2016/2017 Vibration Problem at Highway Speeds

[adamigl]

I recently purchased a 2016 Ford Fusion SE with 2.0 EcoBoost. Before buying the car, there was a significant vibration at highway speeds. The dealership balanced the tires and it seemed fine. After driving the car for a few days, I noticed a more slight vibration at highway speeds. It could be felt in the steering wheel and the frame/seats. It varied in severity based on the road I was driving on. I took the car back to the dealership and they balanced the tires again. This did not fix the problem so they wanted to do a road balance.

I took the car back for the road balance, to be done at another location, and after that, the vibration was still felt, both by me and the dealership. They wanted to do more investigation, so I left the car with them and took a loaner car.

The dealership swapped out the wheels and rims, and that still did not fix the problem. Ford got involved and they recommended a vibration sensing machine/device to try and figure out where the vibration was coming from. They then replaced both front axles. Still, the vibration existed.

The dealership called me and said that Ford recommended that they drive another Fusion to see how they performed. The dealership did this and the 2017 Fusions that they drove performed similar to mine. Ford was telling them that the vibration is a normal characteristic of this car. They said I was welcome to come and drive the 2017’s to see how they handled. So, I did.

The service manager and I took at test drive of a 2017 Fusion. We took it on the interstate and varied the speed from 65-80MPH and the vibration was similar to mine. We also took it on a county road and the vibration was less.

We took another 2017 Fusion out and drove the exact same loop. Similar performance.

We took my 2016 Fusion out and drove the exact same loop. Similar performance.

At this point, I was perplexed at how all of these cars could drive so poorly. But if they were all bad, maybe it was just me.

I had been driving a Ford Focus for a loaner car. I thought it had driven really well, so we took that car out for comparison. We drove the exact same loop. The Ford Focus drove so much better. There was no vibration like the Fusions. At this point, the dealership documented this for Ford to review. They said I needed to discuss with Ford.

I spoke with Ford customer service and they told me that the vibration I am feeling is normal. That it is characteristic of the car. I explained to them the test drives that we took, the feedback from the dealership, and the quality of ride between the Focus and the Fusion. They told me that this was normal for the Fusion. I told them it may be normal, but it is not acceptable. At this point, I don't want the car. It is very frustrating.

Does anyone else experience this? I can’t find anyone else out there with the same problem. Hard to believe….

Thank you.

[zip89105]

It's not normal. I'm surprised 3 Fusions gave the same result. Mine is vibration free. Unless the tire pressure is jacked up to 44psi I can't see a reason for this unless the wheels are covered in ice which can cause a vibration. The only other thing I can think of is the tires don't like the outside temperature thus the vehicle drives hard. The stock tire isn't going to like 10 degree driving. What's the temperature during the drives?

[WWWPerfA_ZN0W]

Do you have a display on the instrument cluster that shows you individual tire pressures? If not, check them with a digital tire gauge at ambient temps after the Fusion has been sitting overnight. Low tire pressures can make for a rough ride.

[akirby]

Flat spotting?

[adamigl]

I bought the car at the end of October. I live in MN, so fairly cold at that point. It was probably 40-50 degrees at the time. When I went in and drove the multiple Fusions and Focus it was below freezing. New tires and new rims were both tested. I did not drive the car with the new tires or rims, but the dealer said it did not improve.

 

Tire pressure is 30 in the front and 34 in the back currently. Ambient is about 32F right now in the garage. Car has been sitting for a few hours.

 

There was no snow in October. The dealership has had the car 3 different times and has had multiple people drive it. All have acknowledged a vibration and that it needed to be corrected. Ford disagreed.

 

Flat spotting? On the tires? Haven't heard of this. I have a hard time relating the frequency of the pulsing with anything. Could be cyclic to the tire rotation. Anyway to test for this?

 

Thank you for the input.

 

Adam

 

 

 

[zip89105]

The only other thing I can think of is if you're driving mostly on concrete roads which have slab/joint/pour lines usually every 10-15 ft., and that line might be inducing the vibration you're feeling.

 

As for the Focus driving without vibration, it might be because the Focus tires have a softer sidewall. The 18" Fusion wheel sidewalls are pretty stout, whereas the 17" Fusion wheel usually rides better due to more sidewall on the tire.

 

Otherwise, I'm stumped, especially when you had 3 Fusions all drive similarly.

