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Energi SE Vibration and Torque Steer


jlee_evans
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Hello, new here, so I apologize if this is a common issue (I found a couple things similar but nothing concrete) that has been resolved.

 

I recently (yesterday) purchased a used, 2014 Ford Fusion Energi SE from Carmax with 27K miles. I did drive the car about 10 miles at both stop and go speeds, and highway speeds, however, I didn't really notice an issue until I was alone on the interstate, paying much closer attention. In a band of about 60-75 mph, there is a very slight vibration that occurs (some resonance at those speeds clearly). I have to be gripping the steering wheel tight to feel it, but it's also noticeable in the panels once you realize it's there and feel around the interior of the car. Just to be clear, the steering wheel isn't visually vibrating back and forth, it is very slight, but above 75 mph it seems to go away, and below 60 mph. Today, I ensured the air pressure in the tires all matched at about 44 psi, and took the car back out. Once I reached highway speeds, and noticed the the vibration, I switched the car into neutral. The vibration persisted. That's about as far as I have gotten. I have informed Carmax of the issue this evening by email, so I'll expect to hear something tomorrow from them. I'm still within the 5 days of "no questions return". I assume this could be as simple as tire balancing, but, the pessimism side of me in buying a car fears the worst.

 

In addition to the vibration (maybe related, maybe not), the car seems to have a bit of torque steer when hard accelerating from stop. I know a lot of front wheel drive cars deal with this by splitting up the longer shaft, and I wasn't sure if this was an issue the Fusion has or not. Under normal acceleration, there doesn't seem to be any pulling at all, but if I really press on it (testing the car out while I can return it), it will pull to the right noticeably.

 

Any thoughts, recommendations, etc. would be very much appreciated! I love the car otherwise, and even if it doesn't work out, I will be finding another Fusion Energi to replace it.

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I don't know what the specs are for a 2014 model, but 44 PSI seems to me to be pretty high. If I remember right, the recommended pressure for my 2012 model is 33 PSI all the way around. If you check the placard (usually found inside the driver's door) and it recommends something lower, I would advise lowering the pressure to between recommended and recommended + 2. Assuming your specs are the same as they are for the 2012 models, you should notice a smoother ride and it might help on the vibrations as well. Good luck.

Edited by propwash
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Thank you both for the input!

 

 

I don't know what the specs are for a 2014 model, but 44 PSI seems to me to be pretty high. If I remember right, the recommended pressure for my 2012 model is 33 PSI all the way around. If you check the placard (usually found inside the driver's door) and it recommends something lower, I would advise lowering the pressure to between recommended and recommended + 2. Assuming your specs are the same as they are for the 2012 models, you should notice a smoother ride and it might help on the vibrations as well. Good luck.

Yeah, it likely is a bit high. I was just filling them to about 15% lower than max PSI. I will try lowering it a bit to see if that helps.

 

The type of vibration you are reporting is consistent with an axle CV joint that is failing. When it gets much worse you will hear a clicking noise when turning.

Check the boots for tears and grease in the area of the boots.

One of my fears. I know that CV shaft is not that big of a deal in all honesty, much better than something further up the drivetrain. My only issue is that the car only has 27K miles... If a CV shaft is going bad this early, isn't that a good sign that I should maybe avoid this particular car? I still have general warranty to 3 years or 36K, and the 5 year 60K drivetrain warranty, but it's concerning me how the car might have been driven in order to wear out a CV shaft this early in life.

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A CV joint can be damaged by collision damage involving the front wheels. It doesn't need to be major just an impact against the face of the wheel may damage the bearings.

There weren't any accident reports on the vehicle history, however, that's not to say that there wasn't an accident that didn't involve a report.

 

I'm actually sitting at a tire center to get it balanced (just to entirely rule that out). On the way here, I noticed (unless it's my imagination) a slight pull to the left as I braked hard from someone stopping in front of me. I suppose warped rotors or something with the brake calipers could cause vibration? But it would seem like it would be very noticeable during braking, and I didn't seem to feel anything during braking (other than the pull to the left).

Edited by jlee_evans
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60mph vibration is usually wheel/tire related. Rotating the tires would tell you if it's a wheel/tire issue, most likely. Was balancing done at the same time as the alignment? Lugs torqued by hand/torque wrench?

 

Well, it was just a tire center, so they couldn't perform an alignment. I do have an appointment tomorrow morning at 8:15am back at Carmax (not sure that's a good idea since they have a vested interest). I don't think they rotated the tires though.

 

Also, I did take it to an empty mall parking lot last night to accelerate under tight (maxed out) turns. Both while moving and from a stop, I heard no "clunks" or clicking sounds, turning as tight as it could in either direction.

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I can't truly say this is solved, because Carmax insists that nothing is wrong with the car. Only, when I went to pick it up, before leaving the parking lot, the check engine light came on. So, it has been returned. Carmax marked on my return slip that "Did not like appearance of car"... Complete lie. Lesson is: Don't buy from Carmax.

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