Help! Excessive "Tire" noise?

[kc8flb]

We had a problem with our 2007 FWD Fusion SEL that the alignment was so out of whack, that it feathered the tires without us noticing, so we replaced the tires at a firestone. There was always some tire noise, but now we have major tire noise. Took car back to firestone, they take tires off and say bearings are bad, take to dealer. We take to dealer and dealer replaces both front bearings, half shaft and cv boot, says the noise is the tires fault. Take back to firestone, the take the tires off and put totally different higher end tires on. Noise is still there, even worse now. We dropped the fusion back off at the dealership tonight and they are actually putting other Fusion tires and rims on it from a new fusion for us to test ride tomorrow. WE literally only have 200 miles left on out warrranty so I hope this fixes it.

 

Has anybody else seen excessive "tire noise" with the FWD Fusion SEL? the noise starts to get loud at 40mph. sounds like we are driving a lifted 4x4 with mudder/off road only tires on it. Yeah, its that bad. Wife isn't happy. She want her old car back.

 

Thanks for any help and advice.

[FtLewis2002]

Mine's new, so let me know what you figure out before I have to buy new tires. Mine has the Michelin's on it, and they are very quiet.

[bbf2530]

We had a problem with our 2007 FWD Fusion SEL that the alignment was so out of whack, that it feathered the tires without us noticing, so we replaced the tires at a firestone. There was always some tire noise, but now we have major tire noise. Took car back to firestone, they take tires off and say bearings are bad, take to dealer. We take to dealer and dealer replaces both front bearings, half shaft and cv boot, says the noise is the tires fault. Take back to firestone, the take the tires off and put totally different higher end tires on. Noise is still there, even worse now. We dropped the fusion back off at the dealership tonight and they are actually putting other Fusion tires and rims on it from a new fusion for us to test ride tomorrow. WE literally only have 200 miles left on out warrranty so I hope this fixes it.

 

Has anybody else seen excessive "tire noise" with the FWD Fusion SEL? the noise starts to get loud at 40mph. sounds like we are driving a lifted 4x4 with mudder/off road only tires on it. Yeah, its that bad. Wife isn't happy. She want her old car back.

 

Thanks for any help and advice.

 

Hi kc8. :D Some questions:

1 - What model and size of Firestone tires were installed?

2 - What Firestone tire was installed by Firestone first, then which "higher end" model was installed the second time?

3 - How many miles were on the OEM tires when you replaced them?

4 - Did the tire noise begin immediately when the OEM tires were replaced, or later on?

5 - If later on, how many miles later?

6 - Have you checked the tire pressure of the new tires? If you did, what are they filled to (what PSI)?

 

These are all important questions to know the answers to in order to try and pin down the cause (tire or other).

 

Let us know.

 

Good luck. :beerchug:

[kc8flb]

Mine's new, so let me know what you figure out before I have to buy new tires. Mine has the Michelin's on it, and they are very quiet.

 

 

Yes, these had the original Michelin pilot h-something on them from the factory. Very nice tires. I was very upset when I realized that they were trashed at 35k miles due to alignment. I will update this thread for all to see with my ongoing quest to get this resolved.

[kc8flb]

Hi kc8. :D Some questions:

1 - What model and size of Firestone tires were installed?

2 - What Firestone tire was installed by Firestone first, then which "higher end" model was installed the second time?

3 - How many miles were on the OEM tires when you replaced them?

4 - Did the tire noise begin immediately when the OEM tires were replaced, or later on?

5 - If later on, how many miles later?

6 - Have you checked the tire pressure of the new tires? If you did, what are they filled to (what PSI)?

 

These are all important questions to know the answers to in order to try and pin down the cause (tire or other).

 

Let us know.

 

Good luck. :beerchug:

 

I can only answer a couple of these questions right now because we dropped the Fusion off at the dealership last night and they still have it to prep for today's big road test.

 

The tires that the Firestone dealer originally put on were Firestone FR710 in the factory size (I double checked at the time) My wife has the SEL package with what looked like lower profile tires that regular Fusions. They were 17 inch. They have been on the car for about three weeks until yesterday when the firestone changed them out for a totally new, higher end set at no cost to us, just to try and fix the problem (we are long time customers). I havent even seen the higher end set yet, since the wife took straight to the Ford dealer after she test drove it and the noise was even worse.

