SPOKANE, Wash – Several Spokanites have reported that the lug nuts on their car’s tires are being loosened or stolen, leading to some dangerous situations.
“The tires started wobbling. It felt like it was flat,” Karen Fournier said.
Fournier noticed something was wrong with her wheels on Tuesday. She took her car in to a Les Schwab location to have it checked out.
“He said, these two [lug nuts] that are missing, because of the way they are broken, he can tell they were messed with. Because otherwise, they would’ve broken further out… And then these two were almost all the way off,” Fournier said.
Fournier said some of her neighbors told her their lug nuts had also been stolen or loosened.
NonStop Local contacted the Les Schwab location Fournier visited. One of the team members said it is very common to see people come in reporting their lug nuts have been stolen. Typically, they find that the thieves are attempting to seal the tire and the wheel.
According to Carscoops.com, there was a 2021 TikTok trend, the “Lug Nut Challenge.” Their reporting says the trend might be making a comeback across the country.
The Spokane Police Department (SPD) told NonStop Local that they are not currently seeing a lug nut theft trend in the City.
South Hill resident, Kendra Lampron, recently had two lug nut theft run-ins.
The first incident happened on April 3.
“I went to pull my car forward and there was a loud screeching noise. My tire was off of the rim and it thankfully stayed tucked under my tire-well,” Lampron said.
Then, a week later, Lampron’s neighbors allegedly caught and even took photos of an individual messing with her tires and lug nuts again.
Lampron told NonStop Local that numerous neighbors in her South Hill apartment complex have been reporting that their lug nuts are missing or have been loosened.
“I know a couple years ago it was a TikTok trend. So, maybe it’s finally getting to Spokane. I hope not, because it is dangerous. I’m a single mom of three kids and if one of those tires were to come off while I was driving with my kids, I can’t imagine what that would be like,” Lampron said.
When a car is missing its lug nuts, wheels are more likely to wobble.
One mechanic told NonStop Local over the phone that if all the lug nuts are missing, the tire will pop right off.
Les Schwab team members did add that it is important to check on lug nuts before driving and when in for service, it’s wise to ask the mechanic to check on the lug nuts.
Meanwhile, despite SPD reporting that this does not currently appear to be a trend in Spokane, they do encourage people to report crimes like this. That way, police can have a better idea of where certain crime trends are happening.
