Shake or shimmy in front end.

[Explore2013]

I have a 2013 Explorer XLT and it shake the steering from stop to 10-20 mph, straight or turning left or right. Not always but most of the time. It was less than 500 miles when I discovered. I brought to Ford dealer/service and they put a monitor for 3 days and they were the one who drove. I drove with the technician and he felt the shaking of steering. The service advisor decided to replace the two front axles and the shaking is 50% less now. I went back to complained why still shaking. Technician drove and felt the shaking. He also test drive their demo 2013 explorer to compare but NO shaking. So I asked him if two axle were replaced in my explorer but he said ONLY ONE was replaced. Why the service advisor lied about replacing two axles when in fact only one was replaced? After the test drive they told me to inform the Ford company and they will call me, up to now after 2 months I have not yet hear from them.
Maybe if they also change the other front axle it will solve the shaking.
Somebody from Ford Company can advise me?
Thanks

 

[plumbago]

The ex I used to have did the same thing with all traction aids turned off no difference .they told that they would monitor it for any changes. Traded it in I was tired of all the issues of this vehicle .

This is the best, and perhaps the smartest solution to the EXP problems...Ford seems to be of no help in this matter....Only thing needed to be added is Don't buy another one !

 

[peterk9]

I have a 2013 Explorer XLT and it shake the steering from stop to 10-20 mph, straight or turning left or right. Not always but most of the time. It was less than 500 miles when I discovered. I brought to Ford dealer/service and they put a monitor for 3 days and they were the one who drove. I drove with the technician and he felt the shaking of steering. The service advisor decided to replace the two front axles and the shaking is 50% less now. I went back to complained why still shaking. Technician drove and felt the shaking. He also test drive their demo 2013 explorer to compare but NO shaking. So I asked him if two axle were replaced in my explorer but he said ONLY ONE was replaced. Why the service advisor lied about replacing two axles when in fact only one was replaced? After the test drive they told me to inform the Ford company and they will call me, up to now after 2 months I have not yet hear from them.
Maybe if they also change the other front axle it will solve the shaking.
Somebody from Ford Company can advise me?
Thanks

Welcome to the Forum Explorer2013.:wavey:
Sorry to hear about your problem. You can always try sending a private message to the Ford reps (FordService) that monitor this forum. Crystal is on during the day and Ashley covers the evening 'shift'. You can use this link;http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/private.php?do=newpm&u=157968

They will need your name, phone number, VIN, mileage, and dealer info.

Good luck.

Peter

 

[182RG]

But as far as the shimmy when accelerating and shifting from 1st to second goes I was told it is normal;

Goes all the way back to the '11s. I call it the Explorer "waddle". The Ex is the wife's ride. She doesn't notice.

 

[bburzycki]

I have also noticed this under acceleration at lower speeds from a stop.. feels like a mix of torque steer and traction control..

I assume its a more wide spread problem then we might all think..

 

[FordService]

...Somebody from Ford Company can advise me?
Thanks

I received your PM and responded, Explore2013. Let me know if you have any other questions; I'll be happy to help!

Crystal

 

[Explore2013]

Thanks Peter..
Crystal is looking at this now.
Every time I complained to service advisor (Ford dealer where I bought) about this problem he always told me to bring my suv and their technician will test drive. They already test drove 3 times and install monitoring for 3 days and they always felt the shaking. We used their demo suv and found no shaking at all.
Thanks.

 

[bronks]

1st Ford purchase bought an new 2013 Explorer XLT loaded w/ 20s in Feb. 2013. 7k miles currently. I have the 5-20 mph front end shimmy, a clicking/crunching noise while turning (low speeds, close turning like parking lots, parking garages, etc..) a faulty sunroof shade and a broken rear seatbelt. Been to the local service dept for an entire new sunroof track/mech, a TSB repair on the front end clicking (they put new shims on the axles) which fixed the clicking/crunching noise for 3 days and is now louder than before. Took it back today because the shimmy is still there, even though they told me the TSB on the clicking/crunching would fix the shimmy and the noises. (it didn't) Now they told me today that it needs front end wheel bearings. Am i crazy in thinking that a new vehicle that cost 43k with only 7k miles on it shouldn't be in the service dept for things like; wheel bearings, axle shims, and an entire sunroof? I have been on the phone with Ford customer service a (Regional Manager over 20+ dealerships) and have gotten nowhere. They keep telling me they will fix it and now it seems like they are just guessing and replacing parts. I asked the regional manger today if they would just buy the darn thing back, he literally told me to go trade it in. I thought, you know why not ask the salesman and manager what they would give me for it, boy did i get my feelings hurt today when they said 30k. So a vehicle that is 7 months old that i bought from them lost $13k in value in less than a year (i knew it would be a loss but not that much). Needless to say I am very unhappy with my purchase and feel absolutely stuck with this thing. Sorry for the long post, just very unhappy thought others may be having same issues.

