# Lost a wheel bolt... safe to drive with 4/5 of bolts?



## boybaha (Aug 21, 2001)

Hi.... as the subject says, I lost a wheel bolt. I don't know. Maybe the dealer screwed up on my last maintenance check and didn't tighten a bolt. They WILL hear from me. 
So here's the situation. I have to go on a long trip on my Jetta-- like I have to drive to university across the country, um... tomorrow. It's my only car so I can't drive another one. The dealerships are closed until Tuesday due to Labor Day. Is it safe to drive with only 4 our of my 5 bolts on the rear wheel in place?
Other info: Longbeaches on 2001 Jetta. Missing bolt is on rear left wheel.


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## towerymt (Jan 15, 2001)

*Re: Lost a wheel bolt... safe to drive with 4/5 of bolts? (boybaha)*

You should be fine as long as the rest are torqued properly. Make sure that 5th bolt didn't fall out because it was loose, and check that ALL bolts are tight.
My car uses wheel studs, and when I bought it, I drove for months with one broken stud on two different hubs. 4 out of 5 lug nuts was fine on my car for many miles. However, if it were a 4-lug car I would not have waited so long to fix it.


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## TexasVWdriver (Nov 29, 2000)

*Re: Lost a wheel bolt... safe to drive with 4/5 of bolts? (towerymt)*

You can run on 4 out of 5 for as long as you want. Just be sure to retighten the other lugs often. Because if you don't the others will eventually loosen up and you'll lose a wheel. I speak from experience.


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