Ford F-Series Rough Idle/Vibration Problems

sgood · March 2006

I have had my truck in 3 times so the dealer could check out a vibration I'm having. They dont seem to know what it is. I feel a vibration at idle around 550 RPM. If I push the gas a little it seems to smooth out. The vibration comes back around 1100 rpm then smooths out again then back at around 2200 rpm. The dealer had a TSB about the electronic module needing to be reprogramed and they did that but it did not help. Then they did some adjustment with the engine mounts but that also did not help. It seems to me that the engine is out of balance. Has anyone here had this problem that has been solved? I would appreciate any info because I'm taking it back to the shop next week.

Karen_S · April 2006

You might want to check the F-series Problems & Solutions discussion. There are others talking about this issue there.

kulczak · April 2006

Help!. 04 F-150 XLT 4x4 with the 4.6. w/rough idle. It had 5,700 miles on it at purchase, and now has 19,000. Soon after purchase, the rough idle was noticed. Noticable in park, worse in drive when waiting at a light. Gets better with A/C or defroster on. Multiple times to the dealer, one TSB done with no success. MAF cleaned, and new air filter. Might be my imagination, but seems to get worse when I have 1/4 tank or less of gas. Any ideas?

mrintz · April 2006

I also have a 2004 supercrew (5.4 3valve)with a rough idle(vibration),I took it into the dealer last week,both camshafts were replaced along with 24 lash ajusters and the camshaft phasers and reprogramed PCM with latest Cal. Still running smooth

KCRam · July 2006

This discussion is for owners of the current-generation F150 to talk about the well-documented vibration issues.

kcram - Pickups Host

pilot4me2 · July 2006

I recently purchased a 2004 F150 and had bad vibrations at 45-55 mph. Had it in the dealer 3 times and they finally sent a Ford engineer to look at. They discovered that my PCM had outdated software. They loaded the new software for the PCM and now I do not have the serious vibrations anymore at 45-55 mph. Thanks allot to all those that supported me in my time of need.

mac24 · July 2006

I'm glad to hear you got it taken care of. It's the first time I've heard of it being cured with a PCM software update.......if only it was always that easy!

emtdawn · August 2006

We recently purchased a 2005 F-150. After a series of trips to the Ford Dealer, new tires, new caliphers, turned roters, alignment, indexing the rims to the tires.. they still cannot find out why we get a shimmy between 65 and 75mph. Yesterday, we were told that there is a "bulletin" from Ford out on what they call nimbling???? However, today, they called as they still have the truck and he said that they "needed" to turn the roters. I told them they already did that and he said "when"? Less than three weeks ago. I noted your post. Does PCM stand for Polution Control Module? Anyone have any ideas. This shimmy was not present until Ford got a hold of the truck and did a wheel alignment. I'm serious.. that's when it all started. Anyone, help..

205 · August 2006

I have been going through the same problem with my 2005 f-150 crew cab. If you feel closely you may actually feel the vibration start around the 45 mph area. I have had my truck in 4 times and it has to go back again. The vibration got worse after the last service.They have balanced, rotated, toed in, put a dampner on, now they want to force balance. I tried to call customer relations. Waste of time. I called 5 times. I was first told that I would receive a call back in 2 days, then 2-5 days, then 24 hrs. then 24-48hrs. Never a supervisor around. I tried the dealer this morning no call back. I gave up, I tried to work with ford but they are refusing to deal with me. I called the lemon law attorney. They said I have a case. So off to court we go.
To all reading this don't waste your time with ford, call an attorney. Maybe alittle extra pressure will get there asses moving.