 

[angelo327]

FIXED the Shmmy Shakes

Went to another dealership; Lilliston Ford, Vineland, NJ

The mechanic listened to my complaint, drove the truck and felt the problem immediately. He discovered the Rear Differential was miss-aligned; causing what he called the 'Earth Tremors' effect. Contacted the Factory Rep with a proposed fix and shimmed the rear differential into alignment.

So if you don't like the answer you get; ask someone else until you get a better one.

My own dealership; Chapman Ford, Pleasantville, NJ did not care to listen to my complaints; they just assumed I was delusional and blew me off.

My initial complaint; at 40 Mph I feel a vibration in the seat, center console, gas pedal and steering wheel. Service cleaned a 4wheel drive connector because they claim it was causing a vibration while turning (*But I get vibration going straight and while turning) That point was missed; but they also load balanced the tires to eliminate a tire balance vibration.
NOTE: They have 100% faith in the load balancing machine; faith that stands against a humans ability to detect vibrations.
The service did mitigate (reduce) vibrations but seems to have done so by expanding the speed range it can be felt. So I went back and said I still feel a wobble in my seat, gas peddle, and steering wheel. They drove the truck again and determined what I’m feeling is just normal road vibrations. (I guess I need to recalibrate my behind's sensitivity.)
Finally I insist all 4 tires should be replaced using the Michelin tire 30 day replacement guarantee. They said OK. ((more on that Tuesday)).

But as far as the shimmy when accelerating and shifting from 1st to second goes I was told it is normal; they claim the 4wheel drive is trying to detect if I've lost traction and may vibrate until I reach 45MPH. (*So they're saying it's basically confused).
Gee! My tuck and I seem to have a common problem; we're confused and too sensitive.
I insist this should not be considered normal; they say I have to Prove it! So I ask them to pull another Ford 2014 out and we'll take a test drive. No Can Do! Ford says that unless I can find another 2014 that is the same year, make, model, options, tires, rims and exact millage any comparison between them is invalid and won’t prove the shaking In my suspension is abnormal.

So how you like them apples? You can sell me **** and call it Roses; Who's to say! It's all just a matter of interpretation Right! May well be but sh*t still stinks no matter what you call it.

 

[xplanfan]

Wow, this is the first positive experience I have heard regarding the Explorer "Waddle". Please let us know if this proposed fix works. Frankly, I got tired of hearing the same excuses from my dealer and finally gave up. I still have my 2012 explorer, but will not buy another Ford. In fact we recently purchased a new Toyota for my wife.

xplanfan

Went to another dealership; Lilliston Ford, Vineland, NJ

The mechanic listened to my complaint, drove the truck and felt the problem immediately. He discovered the Rear Differential was miss-aligned; causing what he called the 'Earth Tremors' effect. Contacted the Factory Rep with a proposed fix and shimmed the rear differential into alignment.

So if you don't like the answer you get; ask someone else until you get a better one.

My own dealership; Chapman Ford, Pleasantville, NJ did not care to listen to my complaints; they just assumed I was delusional and blew me off.

 

[Noahsadie]

Shake or shimmy in front end

We have a 2015 ex that has had a wobble when excelerating and a shake at 60 mph since we bought it new. The manager rode and immediately felt the wobble and the shake. The dealership kept the vehicle for 2 weeks checked everything ford authorized them to check and then ford engineer or tech came to the dealership and completed ana assessment. Nothing was found and this person said the shake was within an allowable range. My husband and I are not happy with this at all. We have owned the vehicle since June and are too troubled that the problem has not been resolved. It appears others have had the same issues over several years. Why has this issue not been resolved. I'm curious if the above fix has continued to eliminate the problem.

 

[peterk9]

We have a 2015 ex that has had a wobble when excelerating and a shake at 60 mph since we bought it new. The manager rode and immediately felt the wobble and the shake. The dealership kept the vehicle for 2 weeks checked everything ford authorized them to check and then ford engineer or tech came to the dealership and completed ana assessment. Nothing was found and this person said the shake was within an allowable range. My husband and I are not happy with this at all. We have owned the vehicle since June and are too troubled that the problem has not been resolved. It appears others have had the same issues over several years. Why has this issue not been resolved. I'm curious if the above fix has continued to eliminate the problem.

