'16 Explorer Sport vibration help

[Lt. Dino]

I've been reading a lot of posts, but haven't been able to find an answer to my vehicle's issue. As a side note, I traded in a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado Z71 with 93k miles and General Grabber AT2 tires for a 2016 Explorer Sport. I bought the Explorer with 21k on the odometer. My truck with aggressive AT tires rode like a dream compared to my Explorer.

I bought the Explorer in August of 2016 (certified used), and I made note of the wear on the stock Hankook tires when I bought it. The dealer said I should get at least another 20k out of them. Anyway, since I've had the vehicle, it's had a vibration above 45 mph. I brought it to my mechanic and they balanced the Hankooks and said one was well out of alignment. The vibration was still there, and when the snow started to fly this winter, the Hankooks were useless (two had 4/32 tread left and two had 5/32 of tread.) So since the car vibrated on the highway and I couldn't drive in the snow, I opted to get new tires. I put on four Michelin Defender LTX 255/50R20 109H tires back in February. Guess what? The Explorer still vibrates. I then went to the Ford dealership and they said they checked the suspension and drivetrain, and that the vibration was due to bad tires. So back to my mechanic I go to have the tires rebalanced. They said a couple tires were off by a small amount, but nothing I should be able to notice. Still have a vibration, so back to the shop for a third time and they replace two tires under Michelin's warranty because of irregular road force numbers (tires had less than 2000 miles on them.) They drove it three times that day and say they can feel the vibration at high speed. So... Ford claims the vehicle is fine, and my tires have had insane amounts of attention, but guess what... my car still shakes on the highway!!! I'm stumped.

One thing I notice is that when stopped at a light, the vehicle shakes. It's very noticeable in the steering wheel, but when you accelerate, it smooths out. Anyone have any insight on what to look at next? I thoroughly hate this vehicle because it's not enjoyable to drive on the highway. But if I can get it to ride smoothly I'll probably change my mind. Any ideas would be appreciated!!!

<rant over>

 

[luc]

Did you test drive the truck before buying it? was the vibrations present then?
the dealer and tire place are playing the blame game
Have the dealer put new tires on,I bet you that suddenly they would not blame the tires anymore
With those type of issue, you don't want 2 players because the end game is always the same, its the "other" fault

 

[peterk9]

I would think the tires have been eliminated as the cause since a new set plus 2 new replacements have not cured the problem.

 

[Lt. Dino]

Did you test drive the truck before buying it? was the vibrations present then?
the dealer and tire place are playing the blame game
Have the dealer put new tires on,I bet you that suddenly they would not blame the tires anymore
With those type of issue, you don't want 2 players because the end game is always the same, its the "other" fault

I did test drive it, however where I live, there's so much traffic that when I went onto the highway, I didn't get much above 40-45 or so.

 

[reserved50]

hmmm, maybe give it one last shot at a wheel repair place with a balancer or a high end wheel shop, they can spin them up and check for any bends or out of round tires. Does it vibrate when applying the brakes?