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 2018 Ford F-150 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated upon completing a tire rotation, the dealer informed him that the lug nuts were deformed and had failed, which made it impossible to rotate the tires. The dealer informed the contact that it was a known failure and advised the contact to purchase new lug nuts that were not manufactured by the Ford manufacturer from a local Pep Boys. The contact purchased the new lug nuts and the dealer repaired the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 56,354.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon attempting to change a tire, the contact became aware that the provided tools were unable to be used to complete the wheel replacement. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the lug nuts were swollen. The contact was informed that the lug nuts needed to be forcefully removed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 85,000. The VIN was not available.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the low tire pressure warning light illuminated. The vehicle was driven to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that there was no physical failure with the tire. The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V155000 (Tires). The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 54,000.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the rear OEM passenger's side rim inadvertently fractured in half. There was no warning prior to the failure. The contact stated that she was able to place the spare on the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 98,000.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that twelve of the lug nuts were swollen and had to be replaced. The contact was made aware of the failure after taking the vehicle to the dealer for an oil change. The dealer replaced twelve of the lug nuts on the wheels. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 10,572.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at the dealer for an oil change and tire rotation, the contact was informed that the lug nuts on all four wheels were swollen and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.
I was driving my Ford F150 on road. My tire pressure warning came on. I pulled into a fast food restaurant. I retrieved my tire changing tools. I tried to loosen the wheel lugs. The tire changing wrench would not fit the lug nuts. I tried hitting the wrench to force lug wrench on to nut. It would not fit. I called a tire repair shop and a truck arrived. His wrench would not fit either. He left and returned with a large hammer. He drove the wrench socket onto the lug nut and was able to loosen all lug nuts. I called the dealer and spoke with service. The lug nut has a ss sheet metal wrap around the lug nut. When the nut is removed, as in a tire rotation, the ss sheet metal wrap is stretched and deformed, thereby making the lug wrench useless. The dealer said to bring truck in and they would replace the lug nuts. I lost 3 hours and paid the tire repair shop $45.00. …
Recently took my truck to Discount Tire for a tire rotation and rebalance. I was made aware that the lugs nuts on the truck are swollen. I was told by the Discount Tire employee this is common on F-150 trucks. He highly recommended that all lug nuts should be changed for safety and that the proper lug nut socket can be used. The lug nuts were so swollen that the recommended 21mm socket would not fit. The employee also said that the lug nuts should not do this and there is a potential for the lug nuts to fail. Discount Tire was able to remove the swollen lug nuts safely without damage and I paid to get new lug nuts installed. The other reason for replacing is that if I needed to change the tire the provided lug wrench that comes with the truck would not fit the swollen lugs. The lug nuts provided with my F-150 are defective and the cost of replacing should not be put on the consumer.
The lug nuts on the vehicle swelled to the point that they could not be removed by the dealership using standard practices. I took the vehicle to the dealership for standard service, and was contacted by the service center. I was informed they would need to "hammer the wrench into the lug nuts to get them off" which would render them useless, and I would need to replace them. This could cause safety issues to consumers if/when they would need to remove the lug nuts themselves, for example in the event of a flat tire. The issue has been reported to the manufacturer and the manufacturer confirmed with me over the phone that this is a known issue. I was unaware of the issue, until informed by the dealership and again confirmed by their customer service department. I would also like to add that as the consumer, I was left to pay for new lug nuts as a result of a manufacturer defect.
The vehicle as of 12/9/2023 at 3:39pm CST is at a mileage of 79,542. The week of December 4th, 2023, we brought the truck to a repair shop because there were heavy vibrations that would occur in the front of the truck when driving on the interstate. The repair shop diagnosed it as needing to have the front left wheel hub assembly replaced, and they explained that normally when one side is replaced, they will replace the other side too (front right). They replaced this, but we are concerned that it could've been a ball joint misaligned with the dust boot or missing an alignment hole that could've caused the need to replace the front left wheel hub assembly. It appears online that other Ford owners have had this issue specifically with the front left while under 80,000 miles. We are concerned that one of the parts in the assembly could be defective.
Related recalls
Tires
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 F-150, 2018-2020 F-250, F-350, and 2019 Escape vehicles equipped with Continental tires. On the affected vehicles, it is possible that one or more tires were cured for too long during tire production.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the tires, and replace them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on March 27, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332.
Wheel & Tire complaints in other F-150 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are wheel & tire problems on the 2018 Ford F-150?
NHTSA has 45 complaints about the wheels & tires of the 2018 Ford F-150, 2% of the model year's 2,322 complaints. The component named most often is lugs/nuts/bolts/studs (9 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2018 Ford F-150 wheel & tire problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 21V-155 (tires, Mar 10, 2021). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2018 Ford F-150 wheel & tire problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 18,000 miles, and 58% before 25,000 miles.
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.