Welcome to the Forum.:wavey:
Do you know for sure if they checked the tires or rotated them? A shake at a specific speed sometimes indicates a tire is out of balance. If they had it for weeks I sure hope this was checked.
Also, it would be helpful if you added the 'model' of the Ex to your profile so it always shows in the margin. Good luck.

Peter

 

[uscav82]

Another wobble issue, surprise surprise. Anyhow here's my take on this issue.

Its the G Damn EPAS unit and its calibration. This is not rocket science Ford. Its not. Get your Engineer's off their 5th point of contact and either reprogram or disable the active nible control programmed into these units.

Your tech's are chasing a hardware ghost and cant find it because it does not exist. The stacking tolerance in play in the components in the front of my truck is well within limits. I've measured everything down to the thousands of an inch.

I've put her on an alignment rack and watched all my angles at normal ride, compressed and slightly unloaded. While still in spec its on the outer limits and personally I think all OEM ranges are a little sloppy.

A wobble is not a mystery to be honest. It has a frequency. A frequency can be measured and if you do the math base on vehicle speed and knowing all gear ratio's you can match the frequency to the parts that are spinning at that speed.

Of course I'm not telling you anything new Ford because YOU make the tool to do so available to the dealers. Granted most don't have it due to a lack of common sense or intellect to understand the physics behind it but regardless, its not rocket science.

I'm adjusting the alignment to .10 toe in. At higher speeds it will be closer to an even .0 , this should cut the issue down somewhat. I'll post an update.

 

[peterk9]

uscav82, you do know that Ford doesn't read these posts don't you?

Peter

 

[angelo327]

Resolution: Shimmy Shake Explorer XLT

On my truck, after 5 trips to the original dealership, I went to another dealership, lillison Ford Vineland NJ.
The mechanic knew exactly what I was talking about. He referred to it as 'the tremors. So among the insiders this problem has a nick name.

What he found buy putting the truck up on a lift and running it at 42 MPH was the Rear Differential was out of alignment. He could push on the differential and make the shake go away so he contacted the factory and got approval to use a SHIM to align the rear differential. This did, by about 80%, remove the shimmy.

However the Ford XLT shakes on its best day. The dealer let me drive 3 other XLT's and 1 Limited and they all shake. Especially that little shutter when taking off. They all do that. It's a design flaw that Ford just doesn't know how to eliminate and it is a shame they make Us (owners) feel stupid and delusional to a degree of totally denying there is a real problem when there is. Never again.

I think it's in the rack. Shimmys from side to side. Can't really feel it in the steering wheel but you can feel it in the floor board.
Any ideas? I have an appointment with the dealer soon and have already been told once they couldn't replicate so they did nothing. Complained when I received a questionaire about the service. Now they seem real eager to find out what's wrong.......

 

[peterk9]

..... Especially that little shutter when taking off. They all do that. It's a design flaw that Ford just doesn't know how to eliminate and it is a shame they make Us (owners) feel stupid and delusional to a degree of totally denying there is a real problem when there is. Never again.

Can't say I ever noticed it on my 2011 Limited.

Peter

 

[Napalm]

does this only plague the 4wd models? just curious.

Did any of you get this issue mostly when braking? did it happen to come up about the time you got new tires, rotated tires or got new brakes?

and what is the age, and mileage commonly associated with this issue. my 16 doesn't do it but it's also not 4wd.

 

[FordService]

Another wobble issue, surprise surprise. Anyhow here's my take on this issue...

On my truck, after 5 trips to the original dealership, I went to another dealership, lillison Ford Vineland NJ.
The mechanic knew exactly what I was talking about...

Hello Ford Fam,

If further assistance is needed, let me take a look. What’s the mileage on your vehicles? I’ll be happy to check my resources on this end!

Tricia

 

[flyleclair]

Hello Ford Fam,

If further assistance is needed, let me take a look. What’s the mileage on your vehicles? I’ll be happy to check my resources on this end!

Tricia

Hello Tricia. Were you able to find a solution to this issue? I'm experiencing this same issue on my 2011 and it's starting to be very annoying.

 

[peterk9]

Hello Tricia. Were you able to find a solution to this issue? I'm experiencing this same issue on my 2011 and it's starting to be very annoying.

As per the "Out of Office" thread, posted Jan. 8th;

Hey Ford Fam,

We will be away from the forum temporarily. If you guys need help, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us via Twitter or Facebook. If you need immediate assistance, please contact your dealer or the Customer Relationship Center. For the CRC, dial 1-800-392-3673 OR 1-800-232-5952 (TDD for the Hearing Impaired).

Thanks for your patience!

Tricia
__________________
FORD SERVICE

Peter