Six nails in my tires!

[Texas Dan]

This last weekend I was rotating my tires per the 10k miles maintenance schedule. As I normally do when I rotate tires, I inspected for nails. I have had a slow leak for a couple of months now, so I did expect to find nails but I was really surprised to find six nails stuck in my tires.

All of the nails were the same size and type. The nails were all about 1-inch long with ribbed shanks. I have a strong suspicion that someone wanted to show their resistance to electric vehicles by using a nail gun to stick a bunch of nails in my tires.

Like I said, I have had a slow leak for months so I really have no idea when I picked up the nails. I suppose it’s possible that I ran over a bunch of nails that fell out of a truck but it’s still hard to imagine picking up that many nails all at once.

This little adventure has got me wishing I had Sentry Mode like the Teslas have so I would have a chance to catch someone if they are actually sticking nails in my tires.

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[Peddyr]

Sucks that this happened to you. Even if the nails fell out of a truck, I think they'd scatter in a wide enough pattern that you wouldn't pick up 6, unless it was an entire box. I'm in agreement that someone was trying to send you a message. I'd also allow for the possibility that the "stop global warming" folks are more fanatical and often times attack Big SUV's and Pickups for their emission output. Most can't tell an EV from an ICE.

 

[Heliian]

Don't be so paranoid, there is a staggering amount of debris on the roads.

If someone was trying to send a message then it would be way more destructive and clear that you were targeted.

And yes, boxes of nails do fall out of work trucks. I have seen and I'm sure most people who've driven a few years, guys forgetting the tailgate down and losing gear out the back.

I'm glad there is a tailgate warning on my truck now.

 

[Bills R Electric]

This last weekend I was rotating my tires per the 10k miles maintenance schedule. As I normally do when I rotate tires, I inspected for nails. I have had a slow leak for a couple of months now, so I did expect to find nails but I was really surprised to find six nails stuck in my tires.

All of the nails were the same size and type. The nails were all about 1-inch long with ribbed shanks. I have a strong suspicion that someone wanted to show their resistance to electric vehicles by using a nail gun to stick a bunch of nails in my tires.

Like I said, I have had a slow leak for months so I really have no idea when I picked up the nails. I suppose it’s possible that I ran over a bunch of nails that fell out of a truck but it’s still hard to imagine picking up that many nails all at once.

This little adventure has got me wishing I had Sentry Mode like the Teslas have so I would have a chance to catch someone if they are actually sticking nails in my tires.

The odds of picking up 6 nails from the exact same batch are 10 million TeraFlops to 1.

I have a brother in Detroit who has been a "manufacturing" rep to the Big 3 for 30 years.
He has owned a number of Fords. He won't even take a ride in my Lightning.
EV hate/fear can run deep -just like the Earth is Flat, politicians never lie, and global warming is fake.

 

[TaxmanHog]

I live not to far from a Home Depot, you would be amazed at the Sh*t that I've found on the road, hand tools, crushed boxes of screws, nails, etc.

One day I came across a fresh drop laying at the intersection of a stop sign leading to the main drag (Route 1) and ramp to I-95, my wife was driving and we were heading into the neighborhood at that location avoiding the mess in the outbound lane.

I had her pull over, while I jumped out and picked up the screws before anyone else got them into their tires, the count was not complete per the quantity so a few folks got stabbed!!

 

[chl]

Sucks that this happened to you. Even if the nails fell out of a truck, I think they'd scatter in a wide enough pattern that you wouldn't pick up 6, unless it was an entire box. I'm in agreement that someone was trying to send you a message. I'd also allow for the possibility that the "stop global warming" folks are more fanatical and often times attack Big SUV's and Pickups for their emission output. Most can't tell an EV from an ICE.

Probably some lone-wolf anti-EV climate-denying yahoo is to blame for the described incident.

EV's are being vandalized nationwide so, if it was intentional, it is likey to have been backlash by some yahoo:

"... In the past year, there have been a number of high-profile cases of electric car vandalism. In some cases, the cars have been set on fire, while in others, the tires have been slashed. In one particularly shocking case, a group of vandals even smashed the windows of an electric car dealership. The reasons for this increase in electric car vandalism are not entirely clear. However, it is likely that a combination of factors is to blame. First, the price of electric cars is falling, making them more accessible to a wider range of people. Second, there is a growing awareness of the environmental benefits of electric cars. Finally, electric cars are becoming more visible on the roads, as more and more people make the switch to this type of vehicle. Whatever the reasons for the increase in electric car vandalism, it is clear that this is a problem that is not going away anytime soon. Electric car owners must be vigilant in protecting their vehicles, and dealerships must be prepared to deal with the aftermath of attacks. It is only through a concerted effort that this problem can be brought under control...."

https://www.osvehicle.com/why-are-electric-cars-being-vandalized-more-and-more/

When I first got my 2012 Nissan Leaf in 2011, some yahoo in a Suburban pulled up next to me at a light and yelled at me "I love burning gas" then revved his engine. I suggested to him that he was being a "gas-hole" and then shifted out of ECO mode, floored the Leaf and left him in the dust. I did feel a bit guilty about it, for all those electrons I wasted.

It goes back further - in 2005 when we got our first Toyota Prius, we used to get heckled by fools like that...until gas prices reached $4.00 a gallon - that shut them up it seemed.

Yes, there have been some attacks on the tires of SUV's in the US, in Boston this year 43 tires were deflated, for example, but they left behind notes about emissions/pollution/global warming accord to the news stories anyway.

