Vibration at take off

[kieefer]

Thanks for the information. I will post the results of my seat cover replacement after it happens on Jan 23. My vibration seems to be worse some days than others. It also is intermittent which I don't understand. Sometimes I really believe it is not there and more frequently it is very noticeable under medium load acceleration.

I’d like to know how long it takes to get your seat fixed when you do it.

Have you been consistent on what octane and fuel brand you’ve been using??

The last two tanks in my 2wd have been Exxon 93 and lately it’s been running better. Before that I was mixing it up and using Kroger fuel for the most part.

Never thought it made much difference but I notice it in my bikes too.

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[rdgallo]

I’d like to know how long it takes to get your seat fixed when you do it.

Have you been consistent on what octane and fuel brand you’ve been using??

The last two tanks in my 2wd have been Exxon 93 and lately it’s been running better. Before that I was mixing it up and using Kroger fuel for the most part.

Never thought it made much difference but I notice it in my bikes too.

I have not run much fuel through mine yet as I only have about 650 miles on it. I have not paid much attention to mileage yet. I was thinking of running some higher octane just to see what it would do, but decided to wait until I get a few more miles on the truck. As far as the seats go....I was really surprised when I called Ford Customer Care and they agreed to replace the seat covers. I gave the woman all the info, she called the dealer's service manager, and then called me back giving the approval for the replacement covers. The dealer ordered the covers and now has me scheduled for replacement on the 23rd. I asked Customer Care what would happen if the replacement covers were no good, and she said they would just keep replacing them until we got good ones. We will see. I will share the results shortly after the 23rd.

 

[Quatakai]

I have a 2019 Lariat FX4 with 2200 miles and ever since I bought it I thought I was going crazy, but I had a weird interstate shimmy/vibration and I thought it was unbalanced tires/wheels. But it was inconsistent, so I just kept driving it.

I finally brought it into the dealership on Monday and they road force balanced the wheels, and everything balanced out fine. I took it back out on the road that same morning and as soon as I got on the interstate I immediately noticed the shuttering/vibration was still there. So I payed much closer attention to it and noticed that it seemed to get worse in an incline/hill, when the motor/transmission started/needed more power. I cruise control at 68-72 and it's noticeable there, but I can notice it in a much wider range. It's harder to notice at low street speeds but it's still there. The vibration seems to be coming from underneath the truck, or even maybe closer to my feet, which makes me think it's a transmission/driveshaft issue, but I'm not a mechanic or engineer so I can't say for sure. But it definitely shakes my seats, and I can see my visor vibrating and even see it vibrating the side mirrors slightly.

I called them and brought it back this morning. They had it almost all day and told me that they were able to duplicate the problem, and also drove 3 other NEW Rangers on their lot and discovered the same vibration. Nothing is fixed yet on mine, but they currently have a case open with Ford for all 4 Rangers asking what they should do next (mine plus the 3 on the lot that they drove).

I will follow up when I hear back from Ford. I hope they don't come back and tell me "That's just the way it rides" or something along those lines, I plan on fighting that if they do because something is definitely off, and this isn't normal. I've driven in plenty of cars and trucks in the last 3 years and have never dealt with this weird vibration/shutter/shimmy without something being wrong.

Edit: I also have already tried lowering the PSI in my wheels to 38 and 35, nothing has fixed it or made it better...My tires WERE over-inflated from the factory to almost 43psi.

 

[P. A. Schilke]

I have a 2019 Lariat FX4 with 2200 miles and ever since I bought it I thought I was going crazy, but I had a weird interstate shimmy/vibration and I thought it was unbalanced tires/wheels. But it was inconsistent, so I just kept driving it.

I finally brought it into the dealership on Monday and they road force balanced the wheels, and everything balanced out fine. I took it back out on the road that same morning and as soon as I got on the interstate I immediately noticed the shuttering/vibration was still there. So I payed much closer attention to it and noticed that it seemed to get worse in an incline/hill, when the motor/transmission started/needed more power. I cruise control at 68-72 and it's noticeable there, but I can notice it in a much wider range. It's harder to notice at low street speeds but it's still there. The vibration seems to be coming from underneath the truck, or even maybe closer to my feet, which makes me think it's a transmission/driveshaft issue, but I'm not a mechanic or engineer so I can't say for sure. But it definitely shakes my seats, and I can see my visor vibrating and even see it vibrating the side mirrors slightly.

I called them and brought it back this morning. They had it almost all day and told me that they were able to duplicate the problem, and also drove 3 other NEW Rangers on their lot and discovered the same vibration. Nothing is fixed yet on mine, but they currently have a case open with Ford for all 4 Rangers asking what they should do next (mine plus the 3 on the lot that they drove).

