Symptom explainer · every vehicle on the site
Wheel bearing, tires or wheels
Most reported: 2017 Chevrolet Corvette with 225 reports. Across the 448 model years on this site with at least five, owners filed 6,222.
- 6,222owner reports
- 448model years affected
- 22,655median miles
- 328involved a crash
- 31involved a fire
This sheet gathers complaints about the parts that meet the road: tires that wear out early or blow out, wheels that crack or bend, lug nuts that come loose, and wheel bearings that start to hum. The median mileage owners give is about 21,000, among the lowest on the site, so many of these are fairly new cars.
Which cars report it most · By model · When it happens · What it is and what to do
The 25 vehicles with the most reports
Each row is one model year. The bar is its count of wheels reports; the share is how much of that car's complaint file this problem takes up. Bigger sellers draw more reports, so read the share alongside the count. Red dots mark crashes and fires in these reports; amber marks a recall on the same system.
- 12017 Chevrolet Corvette1 crash22588% of its complaints15k mi
- 212584% of its complaints9k mi
- 32019 Ford F-250 Super Duty1 crash1 fire918% of its complaints20k mi
- 4823% of its complaints42k mi
- 52017 Ford Explorer1 crashrecall764% of its complaints20k mi
- 62017 Ford F-250 Super Duty1 crash726% of its complaints29k mi
- 72017 Ford F-350 Super Duty1 crash6712% of its complaints22k mi
- 82016 Ford Explorer2 crashesrecall653% of its complaints22k mi
- 92018 Jeep Wrangler2 crashes633% of its complaints8k mi
- 105957% of its complaints18k mi
- 112023 Tesla Model Y7 crashesrecall585% of its complaints19k mi
- 12573% of its complaints52k mi
- 132014 Ford Escape4 crashes1 fire513% of its complaints50k mi
- 142015 Ford F-1502 crashes483% of its complaints47k mi
- 15489% of its complaints15k mi
- 162016 Ford Fusion1 crashrecall473% of its complaints50k mi
- 172017 Ford F-1502 crashes473% of its complaints46k mi
- 18472% of its complaints46k mi
- 192019 Ford F-350 Super Duty1 crash419% of its complaints25k mi
- 202014 Ford Fusion2 crashesrecall403% of its complaints45k mi
- 21395% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 22388% of its complaints15k mi
- 232015 Chrysler 2005 crashes342% of its complaints32k mi
- 242015 Jeep Cherokee3 crashes342% of its complaints49k mi
- 252016 Ford Escape1 crash343% of its complaints49k mi
Where it dominates the complaint file
Model years with at least 25 reports, ranked by the share of all their complaints that describe wheels. That takes most of the sales-volume effect out (small sellers still swing more).
- 12017 Chevrolet Corvette1 crash22588% of its complaints15k mi
- 212584% of its complaints9k mi
- 35957% of its complaints18k mi
- 42016 Ram 35002 crashes1 firerecall2519% of its complaints20k mi
- 52613% of its complaints15k mi
- 62017 Ford F-350 Super Duty1 crash6712% of its complaints22k mi
- 72014 Honda Civic1 crash1 fire2911% of its complaints21k mi
- 82711% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 9489% of its complaints15k mi
- 102019 Ford F-350 Super Duty1 crash419% of its complaints25k mi
By model, every year together
The 12 models with the most reports. Each chip is a model year; the darker chip is its worst year.
- Ford F-150317
- Ford Escape270
- Honda Accord159
- Ram 3500153
- Ford Fusion150
- Honda CR-V148
When it happens
3,646 of the 6,222 reports state a mileage. The middle half fall between 11,000 and 45,000 miles; the median is 22,655. Each column is a 20,000-mile band.
Reports by model year
Every report of wheels, grouped by the model year of the car. 328 involved a crash and 31 a fire. 167 people were hurt.
What owners describe
Share of the 6,222 reports that use each phrase. One report can use several.
What got replaced
Reports that name the part, across every vehicle.
What it is and what to do
Across about 6,200 complaints on the vehicles covered here, the Chevrolet Corvette stands out, with the 2017 and 2019 model years at the top of the list, followed by the 2019 Ford F-250 Super Duty. About one in seven complaints mentions lug nuts or a wheel coming loose, one in eight mentions wear, about one in eleven a hum or other noise, and about one in twelve a blowout. The outcomes aren't minor: 328 of these complaints mention a crash.
Each problem has its own tell. Firestone ties a vibration that gets worse with speed to worn wheel bearings, bent wheels or suspension trouble, and a gentler wobble at low speed to a tire that's out of balance or worn. The FTC's guide adds that an unbalanced tire makes the car vibrate and that underinflated tires can make it pull to one side. A bulge or deformed spot on a tire can mean a steel belt has separated inside it, which Firestone says needs inspection right away.
NHTSA has chased wheel failures before. Its investigation EA11-009 found wheel mounting studs fracturing on 2010 Ford Fusions, which ended in recall 11V-574, and PE15-020 looked at a 22-inch alloy wheel on a 2014 Ford Edge that broke in two, which a lab traced to a severe impact. Tire pressure monitoring is covered by recalls too: Tesla's 24V-935 fixed, by software, a warning light that could go out between drives and fail to warn about low pressure.
Firestone's shop checks follow from those causes: balancing, an inspection for internal or sidewall damage (especially after a pothole), and an alignment when the car pulls or the wheel sits off center. Ask whether the tire itself is under a recall; NHTSA's lookup searches tires as well as vehicles.
Stop driving on a tire with a bulge, a wheel that's wobbling, or any sign the lug nuts are loose. Firestone calls loose or missing lug nuts very dangerous. A new hum that grows with speed can go to the shop on its own wheels, but soon.
Check tire pressure once a month when the tires are cold, meaning the car hasn't been driven for at least three hours. NHTSA says the right pressure is on the label on the driver's door edge or in the owner's manual. Tell the shop when the noise or vibration started, at what speed, and whether it changes when you turn. Get any complaint in writing during the warranty period; the FTC says a defect reported then must be fixed even if the warranty ends first.
Sources
- Why is my tire wobbling? Causes, symptoms and solutions, Firestone Complete Auto Care
- Auto repair basics (handling and vibration), FTC Consumer Advice
- Tires, NHTSA
- NHTSA investigations EA11-009 (wheel stud fracture, 2010 Ford Fusion; recall 11V-574) and PE15-020 (wheel separation, 2014 Ford Edge) (NHTSA investigation files)
- NHTSA recall 24V-935, Tesla tire pressure warning
- Check for recalls, NHTSA
- Warranties, FTC Consumer Advice
- Complaint counts, mileages and phrase shares: NHTSA complaint files as tallied on this site
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints on the 1,040 vehicle model years that have a page here, grouped by the word patterns described on the method page. A vehicle needs five matching reports to be counted in this ranking. Checked Sep 27, 2026. All problem explainers.