Wish I had.

Saw one that wasn't so lucky. Wheel crushed a woman's chest in the stands. Don't think she lived.

The pic didn't show. It was my 95 Taco with a broken ball joint.

Twice, once on a trailer on I35 at 0200 in the morning, wife was driving when a tire passed us
only had time to think what the heck. Other was in rush hour traffic in Anchorage. Wife driving again ( by herself) when she said it felt funny and pulled into a parking lot just as front left wheel took off. She chased it down-through traffic and rolled it back. I had changed to summer tires that week and used a torque wrench, first cross pattern then one round checking each lug nut again. I still don't know why it failed. Same actions as always for over 30 years and never had a issue before. The car does have aluminum alloy wheels but I followed the manual's spec.s as normal, I'm still puzzled why.

When I was about 10 years old I was jumping anything and everything on my bike. Launched off this dirt hump as fast and as high as I could. At the top of the arch, the front wheel fell off. The landing was not pretty.

I lost such as you speak once. Had my M-37 on the flat bed. I also lost 6" of axle at the same time.
Cost, one wheel, new axle, one tire and assorted stuff. Tire and wheel lost in a ranch next to the road.

I grease bearing now days. A lot.

It can take a long time for them to work loose. I had it happen on a boat trailer, I’d removed the wheel and when I reinstalled it I tightened it with a four way wrench but didn’t put a torque wrench on them. About 1500 miles later I noticed that two of my lug nuts were missing. Now I use a torque wrench on them, especially if they’re aluminum rims.

I’ll bet anything the shop didn’t use a torque wrench.

Was driving home from having a flat tire repaired and was about 2 blocks from the house, as I made a right turn the Wagoneer steered kind of funny and I stopped and looked at the tires thinking that the tire had gone flat gain. To my surprise the tire that was repaired didn't have a single lug nut on it. I took one off of each of the other tires put them on and drove back to the repair shop and they very apologetically put the missing lug nuts on my wheels.

The EX did......I

Just remembered -
Back in the mid - 90's, a fellow lost a wheel off a gooseneck stock trailer, while passing our RV Park.
Rim & tire (don't remember if hub, also) came over a 6' chain-link fence, ran ~ 150 yards through the park - missed one gentleman walking - missed all the rigs - jumped another 6' fence - another 6' fence on the other side of the street - ran across ~ 200' of farm land - 40' of driveway - slowly bumped a shop building, and fell over.
Nobody hurt, thank God - and the only property damage was to the gentleman's trailer.

Another reason I believe in "guardian angels"

You can bet whatever you want. I've seen him use a torque wrench. I'm not saying he didn't get a phone call and then forget to torque them, but he routinely uses a torque wrench.

The one possibility I haven't heard anyone mention is sabotage.

Steve.

If he’d done it properly then it wouldn’t have come off.

I really don’t get the attitude when someone just tries to relay an honest opinion. You asked for opinions & I gave mine, why be a jerk about it? I put myself through college installing tires and put on enough for ten lifetimes, mistakes happen & maybe he did get distracted, I don’t know what he did. Wheels that are properly installed don’t come off 900 miles later.

I was about 13, last day of buck saeson, Dad and I were coming home and the right rear left.
We walked home, patched it up and limped home Sunday afternoon.

Was sitting at a red light that's on a curve, I was on the side road outside the curve.
A quick trip to pickup something for my wife, in a hurry zoned out.
I see something odd coming at me, then a bunch of sparks as a Red Durango goes by
on the right front rotor. It looked like he was just driving along. He pulled over, on a bridge, in a turn.
I went to help, along with two other cars. Then it got interesting.

The guy was on a cell phone, wouldn't talk to the people helping him.
We found his tire.

Still on phone.

A ambulance came sliding in. EMT's running around "who was in the wrecked car, who is hurt?" "No one, he broke down" "Oh!" you could see disappointment
.
One helpers Jeep overheated, sitting there in a cloud of steam. I went home and got him some antifreeze and water.

Still on phone.

Fire trucks roll up. "Accident, car on fire!" "Nope, lost a wheel, overheated". Disappointment, again.

The Jeep is cool enough to top antifreeze. Get that done.

Cops roll up.

Guy still on F'n cellphone.

I went shopping.
Finally.


Worst, almost, lost wheel.
Just loaded 7100 gallons of diesel, climbing a steep hill on I-99, one lane construction zone.
I notice the car behind me is impatient, need to keep an eye on him.
Looking back and forth in the mirriors, I notice it's "foggy on the left side. That's weird.

"OH, F, IT'S SMOKE!

I hit a pull off, run back with the extinguisher. The hub cover, lock, nut, and bearings are gone!
The wheel is riding on the spindle and the grease is on fire. Under the tank of diesel!
It went out before the extinguisher died, and all was well
But this was on top of a big hill, on a 65 MPHl road, with a good right hander on a bridge at the bottom.
The potential is a bit scary.


Only wheels actually lost were a few hay and forage wagon spindles broken.

Have a friend who spent most of a year working in Kuwait. On the morning he got home he was served with divorce papers. Does that count?

So you’re saying we agree. But you’re not saying there are many reasons wheels come off. (I provided a link to that effect.)

Steve.

Had the axle break on my pickup after a few thousand mile road trip this spring. After getting home and catching up with some work I raced into town to watch my daughter play volleyball. Got off the it and driving in about a 35 or 45 mph zone and I feel a little jerk, hear a brief squeak or squeal and felt the truck pull to one side, Got out and the right rear was at a very funny angle and smoke coming out from under the wheel well. Good long flame coming up. In the bed there was a 5 gallon jug of gas. 5 gallon jug of diesel, a generator full of fuel and a space heater full of diesel. Emptied all the fuel out of the bed in a hurry and put the fire out with and assortment of water bottles floating around loose in the truck.

Just this morning went and picked up a dump trailer I bought. Tire was low when I looked at it and bought it and seller was to get tire fixed before I picked it up. Got there today, hooked up and did a quick walk-around. Looked at the tire and kicked it to make sure it was aired up and walked away. A second or 2 later I stop and realize something isn't right. Go back to the previously low tire and notice the lug nuts are on backwards. When I take them off to turn them around, I realize a few of them are literally finger tight. Others were barely tighter than that. Might have averted another bad story there.

only time for me was i had a 79 malibu. the c cilp on the drivers side rear broke so the tire and axle started coming out. i'd drive a little while real slow then jack it up and push it back in, repeat till i got home. thats why i hate chevy rear ends. either a ford 9 inch or a dana 60, or mopar 8 3/4. c clips suck.

In the late 1980's I was riding back & forth to work with a guy who lived down the road from me. Coming home one afternoon as he slowed up for a red light a very large wheel / tire came past us on the passenger side where I was. Went off the road, across two lawns and hit the side of a brick commercial building right by a window. Almost went through the window but it wouldn't fit.... Took a lot of bricks off the building. Turns out it came off a bus that was following us. Thankfully nobody was in the way or that could have been a lot worse.

Nope. Had a chevy W/T pass me once, 200 feet later his right front went flying off into the ditch. A-arms attached and everything. Straight road, we were doing 65. Truck looked pretty new.

No clue what happened.

Had a tie rod end snap on the freeway, left wheel was OK, right wheel went sideways.

Phil