hi guys need your help with figuring out what happened......I was driving and my rim broke in half any suggestions what maight have coused that??

 

Being it broke, leads me to believe its alum...

What year, style of rim.. A pic if posted would be interesting to see.. Did it break around the circumference, across the face? through the spokes/holes?.. Can you let us have a peek

 

I drive the 98 Ford F-150 and this is the original rim (I believe) 17x7.5J (F75A-1007 EC).

[IMG]local://upfiles/8676/54D0D7D94D2A44D2811A1B6E9D457FCF.jpg[/IMG]

 

Wow.. Thats a pretty clean break..

Almost looks like a weld failure, only these wheels are One-Piece cast constructed.. Maybe some forensic metallurgy in order here

I've personally haven't seen many wheel failures unless they were damaged first.. A break like that, in that area 'seems' like it would either take boat loads of weight, or a casting flaw/inconsistancy to cause a complete failure..

I'd say you were 'lucky' in both meanings of the word..........

 

Is there anything I can do ? Accept for ordering a new rim......was there a recall on wheels/rims.....I only saw the one they had in 1998....should I even try to contact Ford directly....any ideas.....thanks

 

Yeah, I'd definitely take the wheel to a Ford dealership, show it to them, and see what they say. Get the name of the person(s) you speak with and make notes as to the date and time you visited and what was said, in case you need this info. later. Take the wheel with you when you leave there - DO NOT LET them alter it or keep it (that's your evidence, which you'll need if the wheel is later found to be defective).

I'll check to see if there's any current lawsuits regarding defective wheels for your particular model. I don't know about any recalls, but if no one posts about that, I'll check into it also - as soon as I can - about to travel out-of-state for the holiday.

 

hey, Malibu Barbie thanks a lot .... I really appreciate that .... will keep you posted on what the dealer had to say

 

You're welcome! I didn't find any current class action suits or recalls regarding this issue. There is a TSB on the hub O-rings and lugs. Ford might be aware of this problem from prior customer complaints, which hasn't been made a recall or TSB as of this date, so I'm anxious to hear the results of your visit to the dealership.

 

Personally I need a closer look at the whole rim, something like that is not just a defect as all materials that leave the factory are scaned for safety reasons to stop defects like this from happening. What is the truck used for? Do you haul any sort of weight with it? Tow anything? Had you been getting a flat on that tire for some while before this happened? I need some more information on this before I can really be of any service, I've worked in a tire shop and the only rims that we ever seen get like that are the big steel and aluminium 22.5 and 24.5's for class 1 and 3 vehichles.

So please if you can get me a few more pictures of the face, laying down and up close on the area that is not clean cut broken off.

Also when was the last time tires where balanced on that truck? New tires?

I will see what I can do to help you out with this.

Morgan