jimg26 · August 2006

hi i own a 2004 f150 extended cab 4x4. i am not sure if the problem ia m experiencing is the same as others by mine sounds like a rattle or more like hub cap full of bb's it has been in for service twice for this and is now making the same noise intermittently during highway driving. the 1st 2 times they repaired it ford said is was a four wheel drive part ( both times) are we talking about the same issue i am reading all over this site concerning vibration? looking for possibilities before i return for service. ( 23,000 miles on truck
thanks jimg

emtdawn · August 2006

The suspension is so critical on this model. We had the forced balancing and what's amazing about this is prior to that, some of the new tires had four weights on them, and some of them now don't even have one wieght. They call it indexing, and finally after seven trips..there is no shimmy!! I was a little upset, only in the fact that they went through balancing five times, caliphers, rotors, new tires, alighment, and it wasn't until their lead mechanic told us about the "bulletin" out did they finally manage to get rid of the shimmy. Oh, that was also after I mentioned arbitration and the BBB. Good luck. Ours is a 2005 F-150 crew cab.

idctr · August 2006

I recently traded in my 2003 Supercrew XLT for a 2006 Supercrew Lariat 4x4....my dream truck, but when I hit 65 MPH the steering wheel starts to shimmy. It is in the service dept. for the second time, and so far they have rechecked balance, alignment, tires, and wheels. A worker in the service dept. told me today on the phone that they would be running some tests to measure the dampening or something, and that I should be aware that this is a "characteristic" of the truck and that it was not a "severe" shimmy! So, basically, they are saying my new, $40K truck is not going to drive as well as my 2003 model, or for that matter, as well as my brother's $12K Kia!

I will not accept this shimmy. Any ideas on where I go from here?

emtdawn · August 2006

You don't have to "settle" for a small shimmy, period. Tell them you want the tires "indexed". This means that they match the tire to the wheel better than just balancing As I said, it's called indexing. They'll know... it's done under pressure and they get it near perfect. Tell them you are aware of the Bulletin Ford put out. If they don't give you satisfaction, you ask for the "district manager's" phone number and name (they will give it to you), and you also give them a chance to make it right.. then if after the fifth or sixth time back..and keep notes and worksheets, talk to a Lemon Law attorney and/or the Better Business Bureau. Forms can be downloaded at "legalzoom.com" for many of the above problems. You don't have to "accept" any vehicle that isn't working perfect. Tell them to get off their lazy duffs and get educated in servicing the vehicle

idctr · August 2006

An update:

I got my truck back from the service dept. yesterday (2nd time in the shop). They worked on the alignment, checked the wheels and tires, and force balanced the truck. The vibration is still there, and maybe due to my higher awareness, seems to be even a little worse! I am taking the truck back into them in 3 days. They are ordering parts to do some work on the rack and pinion steering system.

I talked to the service person about the Ford bulletin that has been issued on this problem. They said there is a flow sheet that they will work through to try an fix the issue. I also asked whether or not they have had other trucks with the same problem, and they said "yes". The service person then told me that my vibration was only at 8-9 Hz and Ford will not even try to fix it if it is 8 or under. It sounds to me like they are setting up a "Well, your vibration could not be fixed, but it was not that bad anyway" scenario.

If they cannot fix this I will notify a lemon law attorney and try to force them to buy this truck back. Although my confidence is shaken (no pun intended), I still love Ford trucks and I would be willing to buy a 4x2 to avoid this issue.

steve1313 · August 2006

2006 F-150 XLT, SC, 8' bed, HD payload pkg.Had tires rotated at 7500 mi,bad steering wheel shimmy at 60 - 70 mph.Ford dealer rebalanced tires, less shimmy. Tire dealer balanced,( my $20) less shimmy. Dealer had truck for day rotated tires back to original position, still shimmy at 60 - 65 mph. also "feeling" vibe thru floor. Dealer has "hot line" info, will have truck while I'm away late Aug to install steering dampner and other "fixes" (?) These are General Grabber TR 245/70R-17

racemech · August 2006

My 06 truck has a vibration in Steering wheel from about 43mph to 52mph at steady speed,let off gas it goes away,step on gas to maintean the speed it comes back. Tires been balanced,driveshaft replaced,trans replaced,driveshaft indexted.Been to the dealer 7 times vibration still there.I can get the same vibration in park at about 1800 rpm's. :lemon: :lemon: :lemon:

slugger3 · August 2006

My 2004 F-150 $x4 just recently started to vibrate. It was not during braking, or hard acceleration, or at a certain speed.