[WWWPerfA_ZN0W]

Does the door placard specify different pressures for Front/Rear? Nowadays, I am used to seeing a single pressure specified for all four tires, at 35 psi. I would air it up to 35 psi when cold, all around. Then see what difference it makes.

 

Flat spotting happens when a car sits too long. All the weight of the car is on one particular patch, which will of course deform over time. This unevenness will work itself out as you drive, the length of time being dependent on the length of time the car sat. If the noise goes away, comes back, goes away, comes back regularly as you drive at a constant speed over smooth roads, it could very well be the tires. Do you know your Fusion's production date? We can estimate how long the car potentially sat on the lot.

https://www.etis.ford.com

to get build data.

 

What tires do you currently have on the car?

[adamigl]

Tires are Good Year 235/45R18

 

Pressure is recommended a 34PSI. When the dealership checked them last, it was colder than it is now. Surprised the pressure is a little low.

 

Multiple people at the dealership drove the car. They all felt it.

 

I thought about the cement joints as well, but you can feel the vibration separate from the bumps.

[timwil56]

Goodyear tires? My 2017 SE came with Continental tires, unless cars with the 2.0 are different. I drove from MN to AZ on roads that were dry, wet, snow covered, (with the wheel wells packed with snow) and ice covered at speeds varying from 40-80 and not once felt any unusual vibration.

[akirby]

If they've changed wheels/tires and half-shafts then the only other thing that comes to mind is an out of balance brake rotor.

[timwil56]

How about a wheel balancing weight that's missing or has fallen off.

[akirby]

How about a wheel balancing weight that's missing or has fallen off.

They already swapped the wheels out.

[adamigl]

My wheels/rims were balanced 3 or 4 times, including a road force balance. They also put new rims and tires on the car.

 

I was expecting to see other people experiencing the same issue. It varies in severity from one road to another. Could be cold weather related. It seemed better this week with temperatures in the 40's, although it is hard to tell.

 

Appreciate the comments and ideas.

[akirby]

Brake rotor? Motor mounts? Tranny mount?

[boominup]

My 2015 Titanium went in as soon as I bought it in April 2016 (Used) with vibration and humming from the front tires. They replaced the fronts because they were cupped (why I don't know) and checked the alignment. All was well within tolerance. Last week I brought it back in for a similar growling noise and vibration but this time in the rear after returning from an 1800 mile trip to Virginia. Come to find out it was a R/R wheel bearing. All seems fine after they replaced it. As far as the GoodYear Eagles under this car, I won't replace them with the same again because I noticed that after being parked for a few hours, they run flat spotted for a while til they warm up (yeah right, winter in Maine). NOPE NOPE, I don't like those tires. I will go with either Continentals or Michelins.love the car, the Ecoboost, the fuel mileage but I hate those tires.

[Northlander]

I recently tradied in my 2015 Fusion Titanium (front wheel drive) on a 2017 Titanium AWD. I am have the exact same vibration issues with the 2017. I can feel a vibration in the steering wheel and the seat at speeds between 62mph and 80mph. It is very noticeable at 75mph. The 2015 ran as smooth as silk. The 2017 does not. Both had the same Continental tires. I have not had it to the dealer yet for the vibration issue.

 

Sadly in the 1st week, I have already had a failed tire pressure sensor and one of the rubber boots on a CV blew apart. A new axle/cv was installed. Both issues have now been fixed.

 

I will reply back after I get it into the dealer next week.

[eGuru]

Was there vibration before the CV joint was replaced?

[Cueball]

I know this thread is quite old but I just wanted to chime in that my g/f's 2016 Ford Fusion SE has the exact same issue.  Terrible ride quality and vibration at highway speeds.  Same issues with old tires, rebalanced tires, new tires with road force balance etc.  It's something in the drivetrain or suspension and obviously a common issue based on the original poster's issue of many cars on the same lot.  I rode in an Escape today that felt the same exact way.  Maybe it is Ford's poor attempt at all wheel drive, who knows.  My personal non-AWD 2011 Fusion SEL rides like a dream and has since day one.  Needless to say she is not getting another Fusion when her lease is up late next year.

[Littlewolf]

my 17 has the same issue

[FusionDiffusion]

First, look at the sticker in the door frame and adjust the tire pressure to the recommend value on all four tires (I think it's 34 psi). Do it the right way and check/adjust it cold in the morning before you drive. Tire pressure being off by as little as 2 psi can cause ride quality differences.

