Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (wheels, lug nuts, original-equipment tires, TPMS).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1998 Ford Expedition owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 Ford Expedition equipped with Goodyear wrangler trailmark tires, size: p265/65/r18 (na). The contact purchased the brand new tires from walmart. While driving 35 MPH on the highway, the rear driver's side wheel detached from the vehicle. A police report was filed that stated that the lug nuts were completely gone. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. Walmart filed a claim with their insurance company, which stated that walmart followed procedures when they installed the tires and were not liable. The dealer and manufacturer had not been contacted. The contact spoke with her state's attorney general's office. The tire failure mileage was unavailable. The failure mileage was 246,233.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 Ford Expedition. While driving approximately 45 MPH the vehicle began to shake vigorously and the contact drove the vehicle onto the emergency lane. The contact noticed one of the lug nuts was missing and that the studs and rim were damaged. The contact replaced the rim and took the vehicle to an independent mechanic. The mechanic replaced the lug nuts, the studs, the axle seals and the parking brake shoes. The vehicle was repaired. There was a recall under NHTSA campaign number: 98V095000(wheels:lugs/nuts/bolts) that May be related to the failure. The dealer was made aware of the failure and stated the VIN was not included. The approximate failure mileage was 160,000.
Dt: the steel belt is sticking out of the rubber on the tire. It is occurring where the tread meets the sidewall. The tire is a Goodyear wrangler rt/s p265/70r17. The contact noticed that this problem had allowed air to leak out of the tire. This was on October 13, 2005. The tire was located on the front passenger's side . The contact examined the tire, and found that there was no puncture marks in the tire. When the contact took vehicle back to the dealer, they said that it was due to driving on a low tire. The contact had not driven with the tire on the vehicle when he noticed the problem. The tire was purchased used.
While driving lugs nuts broke, causing the front right wheel to detach from the vehicle. Consumer was traveling at 70 MPH when lugs and nuts broke in the front wheel. Taken to dealership and put the same tire and rim. When consumer left dealership, lights failed to work and experienced shaking in front end. Took vehicle to a different dealership, and found out that the front end was so bad. Dealership replaced shims to align front end. The failure of lights was caused by the repair from the previous dealership because when they took the dash board apart, they poked a hole in the heater which burned the wire.
My wife was driving on rt 3 was going around a curve the vehicle started like wobbling and she was trying to find a wide spot to pull off the road. When she went around the curve the tire came off and she was slung into the other lane and she counter stirred and went over an embankment. Old parts are not available. Don't know where they went. Cause the stud bolts broke and lug nuts came off. Put new stud bolts in and bought new lug nuts.
My vehicle was involved in recall 98s14 and dealer did not have replacement lug nuts, so they tightened the defective ones. We were involved in an accident where the wheel sheered off at the lug nuts rolling our vehicle over 4-5 times. I suffered a broken neck in two places and a crushed disc which had to be removed an the vertibrae fused. I feel Ford was negligent and responsible for the accident. We are currently seeking legal advise.
Rear driver side lug nuts failed causing vehicle to fish tail, rolling over 4-5 times resting upside down. Two adult and three children ages 5,12 and 18 involved in the crash. One adult suffered broken neck in two places and crushed disc. One week hospital stay with surgery to remove crushed disc and fusion of two vertibrae. Other adult and two children suffered minor cuts and abraisions one child ejected from vehicle onto highway.
On two separate occasions, the lug bolts have broken off of the vehicle when in motion. The last occurrence lost 3 lug bolts at the same time. The lug bolts shear off along with the lug nuts. There was a recall in 1998, and Ford states that my vehicle was brought in December of that year for the recall. This happens on the front and back wheels. There are many reports online about this happening.
Tl contact owns a 1998 Ford Expedition. While driving approximately 65 MPH, the contact heard a clunking noise underneath the vehicle. The rear driver's side tire detached from the vehicle. The contact veered to the other side of the road. There were no warnings prior to the failure. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and repaired. The failure and current mileages were 308,000.
While driving on the highway on 02/20/2009 I experienced a blow out on the passengers right front tire. The speed was about 60 MPH. I then experienced a second blowout 30 days later 03/20/2009 on the left rear drivers tire. Once again this was about 1.5 -2 hrs of highway driving. My whole family of 4 was in the SUV at the time. Now I don't feel safe with the other two tires.
Related recalls
Wheels › Lugs/nuts/bolts/studs
Vehicle description: multi-purpose vehicles and light duty pickup trucks. The lug nuts on these vehicles May not create sufficient clamp load allowing wheel movement in relation to the hub/rotor mounting surface.
Remedy: Owners of these vehicles will be receiving two notifications. The first notification, which began in May 1998, will provide an interim repair procedure until parts become available.
Wheel & Tire complaints in other Expedition years
Frequently asked questions
How common are wheel & tire problems on the 1998 Ford Expedition?
NHTSA has 73 complaints about the wheels & tires of the 1998 Ford Expedition, 9% of the model year's 836 complaints. The component named most often is lugs/nuts/bolts/studs (28 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1998 Ford Expedition wheel & tire problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 98V-095 (lugs/nuts/bolts/studs, May 13, 1998). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 1998 Ford Expedition wheel & tire problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 87,000 miles, and 8% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 6 crashes, 0 fires and 8 injuries to wheels & tires problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.