SAFETY ALERT! – 2002-10 Ford Vehicles – Steel Rims/Wheels – Unsubstantiated

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“Unsubstantiated” – Research is continuing by NHTSA and Ford

THIS INFORMATION SEEMS TO ONLY BE AFFECTING ONE DEPARTMENT AT THIS TIME AND THE PROBLEM DOES NOT SEEM TO BE WIDESPREAD – PLEASE USE THIS AS INFORMATION ONLY AT THIS TIME

rim 1 rim 2

SAFETY ALERT!!    IMMEDIATATE ACTION REQUIRED!!

** Submitted by a Member **

If you or any of your employees use and drive 2002 through 2010 FORD Expeditions, Explorers, Rangers, F150, F250, F350 F450, F550 with STEEL rims/wheels PLEASE take them to a Ford Dealership, reputable vehicle repair shop or tire shop and have the tires REMOVED from the wheel and the rims/wheels inspected for cracks as shown in the photos. Take the photos with you to show what you want inspected.  I say this because the failure CAN NOT be seen with the tire on the rim/wheel.

This does NOT apply to vehicles with aluminum wheels.

If you are experiencing any of the following it could be signs that you have a cracked rim, slow or fast air leak, wobble or vibrations while driving.

This is a SERIOUS issue and we need to be sure to get those vehicles checked out.
For the newer vehicles that may be still under warranty it would be best to take them to a Ford dealership to be taken care of that way.

The USFS Region 4 is starting to get reports of cracked rims/wheels, just last week the H-T had 4, new Ford trucks inspected and 3 of them had cracked rims. So this is not just an issue with older vehicles.

There is no technical bulletin or Ford recall on this issue yet, please have you vehicles inspected.

If you personally own a Ford please take the time to have it checked out also, safety awareness and risk assessment doesn’t stop when we go home.

** Please put a comment here if you have seen this issue in your fleet **

56 replies
  1. Randy Miller
    Randy Miller says:

    for as many vehicles fitting this criteria why isnt this problem more prevalent?How often should this check be done?? some vehicles are 8 years old some are new?
    ford engineers seem to be unaware of such a widespread problem?we are checking all vehicles in the fleet ,some departments are taking the vehicles out of service until inspections are completed.
    I feel more research is in order, we are doing the inspections for safetys sake.

    Reply
  2. MB Black Eagle
    MB Black Eagle says:

    We have a 2002 Ford F-150 with aluminum wheels. We have not inspected all of them, as we only had a problem with a slow leak on one wheel, and when it was inspected, there WAS a CRACK not caused by any impact. So there is a problem with the aluminum wheels, also.

    Reply
  3. Anthony Bulygo
    Anthony Bulygo says:

    You will note that the article cannot be substantiated and has been researched by the major manufacturers of fire apparatus with no confirmation of wheel failure at this time. If more information comes in, I will have it posted and updated.

    Reply
  4. Jordan Cameron
    Jordan Cameron says:

    Our 2003 Expedition was in for summer tire and rims and i just found one rim with the same problem. A crack just like the pictures in the alert. It also happens to be on a factory Police patrol car.

    Reply
  5. Jack Gardner
    Jack Gardner says:

    I have an ’06 F250 with 20″ aluminum rims(factory)and a spare set of 17″ rims with snow tires. I just pulled the wheels w/ snow tires off and put the 20’s back on. As I was checking the air pressure of each tire, I noticed one rim has 2 separate cracks, each about 1-1/2″ long between the “spokes”. One extends from the valve stem penetration and the other is almost directly opposite the valve stem. I’d say there is definitely an issue with the aluminum rims as well.

    Reply
  6. Joel Brincken
    Joel Brincken says:

    I live in WA state. I have a Ford E150 Cargo Van I have had 2 Rim crack in the last month. I develope a small leak in them and took it into the tire shop (last month) and they told me the rim is cracked. Again a different tire was leaking yesterday and sure enough it was also cracked. 16″ 5 lug steel rims.

