Wheel flies off on freeway

[luvs2camp7164]

We have the 2017 jayco eagle 293rkds and was returning from a weekend camping trip. Coming home on the freeway we had a driver pull up beside us waving her hands to roll down our window. Confused I rolled down the window and she proceeded to tell us we just lost a tire. We immediately pulled off the freeway to a safe location. Thinking she ment a flat we where shocked to find out we actually lost the tire on the passenger side of the camper. It completely sheared off all the lug bolts flush with the hub. Holy cow I cannot believe we did not know this and that it did not hit anyone or cause an accident. The first thing we did was called get a tow but on our insurance it did not include our campers and it would be $600 to have it towed. So we decided to fix it which included taking the hub off and pounding out all the lug bolts putting new lug bolts in and putting the spare tire on and creeping home it is currently at the Jayco dealership waiting to hear back from Jacob what they are going to do on this matter we have requested that they replace all the hubs because we fear that the same thing might happen with the rest of the tires

[enmity02]

Holy ****!!! Hopefully everyone is safe.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

[luvs2camp7164]

Yes. Thank god!!!!

[Grumpy]

They will ask if you re torqued the lug nuts as required in the owner's manual. Looks like the bottom left lug nut was loose based on the wear on the hub.

[Mopar_Earl]

Appears to be from loose lugs. Loose lugs will eventually shear off the studs. Could be wrong, but that's my experience of the damaged shown.

It's always a good idea to check the torque before every major trip and a couple times a year. When the wheel is removed, you will want to retorque it after a short drive and than again. Especially with aluminum wheels and especially trailer wheels. Trailer wheels aren't centered by the wheel center but by the lugs.



Earl

[RVhiker]

Wow.

I hope you will be able to post again and tell us what the dealer or Jayco will do to correct this, and what the explanation is for what happened. We all have wheels and lug nuts, and want them to stay properly connected!

[FeatherFam]

Wow - Count your blessings!
I verify and correct (as needed) each tire's psi and each wheel's nut torque before our TT leaves the driveway for a trip and before the TT leaves the CG to return home. The nuts are often a bit loose. I also put my hands on leaf shackles and bolts and equalizers, checking them for tightness and any signs of damage or weakness; I also check the tires for any irregularities (before trips and frequently during a trip at a stop). Stuff happens! We cannot catch every possibility, but we do what we can to form good habits.

If we are on a long road trip of two or more days, I check the torque every other morning and check the psi every morning; this is especially important when traveling through regions with dramatic changes in temperature and poor road/pavement conditions (hot and cold expansion and contraction and lots of banging and pounding on the suspension can impact). Safety routines are necessary, relevant, intelligent, and ethically correct.

[Lolead]

Originally Posted by Grumpy

They will ask if you re torqued the lug nuts as required in the owner's manual. Looks like the bottom left lug nut was loose based on the wear on the hub.

X2

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Originally Posted by Grumpy

They will ask if you re torqued the lug nuts as required in the owner's manual. Looks like the bottom left lug nut was loose based on the wear on the hub.

I'm thinking it's more likely that the lug nuts were over torqued, overstretching the studs and setting up stress fractures that grew enough to finally break off the studs. If the wheels on your trailer have never been removed since you bought it, you can do an unscientific test to kinda sorta
test that theory. Put a torque wrench on each of the remaining lug nuts to see it they are under torqued. If they are, then the nuts coming loose is the probably cause. If the torque wrench clicks at the rated torque, try a significantly higher torque rating on one nut to see if it will tighten anymore. If the torque wrench still doesn't tighten the nut any further, then it's likely they all are over torqued and all the studs are probably damaged and need replacing.

Also, have the other tire on the same side as the wheel that went AWOL removed from the rim and checked for internal damage since it became overloaded when the other wheel said bye bye.

[cariboocreek]

Originally Posted by Grumpy

They will ask if you re torqued the lug nuts as required in the owner's manual. Looks like the bottom left lug nut was loose based on the wear on the hub.

X3

[norty1]

I have 2 friends that have had that happen. It's as stated either over or under torqued lug nuts.
I carry an inexpensive torque wrench (Harbor Freight) with the proper size socket and torque mine 2-3 times a season, and after every trip to a tire store.