I will follow up when I hear back from Ford. I hope they don't come back and tell me "That's just the way it rides" or something along those lines, I plan on fighting that if they do because something is definitely off, and this isn't normal. I've driven in plenty of cars and trucks in the last 3 years and have never dealt with this weird vibration/shutter/shimmy without something being wrong.

Edit: I also have already tried lowering the PSI in my wheels to 38 and 35, nothing has fixed it or made it better...My tires WERE over-inflated from the factory to almost 43psi.

Hi Matt,

This post is on vibration on take off, and your concern is not on take off. Without understanding the frequency of the vibration the most likely cause is in the powertrain and the most suspect is the driveshaft. The fact that 4 Rangers have this indicates a systemic problem, not a individual vehicle unique problem... Hope the Ford will try to id the problem and the solution...no idea what the cause is, but it will likely take a bit of investigation. Have the dealer normalize the powertrain and the driveshaft to see if this helps... loosen the engine/transmission mounts, the exhaust system and the driveshaft center bearing... The dealer should be familiar with this process, but might resist as most believe this is a waste of time...I have had much good results when out in the field with doing just this... Sorry you have this problem and hope the dealer can resolve this, but if not..Get Ford Field Service Engineering Involved. Do not take a "this is normal" BS from the dealer.

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

 

[Quatakai]

Hi Matt,

This post is on vibration on take off, and your concern is not on take off. Without understanding the frequency of the vibration the most likely cause is in the powertrain and the most suspect is the driveshaft. The fact that 4 Rangers have this indicates a systemic problem, not a individual vehicle unique problem... Hope the Ford will try to id the problem and the solution...no idea what the cause is, but it will likely take a bit of investigation. Have the dealer normalize the powertrain and the driveshaft to see if this helps... loosen the engine/transmission mounts, the exhaust system and the driveshaft center bearing... The dealer should be familiar with this process, but might resist as most believe this is a waste of time...I have had much good results when out in the field with doing just this... Sorry you have this problem and hope the dealer can resolve this, but if not..Get Ford Field Service Engineering Involved. Do not take a "this is normal" BS from the dealer.

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

Yes I do realize this was for the take off thread, but I did see that other people seemed to have issues in here with shuttering/vibration under load or low RPM's, which seems to be my issue on the interstate (around 2000RPM's), so I figured I'd throw my 2 cents in just in case someone is having similar issues, they'll see it in their search. And I'll try and update when Ford gets back to me so people aren't left hanging.

If they come back and tell me Ford says it is what it is, I'll give them the information you gave me and see what they do with it.

 

[rdgallo]

I have not run much fuel through mine yet as I only have about 650 miles on it. I have not paid much attention to mileage yet. I was thinking of running some higher octane just to see what it would do, but decided to wait until I get a few more miles on the truck. As far as the seats go....I was really surprised when I called Ford Customer Care and they agreed to replace the seat covers. I gave the woman all the info, she called the dealer's service manager, and then called me back giving the approval for the replacement covers. The dealer ordered the covers and now has me scheduled for replacement on the 23rd. I asked Customer Care what would happen if the replacement covers were no good, and she said they would just keep replacing them until we got good ones. We will see. I will share the results shortly after the 23rd.

I posted the results of my leather seat cover replacement on another thread I started. https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threads/how-many-have-saggy-leather-seats.5488/page-5)

 

[ubyaman]

Yes I do realize this was for the take off thread, but I did see that other people seemed to have issues in here with shuttering/vibration under load or low RPM's, which seems to be my issue on the interstate (around 2000RPM's), so I figured I'd throw my 2 cents in just in case someone is having similar issues, they'll see it in their search. And I'll try and update when Ford gets back to me so people aren't left hanging.

If they come back and tell me Ford says it is what it is, I'll give them the information you gave me and see what they do with it.

We’re you able to get this resolved? I just bought one two days ago and it’s doing the same thing.

 

[Quatakai]

No, ford has a Field Tech coming out eventually but they had to postpone that appointment until this Corona crap is over with...so I'm stuck in limbo until then.

We’re you able to get this resolved? I just bought one two days ago and it’s doing the same thing.

 

[OKRaptor]

I have a 2019 Lariat FX4 with 2200 miles and ever since I bought it I thought I was going crazy, but I had a weird interstate shimmy/vibration and I thought it was unbalanced tires/wheels. But it was inconsistent, so I just kept driving it.