I'd bet the "stop global warming folks" are not the culprits - the Lightning has gotten a lot of press and the people who can read enough to know about global warming are more than lilely aware of the Lightning and other large EV's.

The total number of ICE SUV's that have been attacked was less than 1,000 worldwide in 2022 according to the news about a group called "Tye Extinguishers" which is active in the UK and the EU.

I'd say the odds are pretty low that 1) an EV will be targeted by a group or individual like the "Tyre Extinguishers" and 2) that of the thousands/millions of pickup trucks in the US any particular one will be targeted by such a group or individual.

Years ago, I found nails in the tires of our 3 vehicles parked on the street outside our house. They weren't EV's nor SUV's or trucks, just a minivan my wife drove and two sedans. There was a spate of nails in tires in the area, the police said it was likely vandals/high-schoolers out on a lark.

I started checking my tires every morning and sure enough one morning I found two nails leaning up against my tires just waiting for me to run over them when I headed off for work.

My 2001 Ranger has picked up a nail or two over the years at the Home Depot parking lot, or when driving through a construction site....but never a cluster like what was described.

Teenage vandals have tried to get into neighborhood vehicles around here, so I put up security cameras - they actually alerted me to an attempted break-in, called 911, the police came and actually nabbed 3 teens with backpacks full of loot.

Catalytic converters are also being stolen in our area - painted ours bright red as a deterrent.

There is always something when people are involved.

 

[Tony Burgh]

If someone wanted to send a nastygram with a nail gun, sidewall would be the target.

 

[Maquis]

When a house was being built in my neighborhood, a crap-ton of roofing nails fell out of a truck one day. I saw them at the last minute and swerved into the oncoming lane to avoid them. Or so I thought - still took one to the right rear tire. I went back home and got a magnet and can & cleaned them up. I still have that can of nails on my workbench.

If I hadn’t seen them, I’m sure I would have been in a similar state as the OP.

 

[Discount Tire]

This last weekend I was rotating my tires per the 10k miles maintenance schedule. As I normally do when I rotate tires, I inspected for nails. I have had a slow leak for a couple of months now, so I did expect to find nails but I was really surprised to find six nails stuck in my tires.

All of the nails were the same size and type. The nails were all about 1-inch long with ribbed shanks. I have a strong suspicion that someone wanted to show their resistance to electric vehicles by using a nail gun to stick a bunch of nails in my tires.

Like I said, I have had a slow leak for months so I really have no idea when I picked up the nails. I suppose it’s possible that I ran over a bunch of nails that fell out of a truck but it’s still hard to imagine picking up that many nails all at once.

This little adventure has got me wishing I had Sentry Mode like the Teslas have so I would have a chance to catch someone if they are actually sticking nails in my tires.

Sorry to hear this happened, glad that no further damaged happened to the tire and you were able to catch it before anything happened.

Hopefully nobody did it on purpose and it just happen to be a very unlucky pick up of nails while driving one day.

 

[Texas Dan]

Just as a follow-up, the six nails were in three tires. Four of the nails actually penetrated the tread and I had to plug the holes. One tire had three holes I had to plug.

Tire with the three plugs is actually leaking worse than it was with the nails in it. I have been having to air up the tire morning and evening. I will pull the tire again this weekend and find leak to re-plug it.

 

[Maquis]

Just as a follow-up, the six nails were in three tires. Four of the nails actually penetrated the tread and I had to plug the holes. One tire had three holes I had to plug.

Tire with the three plugs is actually leaking worse than it was with the nails in it. I have been having to air up the tire morning and evening. I will pull the tire again this weekend and find leak to re-plug it.

I’d never consider plugs a permanent fix. It’s like $20 per to get it fixed right.

 

[Texas Dan]

I’d never consider plugs a permanent fix. It’s like $20 per to get it fixed right.

I have been plugging tires for decades. I usually have pretty good luck with plugs. I have also had some pretty bad experiences with tires shops repairing tires, it seems like all they really want to do is sell you a new tire..

 

[Henry Ford]

I replaced one tire and had another repaired because of roofing nail damage after a trip to the local recycle station to drop off yard waste. To add potential injury to insult, the spare blew on the highway in a downpour while my wife was taking my infant daughter to a doctor's visit, stranding them there until I could pick them up. We had the truck towed. This was my last F150 and the spare was 10 years old at that point.

Lesson's learned:

1. If you find a nail in your tire, inspect all tires.

2. Don't trust an old spare for anything more the driving to @Discount Tire.

3. Consider getting your vehicle towed if you blow a tire on the highway. You have a close to zero percent chance of survival if struck.

 

[Toby57]

I’d never consider plugs a permanent fix. It’s like $20 per to get it fixed right.

Agree. Plugs are for your riding lawn mower. Lightning too heavy for plugs. Plugs can and do heat up and blow out. BTDT

 

[MRButtler]

Sucks that this happened to you. Even if the nails fell out of a truck, I think they'd scatter in a wide enough pattern that you wouldn't pick up 6, unless it was an entire box. I'm in agreement that someone was trying to send you a message. I'd also allow for the possibility that the "stop global warming" folks are more fanatical and often times attack Big SUV's and Pickups for their emission output. Most can't tell an EV from an ICE.

Nonono BEVs are bad because of child labor and human rights violations in rare metal mines.
BEVs are bad because they're heavy.
BEVs are bad because they're not Hydrogen fuel cell.

Child labor happens in USA farms (labor laws don't protect in the Ag sector).
What about all the multi-ton semi's?
Hydrogen is most cheaply and chiefly made from fossil fuels.

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