It happened for the first time about a month ago, and it vibrated severely (more severly than any other unbalanced tire I have had). It stopped vibrating after I stopped at a traffic light. 2 weeks later it happened again and this time the steering wheel was shaking so intensely, I though my wheel was falling off and pull off the road. I am totally dumb founded. I had my personal mechanic take a look and he could not find anything.

I am going to take it to the dealer next week. Any insight on this issue would be appreciated.

Is there any other info on the F-150 vibration problems?

First timer, Ryan

mac24 · August 2006

Is there any other info on the F-150 vibration problems?

You'll find an amazing number of them here: Ford F-Series: Problems & Solutions

emtdawn · August 2006

Did you have "mud, snow or rocks" in your rims? Mud and snow build up can also do this. Our tires had to be re-balanced five times until they did what is called "indexing". This is where they match the heavier weight of the tire (some are always heavier in certain areas of the rubber) with the weight of the rim (same thing) and it wasn't until they did this twice that they finally got it right. There is a "bulletin" out on vibrations in these trucks. I believe it covers Ford F-150's from 2003 up. Did your mechanic also check the brakes, etc.? Talk to Ford about the bulletin.

zuma27 · August 2006

Have you encountered snowfall recently? Many cars that encounter this problem usually encounter this problem have large, dense build up of snow and ice on the wheels mud flaps, which can sometimes cause the vehicle to vibrate. Try scraping off the ice and snow from your mud flaps and you should be fine, if that's the problem.

csimpson · August 2006

I have a different vibration problem. I own a 1994 F150, and it vibrates whenever I accelerate. It does not really vibrate when Idling, and the intensity of the vibration seems to vary with the RPMs. I just put new rotors on, and I just had the gearbox replaced, but that did not solve the problem. This seemed to have occured after I had the transmission rebuilt. I pulled a heavy load 1200 miles on the newly rebuilt transmission, but I have been told the transmission is fine. What is wrong with my truck, and what can be done to fix it?

dsford · September 2006

I have a 2005 Supercrew XLT> Truck drives great until I tow a trailer. I tow two different trailers-one hauling a 700 pound jet ski, the other is a utility trailer hauling two ATVs (around 1200 pounds). Utility trailer is the worst. At about 60 mph, truck begins to vibrate like it's going of a washboard. vibration gets worse as speed increases. Not as noticeable when towing the jet ski, but it is there...any ideas what is causing this? Truck has only 18000 miles, utility trailer is NEW.....

wpalkowski · September 2006

Try redistributing the load on the utility trailer. If it's not balanced correctly, e.g. not enough weight on the tongue, it can start oscillating. The trailer may not be big enough to really affect the F150 except as a vibration. However, if you have a heavy trailer set up wrong, it can fling you off the road or worse, into the oncoming lane.

p100 · September 2006

Unbalanced trailer wheels can also transmit the vibration into the tow vehicle.

dsford · September 2006

YES!!! I balanced the trailer wheels, and shaking went away...Thanks a ton...

superduty150 · October 2006

I just purchased a used 2005 F-150 4x4 supercab the same day I left the dealer had felt the vibration at 30 to 40 MPH. The Truck has 16,000 miles on it, I noticed the it shifts a little hard also. Just wondering if I made a mistake on my choice, and if its worth putting up with the dealership if it takes several trip to resovle the problem.

