Before moving to Pennsylvania, I took my 1996 Dodge Avenger in to Orlando Dodge due to some transmission problems the car was experiencing. [I had bought the highest level of extended warranty, so I was luckily covered]
The mechanic said that in order to accomplish the repairs, they had to remove the front left wheel assembly. I said, sure no problem and thought nothing further.
The repairs were completed and I eventually moved north (travelling by Amtrak Auto-Train). A couple months after moving, I was on my way home from work with my 3 year old son in the back. I had just exited a major highway and was about 1 mile from home. After stopping at a stop sign, I accellerated and went through the intersection. Once through the intersection, I heard a loud BANG and then some grinding. The steering was gone and I wrestled the car to the shoulder of the street. I got out and looked for the problem.
When I looked at the front left wheel, I saw the problem— the entire front assembly had detached from the wheel and was resting inside the aluminum wheel. Ruts were carved into the wheel where the metal had come in contact with the wheel. Luckily, I was right in front of the police station and was quickly assisted by a very nice policewoman who set out flares and called a flatbed truck haul my car.
While my car insurance took care of the entire thing (repairs), I was shaken to think what might have happened if I had still been on the highway when the wheel separated! One of the repair mechanics told me that whoever took the wheel off did not adequately tighten the bolts when he put the wheel back on and it worked its way loose over time.
SO the moral of the story is to check all repair work for completeness!
Matt
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