40 replies to this topic

[DaisyM]

Got a 2009 Zetec S 2 months ago. Tyre pressures have not budged and I last checked them 2 weeks ago and all was OK. Noticed rear off-side was flat this morning, so took the car into garage & was told the wheel was buckled. It must have happened in the last 2 weeks, as all was OK with tyre pressure up until then. I drive it extremely carefully and have definitely not damaged it through hitting potholes or speed bumps. After reading the posts I think, rather than buying one replacement from Ford, I might be better to replace all the wheels with some other make. I might even swap the 17" ones for 16". Can anyone recommend a make of wheel?

[freeman3030]

It's actually a relief that you have made this poll. A few month ago I bought up this discussion and a few people agreed with me and others put me down with arguments along the lines of the fact my driving style impacts on the potential to buckle my alloys... Which I fully accept, but it bothers me that so many other people have this problem too. Some others state that having low profile tyres on the 16" titanium alloys is going to increase the chance of buckling your alloys... The problem is, many of us consumers have buckled wheels therefore the alloys ford supplies us with our vehicles are not fit for purpose. I just wonder if this increases the chance of a tyre blowout that could cause a nasty accident.

I mainly drive short journeys so the problem doesn't bother me so much. But this weekend I've been away and driving back 100miles with the constant shaking drives me insane and actually tires me out.

I really hope you get the votes you need to take this to court because it's a serious issue that ford needs to rectify.

[alien27]

Hello

Just wondering has anyone here replaced their wheels with something more durable, I wrote to honest John
and he has suggested I have them replaced with 15" or even 14" steel wheels as fitted to the Fiesta Econetic model.
I was thinking of doing this as I have had two front 16" Titanium alloys replaced back in June (which I managed to claim back from the council), I had a third minor buckled back wheel but it was very minor - so had to leave.

I am now paranoid about pot holes and having read all these threads I can see that there must be a design fault. I would like
to replace the wheels if possible but am wondering what implications this could have, if any, further down the line, with electronics or insurance.

I had an Escort Finesse 1.6 for over 10 years and never had any problems with my alloys, however they weren't low profile.

[Stoney871]

Low profile wheels will always suffer more damage on bad roads.
Tbh I think the blame can be shared equally between Ford and whoever maintains your roads.
I have a friend who has had two full sets of wheels on his Astra (yuk) in four years due to buckling.
Low profile wheels look good on cars but due to less protection from the tyres will always suffer more damage.
Unfortunately that is the price to pay for good looking wheels.

[Tim3]

Just to say I have the same problem 2 buckled wheels on Ford Fiesta 1.6 s done 13k,been driving 30 years and have never had a buckled wheel.
While I do not doubt that pot holes are the cause in my opinion the wheels are clearly not up to the job,its a fact that in most towns in the uk you are gonna hit pot holes at some point.
going to see the tomorrow will report back.

Hi
Just an update after reading the rest of the posts on here decided that taking it up with the Ford Dealer would probably achieve little except raising my stress levels.

So took it to a friend who runs a performance car garage and he said the buckling was not that bad and they could bang out some of the dents on the affected wheels and recommended swopping the back with the front which they have done and everything seems ok for now.

[RB2004]

Hi, I know this is a fiesta thread... and as yet seems to be nobody really complaining on the focus about buckled alloys.

But I have the rather rare, Sport Pack on mine which included 18" alloy wheels... combined with a rather heavy 2.0 TDCi engine.

It is a 2008 focus also, which was when sport pack was introduced.. so wouldnt surprise me if the same alloy on those fiesta alloys is being used on mine because its all around the same time frame for production / release.

But at 11 months old, Ford dealer told me I had a buckled alloy wheel on the front, which I went in for assuming it was also just a lost balance weight.

New alloy wheel, then the other side has now also developed a flat spot... which was causing steering vibration.. for the moment though until I can get it replaced ive shoved it on the back.

But when checking the rest with a dial test indicator, ive found another one which is slightly buckled by a few mm... not enough to notice when driving but buckled none the less.

So since owning the car, by the time I have replaced the 2 buckled alloy wheels again I would of replaced 3 out of 4 of them... and its likely it wont be the last alloy wheel either to buckle.

whats strange is, ST has 18" alloys also, but different style and no complains about buckling, so I guess they are stronger as they was designed around 2005... more expensive also to buy!

So next time, I might take the compromise of a similar but not identical style and go for ST replicas from a company which has a good reputation for quality... cant get replicas of my style because sport pack was an optional extra so quite rare.

But it is disgusting that ford, a good brand, has a problem with something stupid as alloy wheels... but it wouldnt be the first time a manufacturer has had problems, BMW also had problems with alloy wheels cracking.

Only explanation is, cheap alloy is being used

[gadgetman]

Yes me too.Hit a massive pothole which i could not avoid took out 2x 17 inch rims and 2 tyres.So far cost £500.
Will be putting in a clain to the local council.Will let you know how i get on,claim may take months to settle if any.

[davethescoot]

Dave, Don't worry I did not take it personally, I understand your anger, the whole thing is a joke and to be honest I have decided that my next car will not be another Ford, it may seem stupid over wheels but think about it in context.

The only thing that makes contact with the road (via the tire) and it has a high proportion of failure, that to me is simply unacceptable.

Combined with the door seals being stuck on with Blu-Tac and my seat that is either already broken or will shortly break I cannot stand the hassle that comes attached to these cars.

Antman99......deffo with you re the 'blue tack' comment.....Ford quality driving me away to another manufacturer !

[sambooka]

Well just picked my car up after having its second service 2011 zetec s 16" with winter tyres on its all I use the 16s for and have been told that my drivers side front is badly buckle on the inner and outer like its buckled in 2 different places but weirdly it balances fine. It's the first one that I've had buckle one 2 years and I had them on the car during first year of ownership so maybe just one to many pot holes

[Wobblie]

Hi all, Well I am new to owning a Ford..."The only car to have" says my Dad who has had many Fords over many years. So after having all other sorts of cars and now settling into being a mid-age driver I got myself a Fiesta Titanium....a month ago with less than 2000 miles on the clock...to my Dads glee..

What a mistake....

It has now cost me £150 to replace the OSF wheel because it has ........ buckled...

What a JOKE...I supposedly have bought a reliable car.....should have bought a Hyundai

[FiestaZpower]

It is common . It can happen with big wheel low profile tyre set up on any car .there are lots of these wheels about in breakers I've seen then go pretty cheap second hand