Does anyone have the Bulletin Number for the fix so I can go in armed with something. :sick:

reinhardz · October 2006

Hello,
I joined this forum just recently as I was looking for some help for my own '96 V-8 F-250: it started to randomly go into high reps, which was especially nasty when stopping at a red light, but was also noticeable when driving slowly. I followed some advice I found under this topic here, i. e. I cleaned the connectors to the MAF and cleaned some vacuum connections on top of the engine, a week ago. It seemed to have soleved the problem, thanks to God!

fish12 · November 2006

I HAVE A 2006 F150 XLT 4X4 W/5.4LIT,15000MILES.I HAVE A FEW ISSUE'S WITH THIS TRUCK.MY BIGGEST ISSUE IS A VIBRATION/BUZZ TYPE OF FEELING THRU THE GAS AND BRAKE PEDAL'S,THEY ARE ADJUSTABLE PEDAL'S.I HAD IT BACK TO FORD AND THEY SAID IT IS NOTHING AND IS NORMAL,I WAS WONDERING IF ANYONE ELSE HAS HAD THIS PROBLEM. IT IS NOT TIRES AND DOES NOT DO IT AT ALL SPEEDS.WITH THE PDEALS ALL THE OUT(TOWARDS DRIVER)IT IS NOT AS BAD.I ALSO HAVE A 65MPH +WHISTLE COMING FROM THE FRONT END.I AM BRINGING IT IN THIS WEEK AGAIN FOR THE VIBRATION(IT CAN NOT BE NORMAL) AND THE WHISTLE.WHAT BOTHERS ME THE MOST IS ALL THESE VIBRATION ISSUE'S WITH THESE FORD F150'S,AND I JUST WENT INTO TOYOTA'S FORUM AND I CAN NOT BELIEVE THAT THERE ARE VERY FEW IF ANY COMPLAINTS AT ALL.I AM THINKING I MADE A BIG MISTAKE AND AM CONSIDERING TAKING A BIT HIT ON THE FORD BY GETTING RID OF IT AND BUYING A RELIABLE AND MOSTLY PROBLEM FREE TOYOTA,WHICH IS WHAT I THOUGHT I BOUGHT WHEN I GOT MY FORD?

mschmal · November 2006

If you are referring to the current generation Tundra, I suggest you visit the truth about trucks. Click on the Road Test tab and then the link to Silver Creek Shootout.

I found the video of the Toyota shaking itself apart to be particularly compelling.

But then, you may not be looking for a tough truck.

Mark.

emtdawn · November 2006

We bought a 2005 F-150 and it had vibration issues. It took us seven trips to the dealer, a set of new tires, rotors replaced, about five balancing acts including the one they called "indexing", where they rotate and find the heaviest part of the tire and match it to the rim etc. We asked if we would have to go through this everytime we needed wheels balanced and they told us no. We put a lot of miles on since then, maybe 20,000 highway in four months and the vibration is coming back. Read several articles and many people have gone through the "lemon law" with theirs, however we were short by a month on ours. We did purchase it with 11,000 miles on it and oddly enough, it had general tires. So, guessing that previous owner wore out his first set on the vibration and bought those. We did the same thing and replaced them with Generals but next time it will be probably be a better brand. I believe Ford has had trouble with this issue on 2004 through 2006. Consumer Reports might have some info..online. :lemon: :sick:

glennlinokc · November 2006

Whoa the plot thickens. Good luck on getting your trucks fixed in a fair manner. I am going thru hell just to get justice in what I call a scam on Ford behalf. I won my lemon law case and ford failed to take it back. I turned in the vehicle as a lemon law buy back and ford just voluntary repod the beast. Sold it at auction for 19,000 thousand when at the time KBB was 25-28 grand. Now I am fighting Goliath. Anyone wanting to team up with me please contact me. :lemon: :lemon: :lemon: :lemon: :lemon:

emtdawn · November 2006

E-mail me direct @ emtdawn@earthlink.net and hopefully I can give you some help. One thing for sure..you should file a report with consumer affairs, talk to your States Attorney (what State are you in?) Send this in email directly to me. If someone else needs help, they are welcome to email me as well. I can pretty much direct you to legal forms, websites, people and so forth that can help you. Too much of this goes on and the big companies know that the average person doesn't have that much $ to keep on fighting them but as a group, with publicity, often we can get a lot farther in a short period of time and win just because they (big companies) would rather we shut up and go away than have to deal with media fall out and stock investor's who want answers to why their stock is falling...

mschmal · November 2006

Tires and wheels are suppose to be indexed at the factory and if you get new tires, they are suppose to be indexed.