    Reply
  7. Rémi berton
    Rémi berton says:

    bonjour

    je vis en france

    j’ai une ford fiesta de 2007 ou les deux jantes avants se sont fissurées à 45000 km pour la droite et 60000 km pour la gauche
    sans aucune trace de choc sur l’enjoliveur ou le pneu
    fissure d’environ 10cm

    hello

    I live in France

    I have a ford fiesta 2007 or the two front wheels were cracked at 45,000 km for the right and 60000 km for the left
    without a trace of shock to trim or tire
    crack of about 10cm

    Reply
  8. Mark
    Mark says:

    I have a ’03 F-250 SD and have now had both front wheels crack with no impact damage, just a a big crack shows up on the edge of the rim. This is getting expensive.

    Reply
  9. TERRI
    TERRI says:

    I have aluminum rims on my 2003 F150, I have had two cracked rims in the last two months, and the tire shop i go to has had 5 cracked ford rims this week alone. they say they get them all the time. How is Ford not doing anything about this, and where can I report it? I live in canada by the way, so this problem is widespread. I’ve read so many websites and people have same complaints- steel AND aluminum. Im losing my mind having to buy ssame crappy ford rims and having to pay for it when it is obviously a manufacturing defect. They better pray I dont get in an accident while I wait for another rim. Im NEVER buying a ford again

    Reply
  10. Eric
    Eric says:

    Same Problem this has been my 2nd tire,1st time they replaced it after a tire blow on the freeway. This tire is in shop now and asked to file a claim with FORD as i Await there is a hairline crack approx 6 inches on edge than another crack opposite side about 1/4 thick open and about 8 inches long. They want me to take the truck home today and await for the claim to be processed. Did I mention they said it was safe to drive off lot. LETS hope so… The truck is stock no modifications and are stock rims. Were in California. Truck is a F350 Diesel 4 x 4

    Reply
  11. Steve
    Steve says:

    Same problems with steel wheels on my ’06 150. Have had 5 rims fail. Have called Ford each time to no avail. Replaced the first four thinking someone was hung over on the wheel welding line. The fifth proves they could all be bad. Ford and their dealership have basically told me to pee up a rope. Nice engineering and great customer service Ford.

    Reply
  12. elmler
    elmler says:

    I have an 03 expedition fx4 with aluminum rims. Last month found a crack on the right rear rim. Put the spare on til I get new rims. two days ago the left rear was low and what do you know that rim is cracked too!

    Reply
  13. Michael Galleher
    Michael Galleher says:

    I have a 2006 f-250 with alloy factory wheels, I have had all 4 welded at least once, 2 wheels more than once. Ford keeps telling me they are unaware of any problems, BS.

    Reply
  14. Richard Blon
    Richard Blon says:

    i have a 99 ford f150 was on the highway coming off the highway all of a sudden i hear boom thank god it didnt do it on the highway what a mess that would be. so any ways i pull over my rim is split. now i have a nother one that leaks bet its the crack .called ford they say no complaint that year truck .wondering if its the original rims.any way still they are ford factory rims not after markets.

    Reply
  15. Rusty B
    Rusty B says:

    I have a 2006 single wheel F 350 with 18″ factory aluminum wheels. 3 out of 4 have crack from the edge of the bead seat going toward the center about one inch long. I would think Ford would value their customers enough to make it wright with us.

    Reply
  16. HENRY WALLET
    HENRY WALLET says:

    I JUST CHEKED MY RIMS ON MY 2006 F-250 ALLOY RIMS TWO IN FRONT ARE CRACKED. ONE CRACK IS 6 INCHES LONG THE OTHER IS STARTING. CALLED DOT MADE COMPLAINT. TAKE IT TO FORD THEY CAN HIDE THE CRACK FORM PUBLIC.

    Reply
  17. chuck
    chuck says:

    I have a 2007 ford f350. I recently found a crack running inbetween the spokes. the tire was actually pushing thru it. I went to my dealership and they said, and I quote “well it has over 100,000 miles on it.” really? thats a structural problem. I tried with every level of management that day. as luck shall have it, when I was leaving, another gentleman came in with the exact same problem. they finally believed me and went to Ford. Ford claims there is not a problem so I guess all of us must just be f@#$ing nuts. we are currently filing a BBB complaint and contacting the states attorney. I will not accept buying a heavy duty truck that cant handle weight, seems ridiculous. Nor will I or should anyone else, accept a brand new version of the same exact shitty rim. we all should have a new and better and safer replacement.

