Is this vibration normal?

[cheapjeep2]

Could it be a bad motor mount? I still feel the engine at certain RPMs theough the gas pedal and floor when accelerating.. Dealer couldnt find anything wrong. But the also couldnt feel it but its pretty pronounnced

Possible, but would think I would feel it at other speeds. I do not feel anything through the gas pedal, my pedal is smooth.

 

[Codeman069]

I have a 2012 Explorer Limited, bad vibration between 40 and 50 mph and the Hankooks were terrible in the snow and rain. Discount Tire recommended Nitto, they are much better in the snow but the vibration is still there. Dealer put it up on the rack and ran it up to an indicated 60 mph and no vibration detected. Service Tech at dealer said the Nitto's are as bad as the Hankooks. Discount will put Michelins on for $944, I had the new tires on over the winter because it took that long to get a response from Ford. The customer service manager from Ford, Ron Powell, will no longer return my calls even though I have left messages. The 2015 Limited I recently test drove had the same vibration issues, it appears they will not go away. Any ideas?

 

[peterk9]

Welcome to the Forum Codeman069. :wavey:
I only had the Hankooks on my 2011 long enough to drive from the dealership to the tire shop where I had Yokohama Parada Spec-X tires installed. I did not notice any vibration at that time nor with the Hankooks currently on my MKT.
I use dedicated Winter tires as well.

Peter

 

[FordService]

...I had the new tires on over the winter because it took that long to get a response from Ford. The customer service manager from Ford, Ron Powell, will no longer return my calls even though I have left messages...

Hi Codeman069,

Welcome to the site! I'm Crystal, the Ford Service rep here. I'd like to see what I can do to help smooth out your ride. How many miles are on your Explorer currently?

Crystal

 

[Codeman069]

Hi Crystal,

I have 52,700 miles on it, I switched to the Nittos last Summer at the recommendation of the Discount Tire manager. I did not want to go through another Winter with the Hankooks, this di not resolve the vibration issue. Both sets of tires are worse after the vehicle has sat for awhile. The manager said it was a Ford issue and there was nothing they could do with it. I finally got my local Ford dealer, they actually are very good, to investigate further. They rebalanced all 4 wheels and put it on the rack and accelerated up to the speed range and we could detect no vibration. The service tech told me the Nittos are just as bad as the stock Hankooks although they are much better in the snow. The Hankooks would slide even on low speed turns even though I have 4WD. Other than the very annoying vibration and shuddering mainly between 40 and 50 mph, mostly at 45, this is the best vehicle I have ever driven. The only other issue would be the rear brakes wearing out twice as fast as the front because the calipers stick.

 

[Codeman069]

Thank You Crystal and peterk9 for the welcome to this site. The Ford is my first new American made car since my 1970 Cuda, wish I still had that, we have had Nissans and Toyotas. My wife has a Prius we were thinking of trading in, because of my issues with the Explorer she doe not even want to drive the Fusion hybrid at this point. I do not want to spend more money on the vehicle, especially a grand, if it does not help.

 

[peterk9]

Some 20" tires will tend to 'flat spot' in the vehicle sits for a period of time but that usually smooths out after a few miles.

Peter

 

[pup5581]

Hi Crystal,

I have 52,700 miles on it, I switched to the Nittos last Summer at the recommendation of the Discount Tire manager. I did not want to go through another Winter with the Hankooks, this di not resolve the vibration issue. Both sets of tires are worse after the vehicle has sat for awhile. The manager said it was a Ford issue and there was nothing they could do with it. I finally got my local Ford dealer, they actually are very good, to investigate further. They rebalanced all 4 wheels and put it on the rack and accelerated up to the speed range and we could detect no vibration. The service tech told me the Nittos are just as bad as the stock Hankooks although they are much better in the snow. The Hankooks would slide even on low speed turns even though I have 4WD. Other than the very annoying vibration and shuddering mainly between 40 and 50 mph, mostly at 45, this is the best vehicle I have ever driven. The only other issue would be the rear brakes wearing out twice as fast as the front because the calipers stick.

