Vibration at highway speeds

[Juarezed14]

Hello everyone, I am uploading this because I’m having an issue with my 2019 Ford ranger lariat. It’s vibrating at highway speeds as I’m decelerating. I put the truck on a lift and discovered the tie rods being wobbly. Dealer says, “it’s normal operation.”
is it really? Asking for a friend.

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[JasonTremor]

You shouldn't be able to move those by hand like that. I've seen them that loose on other vehicles before, but they had upwards of 150k miles on them. I would suggest new inner and outer tie rod ends as well as checking the ball joints while you are at it.

 

[diesel924]

It's a ball and socket joint, so rotation is OK. If the joint moves laterally or vertically, then it should be replaced.

 

[Frenchy]

That motion is normal. I'm curious of what has been done to the truck if anything

 

[RedDakooter05]

It's normal, although unusual for them to rotate that much for a lower mileage vehicle.

Your problems lie elsewhere I'm afraid.

 

[P. A. Schilke]

Hi Eduardo,

Your Tie Rods are not a problem rotating like you show. What you need to do is have the front tires off the ground and have a second person grab the tire and push it in and out on each side while you observe the tie rod end...any side to side play? If no you are looking at another cause. Could be Alignment or more likely since you have aftermarket tires it would appear...one or two tires that need to be checked.

Best,
Phil

 

[Mustang2Ranger]

May just be part of your truck as it is a 19 Lariat like mine, early build

Mine does this. Stops when I put weight or tow

But yea not enough to alarm me, but I do think it is odd. My fix is to get back on the gas

Comes from the rear not the front

 

[TJC]

Eduardo,

This may or may not help you. Different truck, but same symptom. My 2005 Ford Ranger had a problem where it had a light vibration when I went off throttle at 65mph that stayed there until I dropped below 45mph. Under load was smooth. The truck had 155K miles on it and I had replaced the engine and transmission as well all suspension parts, ball joints, tie rod ends, shocks, etc.

It wound up being the driveshaft. I had it checked out at the garage that did the work, and they said the driveshaft was fine. I ordered a Dorman replacement shaft and installed it. It eliminated the vibration.

I personally checked the driveshaft U-joints on the original shaft, and they moved easily, but had no slop. I still believe that it was u-joint bearing wear. That truck came with a solid driveshaft.

I know that I am comparing apples to oranges, but the symptoms are similar.

---- See this thread for issues I had with low speed shudder, and high speed vibration (>=75mph) on my 2020 Ranger.

Be sure to rule out other possibilities - sticking injectors, fouled spark plugs, etc.

Good luck to you!

- T

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