So here's the story, I have around 1100 miles on my stock Fit Sport and going to put some more miles on it today for a snowboarding trip. On my way to pick up my friend, I hit a pothole (not too bad, it was a lowered manhole cover) and my front left wheel started making this horrible screeching noise every time it rotates. I was like WTF, did I just break something!?

Got to my friends place, we took off the wheel and didn't notice anything wrong, it seemed like something was rubbing against this black metal plate behind the breaks. So we put the wheel back on and about to head to the dealership, but we notice the noise was gone. My friend said the nuts on the wheel were kind of loose, so we tried the nuts on all the wheels and almost every one of them were loose! Our theory is the pothole knocked the wheel slightly out of place, that's why the noise.

Err, I was so mad this morning. But I drove 300 miles today (one tank!) and no problems (noise or what not), going to put in maybe 1000 miles over the weekend, hopefully everything goes smoothly.

Anyone experience something like this? Think something could have been damaged with the screeching? Is Honda trying to kill me? Or is it my fault for not checking the wheels on a new car is installed correctly?

 

You should be ok, from what I could tell of your description. If you feel a quick shudder now or odd shimmy squeak I would take the wheels off and look for wear and damage and if any take the car to a shop. Preferebly the one whom you think didnt tighten them.

I have heard of some shops accidently not tightening the lugs,
and my dad drove out of a local Nissan dealer from some service and
he felt the wheels wobbling off the car!!!! He raised hell! and rightfully so.

It is indeed always best if you can check stuff out yourself but...
crap happens...and it happens alot....

 

i don't know if this pertains to wheels on cars fresh off the lot. but i've been told that when putting on new lugnuts, they need to be retorqued after a short while. just because the lugnuts are new and they will loosen initially. the person who told me this works at a wheel/tire shop, and it seemed to be true with my previous car. anybody know if this is true and if it has to do with new cars as well?

 

i better go check the lugs on my new fit. I have 220 miles on her now.

 

i usually find this on new cars including my FitSport. i just used my
torque wrench and torqued it up to 90lbs/ft the day i got it from
the dealer.

also check your tire pressures too... usually dealers will either forget
to pressure up, or pressure up inside their bay while it's like 15F outside
not compensating for the differences in ambient temps resulting in
very low tire pressures.

 

I just drove around 1000 miles this weekend with lots of bumps, rain and snow with no problems. So I guess that noise was from the loose wheel. It was a pretty trouble free trip even with snow on the road, the only problem I had was the car wouldn't start the first time after dinner when I got back home. I'm a little worried about that, but I'll ignore it for now as I think it was due to the cold weather and my low fuel.

 

The dealer was supposed to retorque the wheels in his pre-delivery list, which you probably signed as being done.
Honda wheel nuts have a spherical seat rather than the conical ones normally used. Remember that if you get aftermarket wheels, you need matching wheel nuts.
When wheel nuts are loose and you drive on the loose wheel, there is a chance that the nut seat in the wheel is 'oblonged' that is they take on an oval shape. If it weren't for the other 3 nuts the wheel would wobble but even so there is movement on that one wheel that is potentially dangerous. It can lead to cracking.
Examine the nut seats carefully and if all 4 seats will let a nut seat firmly (not threaded on the stud) you need to talk to the dealer about a replacement wheel.

 

you sure about that? maybe on the steelies. the 15" alloys use the
tapered kind.