I've just copied the following from a weekly newsletter I receive related to the 4WDSA organisation....................
Make of it what you will.......I know a few blokes on this
forum have also suffered this problem and it is only by sheer luck that nobody has (apparently) been killed due to the loss of a wheel.
I run steelies myself, but reckon anybody who has a GU with factory alloys should be VERY diligent......
Cheers
Roachie
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More about Nissan Wheels.
It’s been an interesting week with lots of emails on the subject of late model Nissan’s losing wheels. A selection follows.
· In June, one of our support vehicles, a fairly new Nissan, suffered the same fate between
Tibooburra and
Cameron Corner. The vehicle rolled and was a total write-off but fortunately the passengers were shaken but not hurt.
I was told that the tolerance on the stud holes is minimal and when replacing a wheel it is very easy to feel that the wheel is hard against the backing plate but in fact it is not. The studs loosen and work their way out. Stephen
· The issue came to my attention when I purchased my current set of tyres, I was asked to bring my Patrol back after 1000 km to have the rear wheel nuts checked for tightness, as I was informed there have been instances of them coming loose. I was told it was only with the non steel wheels. The information I received was from Widetread Tyres in Ferntree Gully.
· We lost all six wheel studs whilst crossing a
creek near
Marble Bar. Luckily we were with someone else and were able to source some “second hand” studs in
Marble Bar from some locals in the pub. We drive a Nissan Patrol 2001 model 4.2L wagon. Wayne
· I too have had the experience of losing wheel studs while driving the Great Central Rd between
Warburton and Tjukayirla. In my case it was 5 studs sheared off on the left rear wheel. My vehicle had only covered about 20,000kms. I was lucky that the wheel hung on with one stud and was able to bring the vehicle to a stop. I carry a spare set for the rear and the front now. I bought my vehicle new in Sept 2005. Trevor
· We certainly have had first hand experience, in fact three times, the last also being near
Copley. We have contacted Nissan Australia, but with no luck. Ken and Pam
· I own a 2005 4.2 and have had the same problem with wheels coming off. I have found this is a problem with the factory alloys so now I run steel rims. My best mate also has the same patrol as me. His passenger rear has come off with a $2000 repair bill.
I went to Nissan the complained that it should be a recall issue and the response was that the likely cause was (my) human error, once maybe but not four times. Brett
· In my experience 99% of the time wheels come off is because they have come loose and broken studs normally eventually result from this. I always carry a spare set of wheel nuts and studs to suit the vehicle and for trailers or vans as
well. It is also good practice to recheck wheel nuts a couple of hundred Km after wheels have been removed. Peter. Alltrac 4WD
· The loss of a rear wheel under the circumstances described would probably be a safety related defect subject to recall. I suggest John raises the matter with Nissan and if he cannot get a satisfactory response reports the failure to the Department of Transport and Regional
Services as a safety related defect. A report can be submitted online at
http://dynamic.dotars.gov.au/recalls/NotifyUs.asp. It should be noted that DOTARS is not a consumer affairs agency and cannot assist in obtaining refund or repair. Max
· This has happened to me 2 years ago on a 2003 Nissan Patrol 3L Turbo Diesel. In Mt Isa I had my rear brake pads replaced at Beaurepaires. They did not tighten the nuts on the right rear wheel, which I noticed after driving only 2-3 km. I called in immediately and they fitted 5 new nuts (which were completely missing) and used a torque wrench to tighten all nuts. The manager was very apologetic. After about 1300 km I lost the same right rear wheel driving at about 100 kph. Luckily I was able to pull over at the side of the road. The only damage was to the rear axle. I did find the brake disc and all studs had sheared. Never found the wheel though. John