 

We replaced the oem tires at 35K miles due to excessive feathering or wear at the edges of the tires due to alignment out of spec (michigan pot-holes, i think)

 

My wife complained of some noise here and there from either the brakes or the tires but she is fuzzy on if the noise was there before or after the tire swapout.

 

We have not checked the new tire PSI. It has logged about 10 hours at the firestone dealer and an entire week at the Ford dealership for diagnosis, with both places pointing fingers at eachother.

 

I wish I could have just taken it to the dealer, bit the bullet, and spent the big $$$ for factory tire replacements now, but it is too late I think.

 

Thanks for any help.

 

I will update later after the dealership road test this morning. They are taking wheels and tires off of a new Fusion and putting them on our car.

[akirby]

I sincerely doubt you're getting that much tire noise from new tires - especially two different sets. I'd say it's probably a rear wheel bearing.

[bbf2530]

I can only answer a couple of these questions right now because we dropped the Fusion off at the dealership last night and they still have it to prep for today's big road test.

 

The tires that the Firestone dealer originally put on were Firestone FR710 in the factory size (I double checked at the time) My wife has the SEL package with what looked like lower profile tires that regular Fusions. They were 17 inch. They have been on the car for about three weeks until yesterday when the firestone changed them out for a totally new, higher end set at no cost to us, just to try and fix the problem (we are long time customers). I havent even seen the higher end set yet, since the wife took straight to the Ford dealer after she test drove it and the noise was even worse.

 

We replaced the oem tires at 35K miles due to excessive feathering or wear at the edges of the tires due to alignment out of spec (michigan pot-holes, i think)

 

My wife complained of some noise here and there from either the brakes or the tires but she is fuzzy on if the noise was there before or after the tire swapout.

 

We have not checked the new tire PSI. It has logged about 10 hours at the firestone dealer and an entire week at the Ford dealership for diagnosis, with both places pointing fingers at eachother.

 

I wish I could have just taken it to the dealer, bit the bullet, and spent the big $$$ for factory tire replacements now, but it is too late I think.

 

Thanks for any help.

 

I will update later after the dealership road test this morning. They are taking wheels and tires off of a new Fusion and putting them on our car.

 

 

Hi kc8. :D I agree with akirby the the odds are against it being a tire problem.

 

However, there is one other thing I can think of: While this may seem silly, there is a section in the Owners Manual explaining a "thrumming" or "throbbing" noise while driving. It will occur if you only open the two front windows, and is caused by a particular harmonic resonance caused by the aerodynamic flow of air over the car and into the cabin with the front windows open. Ford recommends cracking the rear windows a few inches whenever you are driving at higher speeds with the front windows open.

 

I can vouch for the fact that this does occur on my MKZ. Sounds like a 4x4, as you describe (or a Huey helicopter attempting to land on the roof ).

 

While it is unlikely that this is your problem, I figured it best to mention it and cover all bases. Since you say the problem begins at 40 mph, it is a slight possibility.

 

Keep us updated.

 

Good luck. :beerchug:

[kc8flb]

Hi kc8. :D I agree with akirby the the odds are against it being a tire problem.

 

However, there is one other thing I can think of: While this may seem silly, there is a section in the Owners Manual explaining a "thrumming" or "throbbing" noise while driving. It will occur if you only open the two front windows, and is caused by a particular harmonic resonance caused by the aerodynamic flow of air over the car and into the cabin with the front windows open. Ford recommends cracking the rear windows a few inches whenever you are driving at higher speeds with the front windows open.

 

I can vouch for the fact that this does occur on my MKZ. Sounds like a 4x4, as you describe (or a Huey helicopter attempting to land on the roof ).

 

While it is unlikely that this is your problem, I figured it best to mention it and cover all bases. Since you say the problem begins at 40 mph, it is a slight possibility.

 

Keep us updated.

 

Good luck. :beerchug:

 

 

well we just got back from the dealership road test. The dealership borrowed rims and tires off of a brand new 2010 fusion and put them on for us to drive. THe sounds was not there. So it looks like we have it narrowed down to the rim/tire. What is scary is that we put two different sets of brand new firestone tires on our rims and they both have the road noise. THese were totally different firestone tire types/models/different tread pattern, etc.

 

We will stick with the fr710 firestones and hope they quiet down after a couple thousand miles. I might also go around the car swap each tire/rim combo with the spare and take a test drive to see if it is one specific rim that is causing it.

 

hmmm.......

