Alcoa Wheels North America: Technical Service: Product Recalls

I think it is a very good idea for this post and update. All four recalls up to 2015 are listed at the site above.

The first recall on the 8 hole 16 inch by 6 inch wide wheels was in 1998, followed by a second recall in 2003 which added one more part number to the list.

Another recall is from October 2000 for the 16 inch by 7 inch wide wheel.

The latest recall is for certain 22.5" X 8.25" aluminum wheels.

Here are my brief comments on the first 1998 recall that I posted in the 1999 - 2003 7.3L Power Stroke Diesel forum.

That is: IF you know for sure that yours are OEM original and not aftermarket wheels.

I COULD BE MISTAKEN here = good chance that I may be due to interpretation of "typically used.." but my original understanding was this: It seems this would include the style that can be used on 4x2 trucks INCLUDING 3/4 TON TRUCKS and not exclusively the deep dish wheels used on 1 ton dually trucks.(I'm probably wrong on that point.) ALSO this would include both the earlier 6-1/2 inch bolt-hole circle and the 170mm circle, so they could be on much earlier models of trucks than 1996. I think the bolt hole pattern changed from 6-1/2 inch to 170mm at the middle of the 1998 production year.

I also believe that you can make the warranty claim even if you are not the original purchaser, but I would probably say that they came with the truck when you bought it.

I posted this topic (and bumped a post in the 7.3 Power Stroke forum) because I've been looking for some used Alcoa Wheels for my truck and also I don't want to see someone else get in an accident because of a defective wheel.

 

I think I am going to go with nice chromed STEEL wheels because I have never trusted aluminum/alloy wheels for rugged use and they get unsightly damage from just rubbing against a street curb or hitting a rock off road or on blasted out mining roads which I used to do often.(street radials are terrible for that, the sidewalls get cut by the sharp rocks due to the bulge at the bottom -vertical sidewall or leaning toward the center of the wheel are far better! Otherwise 10 ply construction grade radials are an option).

In my experience NARROW tires are by far better than wide tires in almost all circumstances, the only exceptions being on soft deep sand on a beach/sand dune or possibly in a soft swampy peat bog (been stuck bottomed out in two, one I drove out of after 2 hours with no winch and the other required a nearby farmers tractor to pull me out). Most people assume that the wider tires do the best job in most circumstances because they look so big and tread-y but they certainly dont! Think similar to hydroplaning on slippery surfaces like snow, mud, slippery clay on forest roads with the wide tires compared to a good grip with more traction weight per surface area with the narrower tires and you might begin to understand why - or learn from experience.

The Alcoa wheels with the circular holes look superb on our style of trucks, no doubt about that but looks are not everything. I'm willing to sacrifice a bit in cosmetics to go with nice chromed steel wheels of similar style, or even a nice styled wheel that is not chromed but only painted or just use stock wheels if appearance is not important. .

 

Chromed wheels? Bah! Alum wheels? Double bah!

I like my good old welded steel wheels. They come with a nice two-tone paint job(gray/white and rust brown), and are often lug-centric! :P

 

I may NOT have been MISTAKEN. A post in another forum suggests that one of the listed part numbers followed by the letter A is a 3/4 ton wheel and all four were replaced under the same Alcoa Recall.

So if your part number is one of those listed (an extra part number added in the 2003 recall) and it is followed by a letter, then chances are it is covered in the recall (if the information that I read is accurate).

 

LOL on that nice color combination! Strong like truck wheels need to be, too!

I was thinking while I was looking at buying Alcoas, that chromed steel wheels that are not largely different than than the stock wheels tend to look like cheap hot rod cosmetics taken from earlier hot rod days- at least on a big diesel pickup like mine they would look like cheap cosmetics (my opinion) and my truck is not a hot rod from that era.

How about BABY MOONS on stock truck rims!!! Younger people may not know what those look like. OR FULL MOONS! If you can find any in 16 inch! Like the old 49-53 Mercuries which looked awesome with those Full Moons - ready for the Bonneville Salt Flats! I think Gale Banks Studebaker had those!! In fact, lots of cars at Bonneville used those, especially in that era, light weight aluminum and probably less aerodynamic drag than plain rims. Now THAT would be a classy statement on an IDI! I'm serious! Help my truck go fast too!!

If I were to paint my truck one custom color with maybe some airbrush work as well, those Full Moons on stock rims would be a knock out!!! Put a custom hood scoop on it and I'm on my way to the Bonneville Salt Flats!!

With two tone paint maybe not as attractive.

By the way, if you ever go to the Bonneville Salt Flats when the salt is wet (like off season) it will stick thick to your shoes and 2 years later your floor boards (in the average vehicle) will be very badly rusted out. Happened to me in my full size Jeep Cherokee. Nice restaurant there which I think is open throughout the year with lots of photos on the walls of cars that have run at Bonneville, autographed I think and the proprietor was knowledgeable about the racing history at the Salt Flats and answered a couple of questions I had. So that further makes Bonneville a worthwhile stop if you happen to be travelling in that area.

EDIT to add: I was at Bonneville when there was about an inch wet snow on the ground which stuck to my shoes with the salt in a thick layer. I kicked most of the the snow/salt off before getting in the Cherokee but the floorboard rapidly rusted through from the salt dissolved in the melting snow remaining on my shoes. I also drove out onto the salt flats at night under a bright moon and that was amazing! That is likely to be Illegal now though (during wet season) - since the Salt Flats are losing considerable area at the surface, most likely due to leaching into mine chambers underneath the salt flats and there is a huge concern from racing associations and conservation groups about loosing such significant areas of salt near the end of the speed runs.

I have to agree with you about stock steel rims though! My rear wheels look like aftermarket steel (possibly a dealer option) and I like the looks of those! All I need to do is find one matching rim since one of the 4 was bent and then I'll put the right size 235/85/R16 E tires on the front and have 4 rims and tires that match! Rather than buying expensive custom wheels (used in my case) I'll use that reserved money toward something that is more important. Like maybe diesel fuel to help it take me on more adventures.