“They said they did a tire patch on this.”
There are a handful of events any driver would consider a nightmare scenario. A tire falling off just as you’re entering a highway is pretty high on that list.
That’s exactly what happened to one Texas man. And the worst part? The incident allegedly occurred right after he left an AutoNation Toyota dealership.
TikTok creator Luis Rodriguez (@luisknowsbest) started filming while stranded at the entrance of South Padre Island Drive highway in Corpus Christi, Texas.
“AutoNation Toyota in Corpus Christi TX!!!!!” he writes in the video’s text overlay.
The man says he just left AutoNation Toyota after getting an oil change and tire rotation.
The scene he films is alarming. The wheel of his Toyota 4Runner has completely fallen off its hub and is sitting beside the SUV.
Rodriguez explains how the incident happened. “My wheel literally took off, running all the way to that pole over there,” he says, pointing to a nearby pole. “And now I’m stranded, and my wheel’s all jacked up.”
He lifts the tire upright and films closer, describing the work the AutoNation technician did on it. “They said they did a tire patch on this,” he says, turning it around. “But there’s another nail now.” Sure enough, there’s a new nail stuck in his tire.
Rodriguez said the dealership offered to send one of its technicians to the scene so they could reattach the tire. He refused, saying his brake fluid is sitting on the studs. “I don’t even know if they’re broken or not,” he says.
“And this is literally bent,” he says, referring to the wheel hub’s bearing seal.
He says he asked the dealership to bring a tow truck instead. “It’s a brand new vehicle,” Rodriguez says. “And this is the type of service they want to do, and give me the runaround.”
He concludes the video saying he’s waiting for the dealership to arrive with its tow truck. “We’ll see what’s gonna happen,” he states.
In the comments section, other users expressed dissatisfaction with the dealership.
“AutoNation in Corpus Christi is so bad,” one user shared. “Chevrolet had my truck in the shop for three months to only replace the battery.”
“AutoNation is very bad company,” another agreed. “I had called the corporate office in Florida and never got any call back. Emails after emails and nothing. ALL AutoNations are all the same. I will never go to another AutoNation period!!!”
One commenter who said they’re a mechanic shared a theory about what might’ve happened. “They 100% forgot to torque down the lug nuts,” they offered. “And they are liable for all the damages.”
It’s not exactly clear what happened in Rodriguez’s case, but there are a few reasons why a wheel might fly off a car while driving.
According to the American Automobile Association (AAA), the most common causes for wheel-offs are “improperly installed or loose bearings and fasteners.”
AAA explains that wheel fasteners become loose over time or when not installed properly. Bearings can also fail because of issues such as a lack of lubricant, undertighting or overtighting, and improper installation.
As you can imagine, the consequences of this type of accident can be serious. In fact, estimates by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) suggest that each year, there are about 33,000 tire-related crashes. On average, these crashes result in about 19,000 injuries.
In a follow-up video, Rodriguez shared that AutoNation is taking full accountability for the situation.
Filming in a loaner Toyota 4Runner that the dealership offered him, he says he now knows what the problem was.
“Unfortunately, the technician that was working on my car forgot to tighten up the lug nuts on that one wheel that came off,” Rodriguez explains.
However, he says he feels fortunate that ultimately no one got hurt. “It could have been a lot worse, guys,” he states.
For now, his vehicle remains at the shop, and he says he’s currently dealing with the service department to determine the best solution.
Motor1 has reached out to Rodriguez via TikTok messages and the comments section for more information. We’ve also contacted AutoNation via email and AutoNation Toyota Corpus Christi via Instagram messages. We’ll update this story if we hear back.
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