    Reply
  18. bob patterson
    bob patterson says:

    I have a 2010 F-350 and my aluminum wheels have cracks between the spokes on 2 wheels. Another person in my small town has the same issue. Ford says I am the only one reporting this problem. BS. I want what is right. This is a factory defect and a safety issue. I don’t feel that I need to pay the $1,000+ per wheel they want for their factory defect. Has anyone else experienced this issue? bob@bobpat.com
    P.S. The above was a copy and paste since I’m sending this out to as many sites as I can. After reading numerous posts, it is clear Ford knows and is clearly aware of the problem. This further infuriates me that they are giving the same untruthful answers to those who bring this to their attention. I believed I was the only one experiencing this problem after talking to the factory, but now I know they are bold face liars. That really makes me mad. Why lie? No I’m determined to get satisfaction. I paid their price for their product. I want it to perform properly. How do you get Ford to respond? A class action suit? Bob Patterson

    Reply
    • Larry Prusha
      Larry Prusha says:

      I’ve got 2009 E350 with aluminum alloy I was just walking around the vehicle letting a dog do his thing and I noticed a big crack in my rim. I use the vehicle do shuttle around Amish passengers and never has been overloaded I keep new tires on this vehicle at all times. I just transported people last night going down the interstate at 70 miles an hour. More than half of the inside of the rim is busted with a crack about a quarter of an inch wide and a tire is still up

      Reply
    • Larry Prusha
      Larry Prusha says:

      I’ve got 2009 E350 with aluminum alloy I was just walking around the vehicle letting a dog do his thing and I noticed a big crack in my rim. I use the vehicle do shuttle around Amish passengers and never has been overloaded I keep new tires on this vehicle at all times. I just transported people last night going down the interstate at 70 miles an hour. More than half of the inside of the rim is busted with a crack about a quarter of an inch wide and a tire is still up I bought my new from ford. But just 2 months ago another Ford van and crashed and killed two with Amish I’m going to do some digging now.

      Reply
  19. Kristi Ramirez
    Kristi Ramirez says:

    After talking with my dealership and the Ford Customer Care line, who told me there was nobody I could talk to at Ford to try and get an investigation started. I am filing a complaint with the State Attorney’s Office. I recommend everyone who has had an issue do the same. Maybe then we can get the replacements we deserve.

    Reply
  20. Kristi Ramirez
    Kristi Ramirez says:

    I gave Ford one more chance at redeeming themselves and got the same reply from their customer care unit that I got before. I responded and told them that I had hoped they would be more concerned about the safety of Ford Owner’s, but was going to pursue this in the Court of Public Opinion. I encourage everyone with this problem to please contact me at kramirez22@q.com with your stories.
    I am planning on contacting media to tell them about our problem and also filing with the State Attorney’s office.

    Reply
    • Abhinandan
      Abhinandan says:

      your tire pressure is in no way rteeald to the maximum rating of the tire itself and is is directly corresponding to weight distribution of the car itself .. over inflated and your going to wear the inner tread of the tire before your wear the outer and under inflate the opposite you wear the outer edges of the tire but not the inner .. if i remember correct your golf should be 32 psi front and back with the spare being 60 psi .. and this tire pressure does not chance with the size (height) of the tire and rim nor does it chance with the wall height or tire base again the pressure is based on the weight distribution of the car on the tires .. you can confirm the 32 psi rating by either looking on the inside door trim on the driver side on the sticker .. or sometimes located on the sticker in the glove box but usally it is in the driver door trim or door itself

      Reply
  21. Kristi Ramirez
    Kristi Ramirez says:

    I discovered that the email I gave you is not operational. Please send emails to kramirez@mchsi.com. I look forward to hearing from you and will keep everyone updated on this site as to my progress with this issue.

    Reply
  22. Kristi R
    Kristi R says:

    Please everyone file a complaint at ODI.NHTSA.DOT.GOV. I just did and they are supposed to investigate it. If I am the only one who complains, nothing may happen, but if everyone starts filing complaints it may help us.
    Contact me at kramirez@mchsi.com please with your stories. I am also filing a complaint with the State Attorneys office in Iowa where I live. Please do the same where you live. If enough of us do this we can only hope to get Ford to listen.