[bbf2530]

well we just got back from the dealership road test. The dealership borrowed rims and tires off of a brand new 2010 fusion and put them on for us to drive. THe sounds was not there. So it looks like we have it narrowed down to the rim/tire. What is scary is that we put two different sets of brand new firestone tires on our rims and they both have the road noise. THese were totally different firestone tire types/models/different tread pattern, etc.

 

We will stick with the fr710 firestones and hope they quiet down after a couple thousand miles. I might also go around the car swap each tire/rim combo with the spare and take a test drive to see if it is one specific rim that is causing it.

 

hmmm.......

 

Hi kc8. :D Well, glad you made a little progress. However, I would return to the Firestone store and report your findings to them (swapped rims and tires from another Fusion, no noise, so it is a Firestone tire problem). Firestone should now do some investigating of their own, instead of you needing to swap out your spare four times.

 

And keep in mind that tires generally do not quiet down with use. If anything, they will get louder with age.

 

I can tell you that other than generic brands, Firestone is about the last tire I would recommend to a friend. Too many problems over the years, going all the way back into the late 60's and early 70's (the Firestone tire/Ford Explorer fiasco was not their first problem).

 

Just my opinion here: If I were you, I would ask them to replace the tires with another brand, or a better model. I looked up the FR710, and it is a lower to mid level quality tire at best, and definitely not on par with the OEM Michelins. If you and your wife are not happy with the Firestone's now, that unhappiness will only grow with time.

 

Whatever you decide to do, good luck. :beerchug:

[Rodeo]

I agree fully with BBF, Firestone by far is not your best choice and besides, brand new tires should be very very quiet and only get worse with wear. Tires are expensive today, we know but buying on price alone could lead to great disappointments. I myself would stick to either Michelin or Goodyears and then aim for the better or best high quality at that. Glad you're on the way to getting this answered and rectified too. Don't rule out a bent rim though and ask all who drove your car if they ever remember hitting anything. You could swap out each tire as you suggested but I am inclined to believe it is (the problem) associated with all four wheels, ala Firestone.

[03reptile]

I agree fully with BBF, Firestone by far is not your best choice and besides, brand new tires should be very very quiet and only get worse with wear. Tires are expensive today, we know but buying on price alone could lead to great disappointments. I myself would stick to either Michelin or Goodyears and then aim for the better or best high quality at that. Glad you're on the way to getting this answered and rectified too. Don't rule out a bent rim though and ask all who drove your car if they ever remember hitting anything. You could swap out each tire as you suggested but I am inclined to believe it is (the problem) associated with all four wheels, ala Firestone.

 

All these guys have provided good/great info. I worked at a Ford dealer for a while after retirement and I have some suggestions. First, have Firestone take the tires off the rims and then spin balance the rims ONLY. If either is bent, the balancer will reveal it by the tech watching the rim at speed. If the rims are true, then as mentioned before by the posters, get a better set of tires installed, preferably, the same tire manufacturer as your original rears so the tread pattern is the same and you won't have different levels of tire adhesion between front and back. (Different tread patterns adhere differently in dry and wet conditions). Also check the rears, as well, to make sure they are balanced and true. That should solve your problem. Isn't this a great forum for helping out!! Reminds me of my 07 Shelby GT500 forum guys!! Hope we all helped to solve your delima. Tirerack is a great source of info, on their web site, for choosing a good tire for you application.

[akirby]

Ok guys - troubleshooting 101.

 

Same wheels, 2 different brand new sets of tires - noise persists.

 

Swap wheels and tires - noise gone.

 

 

Sounds to me like this is clearly a bad wheel. My guess is they damaged it when they replaced the first set of tires. If this is the case (and it's only one wheel) then swapping out the spare will pinpoint it. Or at least confirm that it's more than one wheel/tire.

 

I still don't think brand new tires (even Firestones) would be that noisy.

[Rodeo]

Ok guys - troubleshooting 101.

 

Same wheels, 2 different brand new sets of tires - noise persists.

 

Swap wheels and tires - noise gone.

 

 

Sounds to me like this is clearly a bad wheel. My guess is they damaged it when they replaced the first set of tires. If this is the case (and it's only one wheel) then swapping out the spare will pinpoint it. Or at least confirm that it's more than one wheel/tire.

 

I still don't think brand new tires (even Firestones) would be that noisy.

Excellent point plus a real possibility, and I agree it's unusual for brand new tires of the correct size and type to be THAT noisy.