Glad you did not have any trouble. BTW did you find the tire?

[RAurand]

I almost had something similar happen to a boat trailer when I had my 24 foot Cruiser. Going down the highway, I all of a sudden felt something making loud noises. I pulled over and found one lug nut was almost off. The rest had gotten very loose and the rim was wobbling on the hub.. Had to disconnect from the trailer, go get new hub bolts, pound out the ones that were in as they were very stripped of the threads from the rim rubbing on them. Put in the new bolts and nuts, and we were on our way. When we got home, I had to have the rim replaced as well as the holes were no longer round and more oval shaped.

[Isaacs]

I had a boat trailer that had lost three out of four lug bolts on one of the wheels--just happened to notice it wobbling in my mirror as I was pulling out of a travel plaza. I robbed bolts from two other wheels to keep things rolling 'till I got to a town and bought some new ones from NAPA.

Checking them is important because as you discovered, the vibration isn't always noticed in the TV when things get loose.

[Tail_gunner]

Originally Posted by Grumpy

They will ask if you re torqued the lug nuts as required in the owner's manual. Looks like the bottom left lug nut was loose based on the wear on the hub.

That's a valid point. But technically the retorquing should have been done by the hauler during delivery to dealer and by the dealer prior to delivery. I'm sure the trailer had been towed more than enough miles during transport to the dealer from the factory to meet the requirements for the retorquing procedure.

Either they were retorqued during that period prior to you taking delivery, or they were not. If they were, then why did the wheel fall off.

If the lugs nuts were not retorqued during those initial couple hundreds miles after leaving the factory, then why was proper care not provided to your trailer.

If the lug nuts never get retorqued prior to delivery to the customer, it is too late by then. Any damage has probably already been done.

[vcbice]

I agree that they should have been re-torqued prior to purchase. But, I checked mine anyway. And when I had the tires replaced I checked them after another 200mi and then after 1000mi.

I suspect the issue is with the dealer/delivery service, not Jayco.

[Grumpy]

Originally Posted by Tail_gunner

That's a valid point. But technically the retorquing should have been done by the hauler during delivery to dealer and by the dealer prior to delivery. I'm sure the trailer had been towed more than enough miles during transport to the dealer from the factory to meet the requirements for the retorquing procedure.

Decal above the tires clearly state "and before each trip".

[norty1]

That is what I call "Legal Department advice", commonly know as CYA.

Not to criticize anyone who does torque them each time.

Like the warning posted on a sleeping pill, "Caution may cause drowsiness"

[Iraqvet05]

Originally Posted by Grumpy

Looks like the bottom left lug nut was loose based on the wear on the hub.

x2

[luvs2camp7164]

The wife and share the forum and she sent original post. We were able to get off the freeway and into a empty lot. Thank God nobody got hurt. The trailer stayed straight with no swaying when the wheel cut loose, very impressed with the handling. I pulled the hub off and punched the studs out and found a local auto store who had some that would fit. They were a lesser hardness grade than the originals but they fit and I could replace the hub and install the spare. We were only about 15 miles from home so I took it slow on the back roads home. We have only put maybe 500 miles on this unit that is why we were surprised. As you can see from the pic of the studs I punched out they broke off flush with the hub. From my experience of working on small cars all the way up to 24 foot straight trucks for the past 35 years it looks more like an over torque from the factory or who ever set them before delivery. I have been towing campers for over 25 years and never had an issue and I know to check the lug nuts on a regular basis. I really appreciate the concern and advice from this forum, what a great community. I sent the pick to the sales manager Monday morning and his first response was holly cow is everybody ok. That made me feel good about him. When he knew we were ok he immediately hooked us up with the service department. They were booked out but squeezed me in right away because it was a safety issue. Great dealership. Again thank you all for the concernes and advice.

[Marine71-76]

We had a similar incident - we were crossing a bridge on I-70 in the middle of nowhere Utah. It was a floating bridge that caused our issue - going onto the bridge was fine but when we crossed back over, we lost the tire, hub, plus damage on the trailer and cut waterline & power to the rear of the unit. And yes I check the torque every 500 miles.

According to the State Police, it happens a lot on that bridge.