Lug nuts used by Ford Motor Co. remain a source of controversy — and concern for some Ford dealership service departments — even after a federal court this year dismissed a proposed class-action lawsuit alleging that the two-piece design was defective and dangerous.
Critics asserted that the caps of the lug nuts were prone to swell and change shape, making them hard to remove for regular maintenance or wheel and tire replacement. Plaintiffs in the suit against Ford, filed in 2017, alleged that vehicles with "swollen and delaminated" lug nuts "cannot be safely driven."