Vibration at idle with foot on brake

[jeff711981]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned idle speed. As someone else mentioned, I4's are difficult to balance. At low idle, some vibration is relatively normal. Ford may have just done a crappy job of isolating that vibration and a bump of 50-100 RPM in low idle speed might make it go away. I noticed this occasionally in my car, but it doesn't concern me because I know what it is - an I4 that's difficult to balance. The tach in my car is difficult to read, but it looks like low idle is 700-750 RPM. Maybe bumping it up to 800 to 850 will change the harmonics enough that the vibration will go away.

 

I'd be looking at a rough idle issue rather than isolating engine vibrations. Clean the fuel system, throttle body, injectors, etc.

 

It's worse while in gear vs. neutral because in gear you have drag on the engine (torque converter input tied to the crankshaft, which is turning - torque converter output tied to the transmission input shaft, which is stationary). Small changes in RPM change the amount of load being placed on the transmission input shaft while in gear. While in neutral, the only drag on the engine is the weight of the rotating mass.

[FusionDiffusion]

Can you explained more about this? Because i am having the problem that you described (shaking at 50~60km/h when not give gas).

 

Sorry, I thought I posted this but it must not have gone through: http://www.agcoauto.com/content/news/p2_articleid/203

 

And yes, if your idle speed is off, the harmonics might be outside the range the engine mounts and mass dampers were designed to dampen. So making sure the engine is running smoothly is a good idea.

[cccerbeus]

I have 60,000 on a 4 cylinder 2008 Fusion. I had a new flywheel installed at 59,500 miles under warranty because it was cracked. When i got the car back after the work was completed, I noticed the car vibrating through the drivers seat at red lights with my foot on the brake. In neutral, the vibration is gone. I don't remember this vibration when the old flywheel was in the car.

 

When I brought the car back to the dealership, they said they kept it over night again, and said they neutralized engine by loosening engine mounts and power braking car, vibration was being caused by mounts being tightened in a binding position. They didn't fix the problem.

 

Any ideas, please help. It will be hard to deal with this vibration at every stop or red light. Thanks JIM.....

on some vehicles, the flexplate is a balance compensating item. in other words, it is part of the balancing of the engine.

to be fair, i don't know if this is true of your engine, but even if it isn't, it would be easy to imagine that a poorly or improperly installed or balanced flex plate could cause a vibration.

My first instinct was to suspect a dropped or low performing cylinder since that would cause the engine to lope a bit, but a bad mount or something pinched between the drivetrain and body would be a required part of transmitting that vibration to the body..

 

 

I also agree a cracked flex plate is very unusual. Wonder how that got past QC?

it is not as unusual as you may think.. i've seen a few, one where it cracked in a near perfect circle just outside the mounting holes to the crank..

it is called a flexplate for a reason, and all that flexing destroys some of them.

Edited March 22, 2014 by cccerbeus

[Road_wx]

My 2010 SE I4 automatic has the same issue. Quite noticeable vibration when stopped with my foot on the brake, but still in gear. It doesn't seem to be a rough idle from the engine, as it doesn't vibrate when in neutral. I took it into the dealer, and they flashed the transmission. Didn't do anything to fix it, as the vibration remains. I will be taking it in again soon, as it is still under warranty, even though I feel the dealer is quite useless.

 

Really looking for the reason of the vibration. If anyone finds out, please post.

 

Edit to add: I checked the vibration today when the engine was cold, and it seemed less. As the car warmed up, the vibration was more noticeable. Also, when I was stopped in traffic I slid the tranny into neutral. The vibration dropped to about half as intense, but it was still there.

Was there any resolution on getting the vibration to stop? My 2010 mercury milan with the 2.5L Auto just developed the same issue.

[2011grayse]

Any solution yet?

[Groubn]

I have a 2008 2.3 that has the same problem.  Calling it a vibration some people might think so what but this is not normal.  If you take the rh front wheel off take the wheel well cover off chalk the tires parking break engaged turn it on in park it is obvious drive way worse. The belt tensioner is going almost to it's limits. I changed both engine mounts when I bought the car at 115000 they were shot.  Most likely from the vibe not the other way around..  The engine was leaking like a fomoco mofo and loosing oil I replaced it with a 2010 2.5.  the problem followed.  Wtf.  I used the 2010 intake and the 2008 throttle also all the 2008 sensors. So what the what people.  I also changed the tensioner because It seemed played out.   This makes me think transmission or sensor.  I've went through the vac lines as well. Also No engine codes.

[Cody D]

I have a 2013 and have been having the same problem with shaking/vibrating at an idle. Having the AC running definitely intensifies it. Read this from another forum.