Mark.

KCRam · November 2006

As noted in the post box, please do not include your email address in your posts. They are viewable by the entire internet and open your mailbox to malicious use. You can always make your profile address "public" in the Preferences settings which makes it visible only to registered and logged-in members.

Thanks!
kcram - Pickups Host

elad · December 2006

I could have written almost word for word, the message written mar. 24th by sgood. I have an f150 supercab, 4.6 motor,A/T, and experience vibration at idle, that smoothes out with increase in rpm. Dealership made an adjustment to the electronic module,per,a TSB, with no effect. They say there is nothing more that they can do, and that it is normal for a truck. It didn't happen when new, and it has 20,000 miles now. Anyone have information about this condition?

elad · December 2006

I could have written word for word, the message you wrote. Have you learned any thing about your f150's,vibration condition? I sure would like to know if you have found the problem. Thanks Elad

regal00ls · December 2006

My truck started to idle funny about a year ago first it reved up real bad and now it has reverted to opposite, its idle is way low and sometimes stauling and bucking. When i am moving there are no problems just when i am stopped or in park. Does anyone have any idea as to what might be the problem? I have tried to figure it out myself and even have taken for the diagnostic tests and it has not helped me!

superdlb · January 2007

I had the same problem and had the same tires, the tires are bad and ford know about the problem but a lot of dealers are acting ignorant of this problem. My dealer put me on a new set of Michlins and is smooth as a babies behind now!

afguy · January 2007

Fish12, I have a new 2007 Super crew W/5.4L, 2,600 miles.
Discovered this on my recent Christmas trip.
I have the same issue. It is a short buzz on acceleation, like going over stop sign alerts. It seems to pop up most when I let off the gas, then come back on, at speeds in the 50-70 range. I have not had the buzz when the cruise control is on. Did you ever solve your issue? I would appreciate any info on this.

AFGuy in NE.

kreed63 · January 2007

I have a 2006 F150 Lariat Supercab. I am having a problem with a vibration/rattling sound heard while the truck is idling and the brake is engaged. I notice it mostly while I am sitting at a traffic light. It seems to do it even louder when I put it in reverse. As soon as I let off of the brake and hit the gas, you cannot hear it. It is heard in the cab and not outside of the truck. I have taken it to the dealer twice. The first time, they said they couldn't duplicate the problem. The second time, they said they heard it and installed a dampner. I am still having the same problem. I just received a call from my service advisor today stating that they have contacted "the Ford hotline" and they stated they have had similar complaints and they are looking into it. They said that at this time, no other repairs would be made. They even went as far as to say that what I see as a problem could possibly be a "characteristic" of the truck! It did not do this when I test-drove the truck or when I drove it off of the lot. If it is in fact a characteristic of the truck, they should be putting it on the window sticker!! Anyone else having similar problems? Any suggestions? Thanks! :mad:

surfdaddy · January 2007

I have a 2004 F-150 with 17,000 miles. I just put new tires on my truck because I had 3 flat tires with the last one being a blowout in the fast lane. The tires were the original Hankook tires and they were lets say JUNK! I have never had so many problems with a tire quality ever.

Now I have unwillingly entered the Vibration problem zone. Within 40 miles of having the new tires put on I got the nasty vibration at speeds between 65-75 miles per hour. I took them back and they were way out of balance. 3 tires were 3.5 ounces off, so they rebalanced them. Within 40 miles again the same vibration problem again. Took the tires back in and they were unbalanced by the same weights again. This time they rebalanced them and put new larger rotors on because of a bulletin, but unfortunately not covered under warranty because of the time I've had the truck. (18 months or 18000 miles whatever comes first).

I asked them about indexing and they had no clue and they said that they did not have the equipment for that.

Now I am out $300.00 for the new rotors and back at square one.

Does anyone live in the Monterey bay area and know anyone who does " Indexing" ???

I am going to call or write Ford and see if I can get a response from them. I am a shareholder of their stock but all that will get me is probably a laugh. I would be glad to join up on any other action that may be going on with other truck owners.

