2009 Ford Ranger- Vibration on Highway?

[panthermike]

Hey everyone,

Just bought myself a 2009 Ford Ranger with 3000 miles on it.

I noticed that on the highway, there is an "intermittent" vibration. I'll be using cruise and on a smooth freeway, the steering wheel will vibrate and then it won't vibrate for awhile?

My first thought was balancing the tires. Dealer did it mentioning they were only "slightly" out of balance and the tech didn't notice anything on the test drive.

Needless to say, it still does the same thing. Any thoughts before I take it back in to service? I dread taking it back, I was there 5hrs this morning for the vibration issue and tinting 2 windows(which they screwed up horribly and it needs to be done again

) Luckily, I have a 100K bumper to bumper warranty but I still hate going to the dealer. Again, this truck only has 3000 miles!

 

[rszappa1]

Too bad they dont have a 30 day garentee GM... I would take it back....

 

[c3po]

panthermike, I went ahead and Googled something like Vibration Problems on Ford Rangers.

I came up with some things I saw:

1) Bad PowerSteering Pump
2) Bad Tie Rod
3) Bad Wheel Bearing

Maybe check to make sure they balanced the tires right, another thing I saw was when people put on different tires, but I am sure this truck has the original tires.

 

[rszappa1]

Wow and this is on the 2009....Already...

 

[mrsilv04]

Rotate the tires. If after the front tires are moved to the back and the vibration goes away or changes from being in the steering wheel to the seat of your pants.... then I'd be asking for 2 new tires under warranty.

Simple enough!

 

[tig1]

You may have a tire that's out of round not out of balance.

 

[DieselTech]

Not every vehicle can be perfect and GM is also FAR from it ( POS IFS and Tie rods ). You have a warranty for a reason, take it in!! It's very common for a tire to be out of balance from the plant

 

[SLCraig]

Bad belt in the tire? I'm inclined to believe an intermittent vibration is normally a tire issue. It's brand new though, they'll get it fixed for you.. (the dealer)

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: rszappa1
Too bad they dont have a 30 day garentee GM... I would take it back....


You don't take a rest do you?

Mother of God.


*************

OP:

Probably a tire. The suggestion to rotate and see if it follows is a sound one. It could also be something as simple as improperly torqued lug nuts.

 

[MC5W20]

I have the same problem now with my Ranger after I bought new tires. Gotta take it in again to have them rebalanced. I'm thinking I got a bad set, anyone know how to get the manufacturer to replace them?

 

[panthermike]

Great input guys, sounds like I'll have them rotate the tires.

Now, I have to worry about the tint they screwed up and the two "scuffs" they made on the door.

I will update as soon as I can take it in. Sorry Zappa, no GM vehicles.

Thanks again guys.

 

[CROWNVIC4LIFE]

Originally Posted By: rszappa1
Too bad they dont have a 30 day garentee GM... I would take it back....


rszappa1 if you are just here to make smart remarks and not here to help panthermike then why are you here?

 

[CROWNVIC4LIFE]

Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL

OP:

Probably a tire. The suggestion to rotate and see if it follows is a sound one. It could also be something as simple as improperly torqued lug nuts.


That was the problem on my step dads C.V. after he got it.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: CROWNVIC4LIFE
Originally Posted By: rszappa1
Too bad they dont have a 30 day garentee GM... I would take it back....


rszappa1 if you are just here to make smart remarks and not here to help panthermike then why are you here?


Because he drives a Honda and needs us to know just how smart he is.

 

[JTK]

Lots of dealerships do offer a 30 day return policy if you actually wanted to. You get your full purchase price towards the purchase of another vehicle on their lot.

Joel

 

[swalve]

Sounds like a balance and resonance issue. The tire (or some other rotating assy) could be just ever so slightly out of balance, and interacting with a resonance in the vehicle.

It's like a musical tone "beat". If someone plays a note, and then someone else plays the same note but is ever so slightly out of tune, you will hear a "beat" in the resultant tone that is the difference between the two.

So when the two vibrating assys are vibrating against each other, you feel nothing. When they are vibrating with each other, you feel vibration that's far greater than either imbalance on its own.

 

[rszappa1]

i would take them up on it if they would let you exchange..... Ask the dealer if they have a Hunter Road Force machine and have them balance your tires on this.... If not you might want to find a tire store that has one....... They have saved a lot of time and suspension parts replacing over the years.....

 

[demarpaint]

Another vote for a tire. Have the dealer move the tires front to rear and see what happens.

 

[panthermike]

Originally Posted By: JTK
Lots of dealerships do offer a 30 day return policy if you actually wanted to. You get your full purchase price towards the purchase of another vehicle on their lot.

Joel


They have a 7 day policy. Hate to say it, but I'm actually looking into it. They're supposed to get back to me to see if the "numbers work", we'll see. If not though, I'll keep taking it in until it's fixed. Hopefully they'll give me a loaner car out of good faith(seeing as most of the issues were caused by them). I just don't have the time to wait around on the car and I HAVE to keep working.

Thanks guys, I'll keep you updated.

 

[rszappa1]

You always have the Lemon Law down the road....If they do have that policy I would take them up on it. Go drive another one just like your to see if it has the same problem... If not well thats a no brainer to me i would exchange it for the other truck.....