Lug nuts, wheel studs

In this case, the new threads ran adjacent to the originals and the lug nuts were able tighten and remove for each wheel repeatedly with increasing resistance over time until they bound up.
Usually, cross threading a nut or bolt ruins the threads immediately or within a few rotations.
The threads are often stripped.

 

Got it. I had just never heard that term before.

 

New one on me also.
The threads looked fine from about 3 feet away and as stated the nuts came off and back on multiple times with no issues, but they just took more force than fingers, then more force with hand tools, then they wouldn't come off at all.
Looking very closely, I could see a thread valley cut into the original thread peak on the bolts a the way in. It was so minor, I just made a mental note.
The threads must have continued distorting, so in way I was lucky the lug nuts bound up over time.
They could have let go.
I can still remember my high school auto shop teacher warning us about starting threads by hand before using the impact wrench.