[Slip]

Excellent point and I agree, it's unusual for brand new tires of the correct size to be THAT noisy.

 

 

I agree 100%. Don't let them keep beating a dead horse while your warranty runs out.

[03reptile]

We had a problem with our 2007 FWD Fusion SEL that the alignment was so out of whack, that it feathered the tires without us noticing, so we replaced the tires at a firestone. There was always some tire noise, but now we have major tire noise. Took car back to firestone, they take tires off and say bearings are bad, take to dealer. We take to dealer and dealer replaces both front bearings, half shaft and cv boot, says the noise is the tires fault. Take back to firestone, the take the tires off and put totally different higher end tires on. Noise is still there, even worse now. We dropped the fusion back off at the dealership tonight and they are actually putting other Fusion tires and rims on it from a new fusion for us to test ride tomorrow. WE literally only have 200 miles left on out warrranty so I hope this fixes it.

 

Has anybody else seen excessive "tire noise" with the FWD Fusion SEL? the noise starts to get loud at 40mph. sounds like we are driving a lifted 4x4 with mudder/off road only tires on it. Yeah, its that bad. Wife isn't happy. She want her old car back.

 

Thanks for any help and advice.

 

 

kc8flb,

 

Havn't heard from you. What was the eventual result of your efforts? Did you get the problem diagnosed and resolved?

[TexasFusion2008]

Have a 2008 Ford Fusion with the same problem. Used Michelin tires same specs and the noise will not go away. Usually starts around 40MPH. My friend has a 2007 and has the same problem. Have gone to the dealer and they seem dumbfounded. Bearings brakes all have been replaced noise is still there, I am three grand into different ideas the dealer has to make to fix the problem. He banks and I am frustrated.

[862057]

I have a '07 Milan that has had the 4X4 sound, starting at 35mph, for almost a year. But, when turning, it would change volume. I tried tire rotation and didn't make a difference. Finally I jacked the whole car up on stands (AWD). Got it going 60 and checked where the vibration was coming from by feeling behind the wheels. There it was, left front. Took the wheel bearing out and it looked fine, had grease in it and didn't show wear. Put a new bearing in and the sound was completely gone.

Edited August 30, 2011 by 862057

[acetechman]

well we just got back from the dealership road test. The dealership borrowed rims and tires off of a brand new 2010 fusion and put them on for us to drive. THe sounds was not there. So it looks like we have it narrowed down to the rim/tire. What is scary is that we put two different sets of brand new firestone tires on our rims and they both have the road noise. THese were totally different firestone tire types/models/different tread pattern, etc.

 

We will stick with the fr710 firestones and hope they quiet down after a couple thousand miles. I might also go around the car swap each tire/rim combo with the spare and take a test drive to see if it is one specific rim that is causing it.

 

hmmm.......

 

Hi there, would really like to hear back from you or anyone else regarding how this situation is turning out. I have a 2008 Lincoln MKZ (basically a Fusion in a pretty dress) and I am on my second set of tires. Rear inside feathering is the main issue. It is on it's 2nd alignment in the last year, I put new tires on and they aligned it and noted that the rear left was "way out" of alignment. I put the new tires on and within days noticed the tell tale fluflutering noise associated with feathering of the inside tread. Have had this on other vehicles and it has always been cleared up with a proper alignment. This has not cleared up on the Lincoln with 2 alignments, one from the Tire shop which have had great success aligning 3 other vehicles I have had and one alignment from the Ford dealer itself. The 2nd alignment done at the Ford dealer also noted that the left rear was way out. My concern is how the left rear could be way out twice? I am wondering if there are suspension components that are prone to wear that are causing the back left to be sloppy and have play which is causing the wheel to move. Yes before you say it you would certainly hope that they would check for that before alignment, but I am too much of a skeptic to believe that this is done to any great extent, especially when the car had relatively low miles and was in good shape. Anyone have to change springs, bushings etc.?? I noticed when I had the wheel of that the Toe adjustment bushing had a couple of cracks in the rubber and wonder if that might be enough to cause an issue.

 

Love the car, hate the noise and replacing tires every year is a little much. I do about 36,000 miles annually, 90% highway.

 

Any help is appreciated.

[FusionDiffusion]

Yes the bushings can wear out and allow excessive suspension play. I haven't heard of this yet on a Fusion, but I know it was an issue with earlier Focuses which use a similar control blade setup. I would go ahead and replace them (I think there are 3-4 main ones) if your car won't hold an alignment.