Shaky center console and front seats

[Big D from CT]

Hello. I'm having trouble getting or finding any info on alleviating this. I've searched on the forum and there seems to be no threads about it. I have a '99 XLT, and wherever I drive (city or highway) and whatever the speed, my center console and front seats are shaking. More so with higher speed/road conditions. The seat and the compartment where you rest your arm are the parts that are noticeably shaking normally. When a soda or drink are in the cup holders, that's when you notice the bottom portion shaking the liquid inside the containers. It isn't a violent shake in the seats. And it only seems to be noticeable in the passenger seat when I'm by myself. I don't feel it in the seat when I'm driving. It's just very annoying seeing things shaking and vibrating away. Any suggestions? Keep in mind, I have brand new tires/shocks/brakes & rotors/front drive shaft u-joint, all replaced and updated within the last month. Thanks for any help.

 

[FIND]

Check your body mounts.

 

[Cranmaro99]

I kinda notice this same thing on my Explorer.

 

[toypaseo]

Are your wheels OEM? If they are aftermarket, are you using hubcentric rings?

 

[xsportx]

I have the same thing with the passenger seat shaking..

I'ts been like that since i bought my X 3 years ago

I'ts weird tho, kinda off and on. sometimes it shakes, sometimes it doesn't :scratch:

I've learned to tune it out, don't even really notice it anymore.

 

[Big D from CT]

I bought the vehicle used, recently. All I can tell you is that the wheels are the 16 inch option ones. Not the standard 15. I don't know if they have hubcentric rings. The body mount suggestion does seem to make sense, though. Browsing through here, though, it would seem to be a pain in the butt job to do by yourself.

 

[jremington59]

Here's your possibilities. Hubs, tires, rims, ball joints, tie rods, alignment, among many others.

 

[01STrunner]

Browsing through here, though, it would seem to be a pain in the butt job to do by yourself.

Not hard to just check though

 

[Blrob]

You might want to check the other U-joints as well.

 

[Big D from CT]

Checked the body mounts. All seem to be pliable and show no signs of drying out. I had many front end components checked last month when i got my new tires (tie rod ends, ball joints) and the mechanic said everything looked and felt good. As for the rear u-joints........I've tried to get the bolts off in the past because I was going to check them as a possible cause for the shaking. Those things are on solid and I only really have access to hand tools. I do have a 12 point wrench that fits on the bolts. But even with a breaker bar on the wrench, they weren't budging. There really isn't any other way to check them without taking the drive shaft off, is there?

 

[jremington59]

When you put on the new tires did you get an alignment?

 

[Big D from CT]

Vehicle drives straight as an arrow. No need for an alignment.

 

[Blrob]

Check for play in the u-joints by moving them from side to side and up and down as the drive shaft sits while you are underneath it. If those bolts are that hard to get off, those are probably the original u-joints and probably need to be replaced.

 

[jremington59]

Vehicle drives straight as an arrow. No need for an alignment.

I had the console shake and put on new tires and the shake was still there. And the vehicle drove straight but I got an alignment and got the new tires balanced and the shakes barely noticable anymore.

 

[Joe Dirt]

Yeah, driving straight isn't the only reason to get an alignment...

 

[Big D from CT]

Well I scheduled an appointment for an alignment. I'll post whatever happens when I get it done. Thanks for the help, guys. Keep it coming if you have anything else to add.

 

[Turdle]

Have them check for a bent rim also.

 

[toypaseo]

When I first got my Explorer, and drove it on the interstate, my center console shook. Not all the time though. I could feel the shaking in the steering wheel during those times also. The shaking was so bad, that a minor two hour drive felt like a five hour drive :thumbdwn:

I had the tires balanced. Since I did not want weights on the front face, tape weights were used. Shaking problem solved.

 

[Big D from CT]

***UPDATE*** I went to Firestone today to get an alignment. For starters, as soon as it was done I asked to see a printout of how bad the alignment was. The guy at the counter said the tech "forgot" to print one out. That leads me to believe that they probably didn't do it, and I got stuck with the charge ( I know I should've made a bigger stink). Then as I'm driving out of the place, I feel and hear a clicking coming from the drivers side when I turn left and go over bumps. So I drive back and tell them that they screwed my alignment up. They put it back on the lift. Have 6 "techs" sitting there trying to figure out what's wrong. They conclude that it's my inner tie rod, because apparently when you adjust the alignment, you turn the inner tie rod with a wrench (not sure if that's the proper technique). They assure me that until it's replaced, it'll continue to make that noise, but will not do any further damage. Needless to say, I'm very pissed at the whole situation, in retrospect. I'm not a confrontational person. And that tends to bite me in the behind with these types of situations. Once I got home, I wrote an email to Firestone and explained the whole ordeal, and demanded a refund. And now I have scheduled an appointment for my inner tie rod, as well as a proper alignment, from a local place that's very reliable(should've gone there to begin with. don't know what I was thinking). I will NEVER go to the chain stores ever again. Finding a reliable, local mechanic is the way to go. So hopefully they get it squared away tomorrow.

 

[Cranmaro99]

***UPDATE*** I went to Firestone today to get an alignment. For starters, as soon as it was done I asked to see a printout of how bad the alignment was. The guy at the counter said the tech "forgot" to print one out. That leads me to believe that they probably didn't do it, and I got stuck with the charge ( I know I should've made a bigger stink). Then as I'm driving out of the place, I feel and hear a clicking coming from the drivers side when I turn left and go over bumps. So I drive back and tell them that they screwed my alignment up. They put it back on the lift. Have 6 "techs" sitting there trying to figure out what's wrong. They conclude that it's my inner tie rod, because apparently when you adjust the alignment, you turn the inner tie rod with a wrench (not sure if that's the proper technique). They assure me that until it's replaced, it'll continue to make that noise, but will not do any further damage. Needless to say, I'm very pissed at the whole situation, in retrospect. I'm not a confrontational person. And that tends to bite me in the behind with these types of situations. Once I got home, I wrote an email to Firestone and explained the whole ordeal, and demanded a refund. And now I have scheduled an appointment for my inner tie rod, as well as a proper alignment, from a local place that's very reliable(should've gone there to begin with. don't know what I was thinking). I will NEVER go to the chain stores ever again. Finding a reliable, local mechanic is the way to go. So hopefully they get it squared away tomorrow.

Yesh sorry to hear. I never take my cars (when I don't do the work myself) to chain shops.