    Reply
  23. Trish Smiler
    Trish Smiler says:

    I just found out that my 2008 F-350 with aluminum wheels have cracks also! I bought it used less than a month ago from a Chevy dealership in town. They “repaired” it and told us it was good to go. One week later while pulling our 40′ 5th wheel someone told us our front tire looked “funny” going down the road…YEP sure enough, the crack had not only gotten longer but had also gotten wider! Had we been going faster or for a longer trip I am sure we would have been the cause of a wreck! The technician at the Chevy dealer told us that this is a SAFETY issue. Has anyone had luck with Ford at this point?

    Reply
  24. mark s
    mark s says:

    My 2008 Ford F-250 had an air leak we could not find, eventually the crack opened up and showed itself. The crack was on the inboard side of the rim starting at the bead of the rim and extending towards the center of the wheel about 1-1/2 inches in then moved back to the bead. The crack is about 6-1/2 inches long.

    I contacted the dealership and was told the truck was out of waranty and nothing could be done. This is a King Ranch edition. I noticed these rims are stamped Ford and made in Taiwan.

    I will replace with aftermarkets as my wife tows horses with this truck. Ford knows that this is a problem. They will not “man up”.

    Reply
  25. Lee s
    Lee s says:

    I have 2006 f-250 with the same problem and it has happened twice, cracks between to spokes and everyone is correct, Ford is not doing anything about it. It appears there is enough complaints and I am also wondering if anyone has been in an accident due the rim giving out causing a blow out. Maybe everyone should pull together and file a class action law suite against Ford. That will draw public attention and cause Ford to final stop hiding the truth, they have defective rims and it is a major public safety issue. I am going to reach out Motley Rice (Plaintiff) who sued Ford years back on the tire blow out issues. I will keep you posted

    Reply
  26. Danny Armstrong
    Danny Armstrong says:

    I have a 2003 F-350 DRW, with 95,000 original miles and aluminum rims. I have the same problem. My wife and I were taking our son back to colllege and I heard a noise comming from the right front sounded like the warning for the brake pads except it didn’t stop when I applied the brakes. I took it to my mechanic the next day only to discover that the rim had cracked completely through one of the spokes and had started on another about an 1 1/2″. My mechanic stated that he had seen it alot and that the rims aren’t warrantied. He commented that he thought that the truck was just too heavy for those aluminum rims. See he has a F-350 as well and had the same problem. I contacted Ford’s Customer Relations and they basically all give you the same learned response about how they work with the NHTSA blah,blah and no definative answer except “NO”. Very dissapointed in Ford and I still feel they should replace my rim! as I stated to Ford. If I had abused my truck or had an impact, they would have never heard from me and now I find that I’m not the only one! That’s even more disturbing. Everyone should flood the Customer Relations Dept. with e-mails until something is done. I’ll do my part and hope you do too.

    Reply
    • patrick henry
      patrick henry says:

      Dear Sir or Madam:

      I am a researcher for a law firm that is conducting an investigation of cracks in wheels/rims on certain Ford trucks. I am trying to locate individuals who have such wheels in their possesion in order that we may arrange to have them examined by experts.
      Thank you,

      P. Henry
      patrickhenry2010@live.com

      Reply
      • Art Schlangen
        Art Schlangen says:

        I have a 08 King Ranch I had a major blow out last year with my truck camper on my truck. Insurance stated it was a collision. I knew better but if they are going to replace my $1400 rims. Then so be it. Now I come out of the store tonight my wife looks at the rim and sure enough a crack. The same place where the other one failed. I’m rattle was going to load the camper and heading out next week for some fly fishing. Patrick I sent you a email. This needs to get fixed.

        Reply
      • brad giddiens
        brad giddiens says:

        I am downloading all these cases and forwarding to Ford. I had a cracked wheel on 06 King Ranch going down I45, major blowout, destroying the tire which are not cheap. Had it welded and the man demanded I put it on the rear. Doing so, discovered another cracked wheel. Had it welded and now one weld failed some months later. Completely disgusted with FORD because all they can say is there is no recall. Well, wonder why. I am also thinking of forwarding this to FOX News and see if they are interested because doing some investigating, wondering why the wheels are going through the roof on pricing. Wonder if there are so many failed wheels to replace, why not jack up the price and make a fortune that way as well. FORD has to know the increase in sales and cracks, take advantage as long as they can.

