Loose Wheels a Hidden Threat for Denver Motorists

Losing a wheel is a hidden risk more common than many motorists realize, creating a danger for you and your passengers, as well as other motorists on the road.

The threat of worn, dangerous or defective tires is well understood in the wake of numerous high-profile accidents and nationwide recalls by major tire brands like Firestone and Goodyear. But losing a wheel can be even more dangerous, leading to loss of vehicle control, roadway departure and impact injuries to passing motorists.

While most modern tires are designed to allow motorists to maintain some control over a vehicle in the event of a flat tire or sudden tire failure, losing a wheel typically results in a suddenly uncontrollable vehicle.

Many newer vehicles come with all-season tires. However, winter snow tires remain common in Denver and the surrounding mountain areas. The most common time for a loose wheel is after tires or brakes have been replaced or serviced, or after tires have been rotated or wheels are otherwise removed from a vehicle at a service center.

Our Denver car accident lawyers know most motorists underestimate the risks for a variety of reasons, including the fact most people have their vehicles professionally serviced because they believe service centers will do so safely.

Common reasons for loose wheels include: 

• Wheels are improperly installed.
• Lug nuts are not properly tightened.
• New wheels are installed with old lugnuts.
• Wheel studs are loose, worn or stripped.
• Tires are improperly balanced.

Service-Center’s Worst Nightmare: Loose Wheels

The reality is replacing wheels and tires is an entry level service position at most dealerships. And the growing number of quick-lube and independent tire centers are often staffed by employees with even less experience.

Service managers understand the risks. But the high-volume, repetitive nature of the business means far too many vehicles leave repair centers without being properly inspected by a supervisor.

Motorists typically underestimate the risk of a loose wheel after having their vehicle serviced. Yet far too many vehicles hit the road with dangerously loose wheels as a result of a number of common service scenarios.

• Dealerships rely upon air-driven, pneumatic impact wrenches. Too many people using the system at once can result in air-pressure that is insufficient to properly tighten a wheel.
• Wheels should be checked by hand with an appropriate torque wrench properly set according to vehicle and wheel specifications.
• Vehicles getting new wheels often require different lugnuts. Using the same lugnuts can create a poor fit that doesn’t allow the wheel to tighten securely.
• Worn or stripped lug posts can prevent lugnuts from tightening properly. Yet these are not often replaced, even when damage is noted.
• Improperly balanced wheels can create vibration. Even minor vibrations, unfelt by the driver, can cause a wheel to quickly loosen, creating life-threatening risks at driving speed.

Service managers understand the risks. Yet they often fail to hand-check a technician’s work. Once a vehicle has been lowered to the ground, loose wheels or other dangerous conditions involving wheels or tires can also be more difficult to identify.

What to Do After a Loose Wheel Falls Off

Sudden loss of a wheel at driving speed can result in an uncontrollable vehicle. Loose wheels also create serious hazards for oncoming motorists as many cases have resulted in a wheel bounding into a passing vehicle or through a windshield. In other cases, motorists have been forced off the road trying to avoid a loose wheel.

Motorists who have suffered a loose wheel after service should take a number of steps:

• Carefully document the wheel, studs, and lugnuts by taking pictures from your cell phone while still at the scene.
• Request law enforcement come to the scene and make a report.
• Do not attempt to replace the wheel at roadside. One loose wheel makes it very likely other wheels are loose. This may not be possible to determine without the vehicle being jacked up so the wheels spin freely.
• Have the vehicle towed on a flatbed to a different service center.
• Save all receipts, both from the service center that created the dangerous condition, and the repair facility to which the vehicle is towed.
• Contact an experienced Denver car accident attorney before contacting the at-fault service center. Ideally, your vehicle should be carefully inspected before repair work is authorized.

Whether you cause an accident as a result of a loose wheel, or you are the passing victim of someone else’s misfortune, there is a good chance that a third-party liability claim should be pursued against the service center that created the dangerous condition. This can allow for compensation over and above an auto insurance claim. By contacting an experienced car accident lawyer in Denver as soon as possible after an incident occurs, you will be protecting your rights and helping to ensure that conditions at a dangerous repair facility do not continue to endanger the motoring public.

If you have been injured, contact the Denver personal injury lawyers at Bell & Pollock P.C. for a confidential consultation to discuss your rights. Call (800) 559-5920