Loss of air due to cracked wheel rim

What NHTSA is examining

ODI opened PE15-002 based on field reports which reported multiple incidents of air loss in the subject steel wheels.Several of the field reports indicated failures early in the vehicles's service life when used on the steer axle.Accuride identified the subject wheels of the field reports as model 50408 which has two hand holes and an acrylic e-coat finish .Multiple hand hole options and finishes were available from Accuride.Many purchasers selected the most economical finish option which was pretreat + e-coat.The more durable pretreat + e-coat + powder coat came at a premium price however proved to be significantly more durable.To create a more competitive and longer lasting product, Accuride has created an acrylic e-coat with an epoxy e-coat paint option and minimized its availability of pretreat + e-coat only option.A thorough review of the Information Request Response (IRR) identified two separate process conditions which contributed to some wheels loosing air pressure.A part failure in one of the welding machines was the root cause of pin holes in the butt weld. The other process issue involved the surface preparation for paint.Corrosion was evident on the tire side of the rim prior to the first tire change.Further study of the condition revealed that oxidation started below the paint.This indicated that the surface with not thoroughly cleaned and/or protected prior to paint being applied.ODI considered wheel position in its analysis of failures.The steer axle typically…

Vehicles under investigation