Wheel studs are subject to being stripped or twisted off from over-tightening them. One culprit of twisting off a wheel stud is a powerful air wrench or an improperly adjusted one. Most of these studs are press fit into the hub or axle to allow for replacement of the studs alone. Stud replacement is much cheaper than replacing the axle or wheel hub. It is unsafe to drive a vehicle with missing or broken wheel studs. No vehicle should be operated that has a wheel stud broken or a lug nut missing.
Block the wheels of the vehicle to be repaired while parked on a level surface. Engage the emergency brake and place the vehicle in gear or park.
Loosen, but don't remove the lug nuts. It is much easier to loosen the wheel while the wheel is in contact with the ground.
Jack up the wheel that needs the studs replaced and spot a jack stand under the frame to prevent it from falling. Remove the lug nuts and the wheel.
Punch the old wheel stud out of the axle or hub using a punch and hammer. Be sure the broken stud that was punched out is found and not lodged in the brake mechanism somewhere.
Insert a new stud in the open hole from the back, with the threads facing out. Place a lug nut backwards, the tapered side out, onto the new stud. The backwards lug nut utilizes the flat side of the lug nut to butt up against the axle or hub to draw the stud in straight.
Tighten the lug nut tight to draw it into the stud hole until the head of the stud is drawn tight against the back to the axle or hub. Remove the backward lug nut from the stud and replace the wheel.
Jack the vehicle up, remove the jack stand and place the vehicle back on the ground.
