Recent bad luck - hit pot hole resulting in flat - got new tire and technician informed me of stripped stud but said not to worry, 4 studs work as well as 5. About 10 days later heard sound like a chunk of ice falling off of wheel - noise went away as fast as it appeared. I proceeded to get on highway and drove about 10 miles. Got to the end of the freeway at stop light when every brake warning light came on - basically whole dashboard lit up. I slowly navigated around corner and had brake power - got to work parking lot no problem. I immediately called dealer who said ok to drive if brake pedal feels ok but went out to car a few hour later to find huge puddle of brake fluid. Car towed in and found that stud had come out of hub and tore wheel cylinder off of backing plate while destroying rear drums, shoes, backing plate, brake line, etc. All in all $2000 damage. Is this something the tire company should bear some responsibility for or insurance company or simply bad luck?
First, get an estimate from a GOOD independent shop. And while the tire shop that advised you to continue driving with a broken lug stud is ethically responsible there is likely no legal recourse against them.
What is the make and model of the car? The cost of repair varies greatly among various models.
toyota prius - repair already done since it couldn’t be driven and had to have rental for the time of the repair - even dealer had to order 15 parts i guess given the age of the car (2006)
Just in my humble opinion, I think its your nickle. A tire technician would not be someone considered an expert and wouldn’t be one to rely on especially when he said 4 are as good as 5. Seems very strange though that the stud should work out of there though. Too late now but maybe he’s the one that stripped the stud putting the nut back on and somehow turned the stud in its socket and loosened it. It would be interesting to see the parts involved but sounds like the stud is long gone. Bad luck indeed.
One thing we’ve learned here, 4 working lug nuts and studs isn’t quite as good as 5! It appears they all have to work in order to use the vehicle. Lesson learned I guess.
“Seems very strange though that the stud should work out of there though.”
I’ve personally seen it happen to a COMPLETE IDIOT that I used to work with
He also figured that the stud couldn’t go anywhere, nor cause damage
Well, he was 100% wrong. It was on the front axle of a 4x4 truck. It backed out and also caused a lot of expensive damage
I think that even though the poor advice you received is appalling, you’ll have a hard time getting any shop to be held responsible. The root of the problem was, after all, the pothole.
Unless you can get the same lawyer as the guy who spilled hot coffee in his lap after stopping at the McDonald’s drivethrough. And the same judge. 
Although it is possible for a stud to back out of it’s hole, I think it’s pretty rare. I see vehicles all the time that are missing a lug nut. That’s why I keep a selection of nuts…besides myself…on hand.
Even so, it sounds to me like this mechanic may be padding the bill a bit.
She mentioned brake drum, and I presume a new set of brakes, one brake hardware kit, a wheel cylinder, and a baking plate, one new stud and a nut. That comes to 7 parts. I suppose the other 4 studs and nuts could be the other 8 parts.
Still, I think $2000 is a little high.
Yosemite