        Reply
        • Beverly Dunnigan
          Beverly Dunnigan says:

          I just had our rim split on our F250. Started as a slow leak then going down the road it completely failed.
          Please let me know if you had any luck with Ford
          Thanks

          Reply
  27. Gregg Thompson
    Gregg Thompson says:

    I have the same problem on my 2005 F-250 Harley Edition with 20″ aluminum wheels. I found the right front wheel cracked from “spoke to spoke” so I wrote it off and replaced it. Now the left front is developing a crack in the same way. With what I’m reading here, I don’t know what to do.

    Reply
  28. Joe Benysek
    Joe Benysek says:

    We have a 2010 Fusion and one of our tires kept going flat. Finally took tire in to get replaced and was told there is a crack on the seam of the weld when rims were first made. car has 49,000 on it. Ordered a new rim and just showed it to our local Ford dealership. They said it was an impact that caused the crack on the weld line. If we would have hit a pothole or anything that would crack a steel rim like that, there would be front end damage to the vehicle somewhere! They are not owning up to this. They put the car on a lift to check other 3 tires, but never took the tires off and said rims were fine. Keeping the rim in case it happens to another wheel. anyone else have issues with the steel rims on cars, and not just the trucks?

    Reply
  29. TVB
    TVB says:

    I have a 2010 F150 that has had 2 cracked aluminum rims (17 inch factory rims)within 3 months. Had 1 rim welded and will purchase a rim to replace the other cracked rim. When I ordered my new rim, I had to give them a $70 deposit that will only be refunded when I return my old damaged rim! Like my F150…but the rim situation is getting expensive and time conuming.

    Reply
  30. Jesse Siglow
    Jesse Siglow says:

    Ford has a problem with their Electronic Power Assist Steering on Fusions from 2009 to date. It is a serious hazard. Neither Ford nor NTSB has made public any remedies for this. Mine is a 2012 Fusion with 6722 miles on it and when it failed I was driving . . . my wife would not have been able to steer the car as it slowed.

    Reply
  31. Ryan
    Ryan says:

    Hey guys I had a slow leak on my 2010 f150 thought it was the tire…
    Found out I had a small crack in my rim they are aluminum… 5 years old. I live in Canada this is crazy

    Reply
  32. Michael Mitchell
    Michael Mitchell says:

    I drive a Ford Ikon 2012.

    One of my wheels broke into two pieces and fell off while I was driving.

    Ford said it was because of general road conditions in JHB South Africa.

    Reply
  33. Chris Luhiau
    Chris Luhiau says:

    I have had 2 of the stock steel wheels on my 2006 F150 go out with these cracks at separate tines just summer between April and September.

    Reply
  34. shane w
    shane w says:

    i drive a ford fiesta here in ireland which is a small hatchback car and i have had 3 steel rims crack within days but it seems to only happen on the front right wheel anyone got any suggestions as to why this may be happening

    Reply
  35. Michael Wylie
    Michael Wylie says:

    2016 F350 – aluminum wheels – front right tire kept going down – took to dealer – rim has a crack near the valve stem – told me extended warranty does not cover – 62,000 miles on truck – $800.00 for new wheel – they are going to try and weld it – From the previous post it looks like Ford has an issue and is doing nothing about it and collecting $800.00 just because they can.

    Reply
    • Bill Hull
      Bill Hull says:

      2015 F350 Crew Cab Dually exact same problem. Started losing air out of right front tire. I pulled it and checked it and found the same problem a crack at the valve stem. Thank god this didn’t fail and cause an accident!

      Reply
  36. Arcelia C
    Arcelia C says:

    I have a 2009 F 250. My husband thought I was hitting curbs. So glad I found this site. We’ve had 2 cracked aluminum 20″ wheels. 1st one we got rid of not knowing it was a problem. The 2nd one we have and need to replace. This is getting really expensive.

    Reply
  37. M Martinez Berchelmann
    M Martinez Berchelmann says:

    I have a 2009 Ford F250 just replaced all four tires a few weeks ago because i was losing air low tire pressure every other day, & its doing it again, went to place that sold me the tires and they found cracks in my wheels. Does anyone know of Ford doing a recall at all these things cost $1200 a piece? This is the third time i replace all 4 tires.

    Reply
  38. Teresa
    Teresa says:

    I have been having the same issues with my Ford Explorer so I will have my husband put spare on until I can afford new rims

    Reply

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