Thanks,
Mark

caddyshack2 · January 2007

caddyshack2 · January 2007

i have a 02 ford f150 supercab and at around 40 to 50 it will start bumping like a shake or something its not missing or anything like that also in reverse it will do the samething when backing up please help

vpiacente · January 2007

while driving down highway truck just starts shaking real bad.its done it twice .took it to a dealer said evrything in frontend was tight,they sent me somewhere else to get a wheel ailigment,they said it was also good.anybody have any ideas.i'm in fl now have to drive back to nj in a few days

f250beast · January 2007

I have a 06 f250--had similar problems--so violent, shook coffee out of the cup holder onto the dash and made the cd jump--took it in and got laughed at--happened again and told them it actually scared the bejesus out of me--did a little research--found "death wobble"--more prevalent in jeeps with lift kits--anyway-----dealer did service request for a steering problem and found some tech bulletin that indicated the tires should be at max pressure as indicated on sidewalls-my tires were way below the sidewall requirements--tire pressure was adjusted--steering box was adjusted and has worked like a charm ever since--surprised how good it rides with that much pressure in the tires--good luck

mschmal · January 2007

Did you have continental tires or Michellan?

f250beast · January 2007

I have the stock bf goodrich AT tires

schleeb · February 2007

Ok, I had the same problem with the bed/cab shimmy at 60mph right after I bought the truck new. Its a 4x4 F150 2006 with the General Ameritrac tires.

I took it back the dealer at 750 miles to balance the tires and they said it was so bad they couldn't balance them so they put 4 new tires of the same brand on it. It has been fine ever since. Now have 2600 miles. Shimmy hasn't returned even once.

emtdawn · February 2007

Thanks for the information. Ours came with the same tires. We had them put new tires on, but without having told them what kind, the put the General Ameritrac back on new. The still had trouble with the same shimmy, just showing up at varous speeds but especially at higher speeds. After many trips back, they did a load balance (indexing is what they called it)and it seemed to be fine for another 5,000. The shimmy has returned even though we have had alignments done and balancing done. We are going to wait for these treads to wear down and go with different brand tire. We have spent too much time at Ford. I believe it was the "brand" tire to begin with. When General first came out they were the "cheapie charlie's" of the tire market for those who went to tire warehouses to buy new tires (60's). I think Ford is probably getting great deal on using them but they are loosing time in the shop. We paid for one visit, the rest was on Ford. No wonder their profits and loss look so grim. And we love our truck otherwise.

popochito40 · February 2007

I have a Ford F-150 Crew Cab that I bought brand new a year ago.After 10 months I discovered that every time the truck is parking or I wait in a traffic light the truck has a real bad idle/vibration.I went to my local dealer and they said if I didn't see a "check light" it is normal.I didn't accept this and I spoke with the service manager.He told me they received large complains about this problem especially in the 5.4 motor.I told him that my truck is 4.6 and it was a surprise for him.He told me wait at least 3 months because they are waiting for a solution of this problems;but he said that until FORD MOTOR COMPANY(engineer dept) dosn't accept this as a problem ,they consider it as "a normal characteristic of the truck".The problems is the inside of the motor,because the fuel injector didn't send the normal gas needed to work correctly and this is the reason for the idle.I am right now in the middle of the lemon law process working at this time with the BBB AUTOLINE to try to fix this problem.At this time the same FORD said it is normal.I will assit to a hearing and after that if the decision is not in my favor I will go with the state arbitration.It's incredible because it didn't happen when I just bought it .It is a fraud.Why didn't they put it in the windows sticker and explain this problem appears after?If one of the participant can comment let me know.If you are in time to put a lemon case do it because they don't have the solution to fix this problem.I want a refund ,I want my money back. :lemon: :lemon: :lemon:

mschmal · February 2007

If your problem is not solved by your dealer and you get some crap of BS.

GO TO A DIFFERENT DEALER!

Mark.

Ford F-Series Rough Idle/Vibration Problems

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