I finally brought it into the dealership on Monday and they road force balanced the wheels, and everything balanced out fine. I took it back out on the road that same morning and as soon as I got on the interstate I immediately noticed the shuttering/vibration was still there. So I payed much closer attention to it and noticed that it seemed to get worse in an incline/hill, when the motor/transmission started/needed more power. I cruise control at 68-72 and it's noticeable there, but I can notice it in a much wider range. It's harder to notice at low street speeds but it's still there. The vibration seems to be coming from underneath the truck, or even maybe closer to my feet, which makes me think it's a transmission/driveshaft issue, but I'm not a mechanic or engineer so I can't say for sure. But it definitely shakes my seats, and I can see my visor vibrating and even see it vibrating the side mirrors slightly.

I called them and brought it back this morning. They had it almost all day and told me that they were able to duplicate the problem, and also drove 3 other NEW Rangers on their lot and discovered the same vibration. Nothing is fixed yet on mine, but they currently have a case open with Ford for all 4 Rangers asking what they should do next (mine plus the 3 on the lot that they drove).

I will follow up when I hear back from Ford. I hope they don't come back and tell me "That's just the way it rides" or something along those lines, I plan on fighting that if they do because something is definitely off, and this isn't normal. I've driven in plenty of cars and trucks in the last 3 years and have never dealt with this weird vibration/shutter/shimmy without something being wrong.

Edit: I also have already tried lowering the PSI in my wheels to 38 and 35, nothing has fixed it or made it better...My tires WERE over-inflated from the factory to almost 43psi.

My 2019 has the exact same shimmy/vibration at highway speeds, around 65 - 75 is when it's most pronounced. I had Fox 2.0 level kit, wheels and tires installed before i took possession of the truck so I have been working on diagnosing by road-force balance of tires and alignment, neither of which worked. Dealer not helping much since suspension and wheels and tires are installed. I posted earlier looking for those that installed the Fox 2.0 to see if the shimmy/vibration may be inherent to suspension. Glad I stumbled across this post, I was starting to think I was going cracy.

@Quatakai -you should start another thread for this. If you figure this out, please PM me.

 

[nyydmb12]

Hey, I'm considering a ranger as my next vehicle. I test drove a brand new 2020 and it had vibration at low speeds. It ruined the whole experience for me, I really wanted to love the truck.

This video only has a few hundred views, but is it normal for the transmission to shake that much?



I feel like if that is the cause of all these problems, it could cause some unwanted wear.

Its not clear to me if there has been a resolution to this. Does every truck have this issue and everyone is okay with it?

 

[rdgallo]

My 2020 lariat has it and it is very annoying to me. After watching this video, I am suprised something doesn't work loose. If there are any lip seals involved, I would be suprised if they don't start leaking.

 

[shred5]

Hey, I'm considering a ranger as my next vehicle. I test drove a brand new 2020 and it had vibration at low speeds. It ruined the whole experience for me, I really wanted to love the truck.

This video only has a few hundred views, but is it normal for the transmission to shake that much?



I feel like if that is the cause of all these problems, it could cause some unwanted wear.

Its not clear to me if there has been a resolution to this. Does every truck have this issue and everyone is okay with it?

My 2019 XLT has the vibration at take off... Now I know why looking at the video. Honestly I hope they find a resolution to it because it is not a bad truck. Problem is once you feel it you can not unfeel it.

 

[treimche]

This little vibration is definitely not a reason to go buy a different truck in my opinion. I rarely ever notice it any more. It does get exaggerated some when you lift or pull a trailer, but I'm so used to it now that its not even a factor. If Ford doesn't come up with a TSB or fix, the aftermarket will.

 

[JDCinVA]

Hey, I'm considering a ranger as my next vehicle. I test drove a brand new 2020 and it had vibration at low speeds. It ruined the whole experience for me, I really wanted to love the truck.

This video only has a few hundred views, but is it normal for the transmission to shake that much?



I feel like if that is the cause of all these problems, it could cause some unwanted wear.

Its not clear to me if there has been a resolution to this. Does every truck have this issue and everyone is okay with it?

Thanks for posting; that definitely explains the vibration at takeoff!

 

[Porpoise Hork]

If Ford doesn't come up with a TSB or fix, the aftermarket will.

That will only be if enough people file complaints with Ford directly and get a case logged on it after not getting the issue resolved at the dealer as @P. A. Schilke has said needs to happen. Aftermarket will only come up with a solution if the right person happens to experience the issue and comes up with a solution.

Most likely what will happen is either Ford will eventually issue a TSB on it, or we'll get used to it and stop noticing it and forget all about it. Less likely those of us with the means will go to certified driveshaft companies and pay out of pocket for a solution but this will likely run in the multiple hundreds depending on how much they have to do.

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