If you are looking to solve a vib issue..i would never go with Nittos IMO. I hear wayyy too many bad things about them. They are good becasue they are cheap...but that's about it.

 

[FordService]

...They rebalanced all 4 wheels and put it on the rack and accelerated up to the speed range and we could detect no vibration...

Thanks for responding, Codeman069. Just to clarify, are you still experiencing the vibration? If you are, I'll be happy to arrange for a call from your regional customer service manager. All I need to make that happen is a PM with your full name, best daytime phone number, VIN, current mileage, and servicing dealership.

Crystal

 

[Codeman069]

That would be good Crystal except Ron Powell is my District Customer Service Manager and has not responded to 2 voice mails I left for him. As for the Nittos, they were highly recommended by the manager at my local Discount Tire so I'm thinking doing business with them is not such a good idea. Especially since when I pointed out the bad vibes were still there they blamed Ford.

 

[FordService]

That would be good Crystal except Ron Powell is my District Customer Service Manager and has not responded to 2 voice mails I left for him...

Hi Codeman069,

Let me look into this further. Once I have your information, I can verify who your CSM is and arrange for them to call you. Send me the information I listed above in a PM and I'll make it happen.

Crystal

 

[Codeman069]

OK, I am new here so how do I PM?

 

[peterk9]

OK, I am new here so how do I PM?

Just click on FordService in the margin of her post and then select 'Sent a private message to....'

Peter

 

[Codeman069]

Thank You Peter, I'll get the hang of this yet.

 

[Codeman069]

I finally was able to read through all of the posts relating to the vibration/shuddering my explorer gets between 40 and 50 mph, this even was evident on the 2015 Limited model and the Sport I test drove. Apparently the tires will not correct the issue and all Ford has done is give us lip service. While I am glad free new tires made one vehicle perform better, the vibration did not go away and I find that very upsetting in a $50,000+ vehicle. Am I not seeing something here or is the vibration something Ford expects us to live with?

 

[cheapjeep2]

After driving mine for a while now with new tires, I am convinced there are two issues, the shutter for which no one can figure out and flat spotting with the 20" wheels. Mine always vibrates on initial drive, but then the tires warm up and it is pretty much smooth. I think the flat spotting might high light whatever drive train shutter there is. Regardless, I agree it should not be happening.

 

[MCnoHammer]

I've also experienced this on my Explorer. 2011 Limited with 20in wheels, hankooks. Have had left rear wheel bearing replaced and it got better, but still has a constant hum noise and vibration in steering wheel and pedal that does not get worse the faster you drive. I'm able to drive 75 mph and you can hear tire noise which is different than the constant hum and vibration noise.

Drove service manager around and he definitely heard it, thinks it's another front wheel bearing but they've replaced one and it still does it. He felt vibration through wheel and pedal also and has no idea what to fix.

Have owned my Explorer 30 days, it has been in the shop now 17 days. Awaiting refund from dealer.

 

[Codeman069]

Maybe we need to get legal counsel and try to find out how many of us are having this issue and look at class action. Ford obviously knows about it and continues to sell the vehicles.

 

[MCnoHammer]

Maybe we need to get legal counsel and try to find out how many of us are having this issue and look at class action. Ford obviously knows about it and continues to sell the vehicles.

I'm most likely going to have to seek counsel to get this resolved. I asked for a refund 4 days ago and my dealer will no longer return my calls or emails. They are almost an hour away and I can't just pop in to talk to them.

 

[Codeman069]

I went to Discount Tire again today, they will replace the Nittos, which this manager said was not a good choice, for Bridgestone Dueler Alenzas or Michelins. The Michelins are $400 more, he said both are much better than the nittos or Hankooks but there is no guarantee my bad vibes between 40 and 50 mph will go away. Now I need to decide whether to dump another $1,000 into the Explorer, I've already gpt $800 invested in the Nittos at 42,000 miles, or trade it in and go back to Toyota. We've had zero problems with our Toyotas over the last 20 years, my wife loves her Prius and I miss my 4Runner.