 

Second, are you people sure it's not the road causing the vibrations? Drive on a variety of surfaces to rule it out. Asphalt can look smooth when you're speeding on top of it, but really have a lot of surface roughness in some cases that you can't see while moving.

 

To rule out engine vibrations, you can turn off the engine while driving. Obviously this is dangerous but can be done. Do it on a straight stretch on empty road since you will lose power steering, braking, and air bags. Practice at a low speed first if unsure. While driving get some speed going, coast, put transmission in neutral (observe vibration changes), turn off engine (may need to hold button & cluster may ding profusely in protest), observe vibration changes, then restart the engine in neutral (may need to lightly press brake with push start), wait 5 sec and then put back in drive. This will not hurt the transmission since the electronic nannies prevent you from doing anything bad. If you need to steer or brake while the engine is off, be aware that it will take a lot more force than usual, but just muscle it. If the vibration is still present with the engine off, then you know it's wheel/tire/driveline related.

 

The tires could also be a cause. Some styles just make way more vibrations. You may all have the same kind of OEM tires, perhaps from the same bad batch or molds. Switch to a different brand.

 

Your Ford dealer should also have a special tool designed to troubleshoot vibration issues they can use. It's called either a Electronic Vibration Analyzer (EVA) or the Mastertech MTS 4000/4100 Driveline Balance and NVH Analyzer by Vetronix. It's a sophisticated tool that can correlate the vibrations with the engine and driveline speed and tell you what the problem is, so there's no reason for them not to be able to tell you what the vibration is unless they are too lazy or stupid to use the tools at their disposal. Here's a video of how it works: 

 

[FusionDiffusion]

And to add, if that tool in the video is too old to support '16/17 vehicles, they should use their red VCMM tool which has the functionality built in for new vehicles.

[Fusionjunker17]

Has anyone had any success fixing their vibration issues? I too am having constant vibrations between 60-80 MPH. I have had the tires balanced twice and the dealership claims they don't feel it. The intensity of the vibration varies based on the road you drive on but it's always there. I have stock Goodyear tires with no signs of uneven wear. I am going crazy. This is my 3rd Fusion, the last 2 were great so I bought new - worst decision. 

[bbf2530]

On 4/22/2018 at 12:55 PM, Fusionjunker17 said:

Has anyone had any success fixing their vibration issues? I too am having constant vibrations between 60-80 MPH. I have had the tires balanced twice and the dealership claims they don't feel it. The intensity of the vibration varies based on the road you drive on but it's always there. I have stock Goodyear tires with no signs of uneven wear. I am going crazy. This is my 3rd Fusion, the last 2 were great so I bought new - worst decision. 

 

Hi Fusionjunker. This may seem like a strange question, but do you have the vibration issue when you're driving those speeds with all windows and sunroof closed (if you have a sunroof)?  The reason I ask is many newer vehicles, including ours, will have a "wind resonance" problem at highway speeds with only one window open or the wrong combination of windows open. It can become a very violent rumble/vibration heard and felt throughout the entire car at highway speeds

It is mentioned in our Owners Manuals and is due to the highly tuned aerodynamics of modern vehicles when closed up. To rule it out, note whether the issue happens when all windows and sunroof are closed.  If it does not, it is wind resonance and you can eliminate it when the windows are open by keeping at least two windows open or slightly open. 

While I realize this is most likely not the cause of your problems, it is worth mentioning.

Hopefully this helps you or someone else.  Good luck.

Edited May 8, 2018 by bbf2530

[nForrest]

I'm a little late to the party, but I just want to state the vibrations on 2016 Fusion SE with 2.0 EB is not normal.  Even with the stock Goodyear tires, there was no vibrations.  Handling sucked, but no vibrations. I am on my 3rd Fusion (2011, 2014 & 2016). Never had vibration problems.   When I bought the 2016, it had 12K miles on it.  OEM Goodyears had even wear on the treads and I kept them until I hit 20K.  Running Michelin tires.  Went from a 235 to a 245.  Have no complaints.

[charlyko12]

I know this is a little late, but I just purchased a 2016 fusion and it does the same thing. So weird it makes me a little nervous but they swear there is nothing wrong with it