Anyone ever had a slight shudder on acceleration or PTU replaced due to this?

[pup5581]

i have a '14 Sport..37K miles.

I had my PTU replaced last summer due to a slight shudder. It never fully went away but it did get a bit better..but now i notice that it's back...especially since with my new job i travel 90 miles a day (mostly highway and some pretty bad traffic)

Mostly just uphill or on a slight incline when accelerating. If i give it more gas and it down shifts..it won't shudder...only when in say 5th or 6th gear.

Next time it goes in for oil i will bring it up again but last time they couldn't feel it so i won't hold my breath. Just curious if anyone had their PTU replaced due to this or another part

 

[dudefish]

Some owners (including me) have described a low speed vibration similar to what you describe, happening around 15 mph and then disappearing. Is this what you're experiencing? I never got mine fixed and it still does it with about 67,000 miles. The threads that I remember attributed it to a front driveshaft issue. It was happening on FWD and 4WD models and didn't seem to have anything to do with the PTU or the rear drive.

 

[182RG]

i have a '14 Sport..37K miles. I had my PTU replaced last summer due to a slight shudder. It never fully went away but it did get a bit better..but now i notice that it's back...especially since with my new job i travel 90 miles a day (mostly highway and some pretty bad traffic) Mostly just uphill or on a slight incline when accelerating. If i give it more gas and it down shifts..it won't shudder...only when in say 5th or 6th gear. Next time it goes in for oil i will bring it up again but last time they couldn't feel it so i won't hold my breath. Just curious if anyone had their PTU replaced due to this or another part

Yep. Normal and has been there since day one. I call it the "Explorer Waddle". Usually only upon acceleration with a load or uphill.

There are older threads on this. I think a few people have pestered their dealers to throw parts at it. Not a great idea.

 

[pup5581]

Yep. Normal and has been there since day one. I call it the "Explorer Waddle". Usually only upon acceleration with a load or uphill.

There are older threads on this. I think a few people have pestered their dealers to throw parts at it. Not a great idea.

Yeah it starts at like 12 MPH and goes to almost 20 ish? And yeah it's like a wobble and you can feel the pedal wobble as well.

But i can also be going 30-40 and have a slight accel and you will feel it studder a bit now and then..usually after i have been in bad traffic for a while

I also have a lot of road feel through pedal and floors and wheel at certain RPMs that i always thought in the back of my head could be driveshaft or trans related..but the two could never be put together

 

[dudefish]

Yep. I feel the waddle at 15 and sometimes 25 mph.

 

[gadgetball]

I had a 2010 Flex Ecoboost with a stutter issue. Turned out to be the torque converter plates were sticking together. Torque converter was replaced at a transmission specialty shop for $2000- it was a Ford reconditioned unit with 6 mth warranty.

 

[jktheandies]

My problem seems to fit this thread:
2015 4WD Limited with 42,000 miles (bought certified used 3 weeks ago). When driving it and speeds above 35mph all the way to about 70mph there is a low frequency humming and a small vibration I can feel through the steering wheel and pedals. The frequency (sound) goes up and down in the very low frequency levels(sorry I'm an engineer and it's the only way I know how to explain it and not going up or down with speed just the noise itself, the noise is constant at any speed in which it occurs). We took it to the dealer a week ago and they said that is the way Fords with a PTU operate. It just doesn't seem right to me. I've combed the internet for this but haven't really found anything on it yet. If this is common I'd suspect everyone would feel this. Please let me know if you do and if this is indeed normal. We are taking it in this Wednesday for the cowl rattle/wind noise issue and want to be armed with some information on this issue as well. I'm going to insist we take a test drive of any used 2015 they have on the lot to see if it does it and if they don't have a 2015 then a 2016 should do. The carfax did say there was a PTU oil leak at one time that was fixed. Could out PTU be going south?

 

[FordService]

i have a '14 Sport..37K miles.

I had my PTU replaced last summer due to a slight shudder...

Some owners (including me) have described a low speed vibration similar to what you describe, happening around 15 mph and then disappearing...

Yep. Normal and has been there since day one. I call it the "Explorer Waddle"...

Hello everyone,

My name is Tricia, and I’m one of the U.S. Ford Customer Service Representatives on this forum. If your vehicles are still experiencing these symptoms, please take your rides to a Ford Dealer to get diagnosed, if you haven’t already. You can find a dealer, here. Once your appointment is set, be sure to let me know how your dealer visit went. If further help is needed, I’ll be happy to see how I can best assist at that time!

My problem seems to fit this thread:
2015 4WD Limited with 42,000 miles (bought certified used 3 weeks ago). When driving it and speeds above 35mph all the way to about 70mph there is a low frequency humming and a small vibration I can feel through the steering wheel and pedals...T

Hello jktheandies,

Please PM your full name, VIN, dealer, and best daytime phone number. I’ll loop in a customer service manager for your region to assist!

Tricia

 

[jktheandies]

Sorry for the late reply. The dealer replaced the PTU and said the output bearing was going bad. They did it under warranty so I'm grateful for that. The next day my wife heard the noise again. We took it back and this time the dealer said it was normal. We've tried to ignore it but just can't. We have an appointment on Monday for them to look at it again. If this is indeed "normal" why doesn't anyone else on this forum respond and let us know it's "normal"? I know the answer because it's not "normal".

 

[pup5581]

Sorry for the late reply. The dealer replaced the PTU and said the output bearing was going bad. They did it under warranty so I'm grateful for that. The next day my wife heard the noise again. We took it back and this time the dealer said it was normal. We've tried to ignore it but just can't. We have an appointment on Monday for them to look at it again. If this is indeed "normal" why doesn't anyone else on this forum respond and let us know it's "normal"? I know the answer because it's not "normal".

What was the noise? When my Sport is cold and i start off slow..i can hear a slight whine from what i think is the trans until i get past a certain speed. I am at 45K now.

 

[jktheandies]

It's not a whine but a low frequency "groan" that you can feel through the steering wheel and pedals. I was in the passenger seat the other day and I could feel it on the front passenger floorboard. It happens all the time, cold, hot it doesn't matter.
We took it in last week and the mechanic rode with us without us telling him what to expect and he picked up on it immediately. We have an appointment tomorrow and hopefully they will figure it out.

 

[jktheandies]

Well they found the problem!!!!!
It turned out to be the left front wheel bearing and hub assembly. I've worked on cars all my life and I remember telling them to me it could be a wheel bearing. With that said when I've replaced wheel bearings on other cars/trucks I've never heard one of them make this low frequency hum. They usually just have that grinding sound all the time. They mis-diagnosed it the first time and replaced the PTU (everything was under warranty). Now I have peace of mind knowing that for now our Explorer is running normally.
Anyway, Props go out to our Ford Dealer. If anyone lives in or around Warrenton, Va I recommend Sheehy Ford.