Question about headrest on '14 Sport

[pup5581]

Hey all. Purchased a '14 sport today and will be picking it up early next week!!

Test drive and everything went fine. The only thing i noticed is that on the highway at around 75-80 there was a SLIGHT vib in the seat..but when i put my head to rest on headrest it was shaking a good amount. Not sure if other have this as well or should i bring it up to them ect.

Thanks

 

[peterk9]

Welcome to the Forum pup5581.:wavey:
Could be a sign that the tires need to be balanced. Ask them to check the alignment if balance is good.

Peter

 

[Halwg]

Welcome to the Forum pup5581.:wavey:
Could be a sign that the tires need to be balanced. Ask them to check the alignment if balance is good.

Peter

It does sound like a tire issue. If it's a used vehicle, there could be a wheel bearing or suspension problem. I wouldn't take delivery until the dealer determines the cause.

Start with the simple things, have them balance the tires and check alignment, then drive again. If it's still doing it, that might be a deal breaker for me unless they could diagnose the problem.

 

[FordService]

Hey all. Purchased a '14 sport today and will be picking it up early next week!!

Test drive and everything went fine. The only thing i noticed is that on the highway at around 75-80 there was a SLIGHT vib in the seat..but when i put my head to rest on headrest it was shaking a good amount. Not sure if other have this as well or should i bring it up to them ect.

Thanks

Welcome and congrats, pup5581! Definitely mention this to your dealer so they can inspect. If you need me to step in and assist, just give me a shout via PM.

Crystal

 

[markls8]

Congrats!

If it's a "new" vehicle, the wheels were balanced at the factory. If it has been sitting on the dealer's lot for a few weeks or months, it is most likely that the tires have flat spotted from sitting in one or two spots. No, it's a certainty in the "right" conditions.

The more high-performance the tires are (as measured by their speed rating) the stiffer the sidewalls of a tire are, and therefore the more susceptible they are to this happening. The Sport comes with such tires. It can take some time and miles to disappear ( a highly variable amount of time, sometimes as little as 10 minutes, sometimes quite a bit longer), especially in cold weather.

Note that when it goes away, it can come back at any time (but will go away too), depending on the conditions. Welcome to the world of high-performance tire ownership! Drive the car every day and you'll likely never encounter it.

Of course, other things will cause similar symptoms, snow/ice/mud inside the wheel. etc. which need to be ruled out too.

Good luck!

 

[pup5581]

It's a 14 with 13K miles. It felt like a slight tire balance issue.

I emails my sales guy and told him to look into it. Won't be picking it up for another week possibly as i need to get my plates release from Nissan ect ect so i will have time to drive it again before i buy it and see what's up.

You would figure if the headrest was shaking that much..the seat would be too..but that really wasn't the case. Only a little in the seat

 

[markls8]

It's the funny thing about vibration (in the business technically called "NVH" for "noise, vibration, harshness) that it is very subjective. Every physical object has what's called its "harmonic frequency", the resident frequency that it will naturally vibrate at - it's used to measure the stiffness of an auto body - the higher its frequency the stiffer it is, and the better its handling will be. (Yes, if a shattering wine glass image comes to mind, it's the same principle).

The headrest is at the "right" position, and has the right frequency to clearly show and be sympathetic to, the wheel/tire vibration, while the seat, which has a different frequency, might not so much. It's good that you noticed that because it gives you a very clear point of reference for the dealer to use to solve the problem. If it's not vibrating at the head rest, it's likely not anywhere else either, and the problem is solved. I have every confidence that the dealer will be able to take care of this for you, you've described it well.

Good luck, and nice choice of vehicle, BTW!

-Brian.

 

[blwnsmoke]

As stated, flat spots from sitting or tire iut of balance. The general rule is, if you feel it in the seat, it is usually the back tires. If you feel it in the steering wheel, it is usually the fronts.

 

[peterk9]

Mine has been sitting in the garage for the past 5 days so I'll see if the Blizzaks have flat spotted when I finally take it out tonight, assuming it starts. They are on 18" wheels so may be okay.

Peter

 

[markls8]

Mine has been sitting in the garage for the past 5 days so I'll see if the Blizzaks have flat spotted when I finally take it out tonight, assuming it starts. They are on 18" wheels so may be okay.

Peter

You might see it if you hit the highway early before the flat spots have had a chance to run out. But these are winter tires in winter conditions, the temperatures they were intended for and, also depending on their speed rating, 5 days might not be enough for it to show up.

Will be interesting to know what you find...

 

[peterk9]

No flat spotting noticed at all. With the 20" on the previous 2011 Limited I would have noticed it for the first mile or so. Hit the 4000 km mark on my trip. That's 2486 miles since April 1st. It might be broken in by the time my 3 year lease is up.

Peter