 

     Sep 242013

Purchased the car on 9/24/2013 returned it on 9/25/2013, took a week for the service dept to find the source of the vibration. Dealership advises that they placed an Alert notice with Ford Motor Company with no indication on how long it will take to correct the problem.

Update from Oct 2, 2013Dealership has had the car for 7 days and explains the vibration is being caused by the fuel tank being full and vibrating against the exhaust system,an Alert has be filed with Ford motor co.

- Val P., West Haven, CT, USA

 

Maybe we sit and wait for a recall from Ford??

Edited October 21, 2018 by Cody D

[Cody D]

1 minute ago, Cody D said:

I have a 2013 and have been having the same problem with shaking/vibrating at an idle. Having the AC running definitely intensifies it. Read this from another forum.

 

     Sep 242013

Purchased the car on 9/24/2013 returned it on 9/25/2013, took a week for the service dept to find the source of the vibration. Dealership advises that they placed an Alert notice with Ford Motor Company with no indication on how long it will take to correct the problem.

Update from Oct 2, 2013Dealership has had the car for 7 days and explains the vibration is being caused by the fuel tank being full and vibrating against the exhaust system,an Alert has be filed with Ford motor co.

- Val P., West Haven, CT, USA

 

Maybe we sit and wait for a recall from Ford??

 

[eGuru]

You are complaining that your 5 or 6 year old car has a vibration problem at idle.

You are probably needing diagnostic services from an experienced service department.

Sensors, spark plugs, injectors, motor mounts - any of those could be the cause.

 

You won't be seeing any recalls from Ford based on what you read in a post from 2013. 

[Cody D]

It’s the fact that it’s a persistent problem across multiple years of production. I personally am posting about the issue now, but that doesn’t mean that the problem started today... The reason I said “Maybe wait for a recall” is because it sounds like a lot of dealerships have informed Ford and alerted them to the issue and no resolution to the problem- based off of this forum. I’m guessing you didn’t read any posts for this thread because everything you said you think may be the cause of the issue had already been done and these folks said the problem still persists. Mounts, spark plugs, sensors, flashing... etc. If you think a vibration issue on a 5-6 year old car is by any means “normal” then I wouldn’t expect you to have any valuable advice on the issue.

[bbf2530]

47 minutes ago, Cody D said:

It’s the fact that it’s a persistent problem across multiple years of production. I personally am posting about the issue now, but that doesn’t mean that the problem started today... The reason I said “Maybe wait for a recall” is because it sounds like a lot of dealerships have informed Ford and alerted them to the issue and no resolution to the problem- based off of this forum. I’m guessing you didn’t read any posts for this thread because everything you said you think may be the cause of the issue had already been done and these folks said the problem still persists. Mounts, spark plugs, sensors, flashing... etc. If you think a vibration issue on a 5-6 year old car is by any means “normal” then I wouldn’t expect you to have any valuable advice on the issue.

 

Hi Cody.  Welcome to the Ford Fusion Club. Were you looking for assistance with your issue or just posting the information from the other forum?

 

If you are looking for assistance with your problem, it would help to provide the engine your car is equipped with, current miles on the car, when the problem began etc..  If you were simply posting for informational purposes what someone else had stated in another forum, then thanks for the information. However, what eGuru stated is 100% correct. It would be a completely false hope to believe there may be a "recall" for this issue. Also, if you notice, the vast majority of those who posted in this thread have the first generation Fusion, not a second generation such as yours or the person from the other forum..

 

Additionally, most of the people in this thread never posted back after 2013-2014.  They may have found a solution, but as happens often, just not come back to tell us.  Or they did not find a solution and never posted back.  We just don't know

 

You should be aware that eGuru is one of our more knowledgeable tech members. He did not say your issue was "normal".  He recommended the normal things to check first..."Sensors, spark plugs, injectors, motor mounts - any of those could be the cause."  You did not state in your post that you had those items checked on your car. Have you had the car looked at by your Dealer or a qualified mechanic?  That would be where you would start. It does not matter what others did or did not do in the past with their cars.

 

More information about your car and what you did so far would help us help you. And please keep in mind, we are all here to try and help each other, so keep it polite and civil.

 

Keep us updated and good luck.

[drolds1]

 

2 hours ago, bbf2530 said:

 

Hi Cody.  Welcome to the Ford Fusion Club. Were you looking for assistance with your issue or just posting the information from the other forum?

 

If you are looking for assistance with your problem, it would help to provide the engine your car is equipped with, current miles on the car, when the problem began etc..  If you were simply posting for informational purposes what someone else had stated in another forum, then thanks for the information. However, what eGuru stated is 100% correct. It would be a completely false hope to believe there may be a "recall" for this issue. Also, if you notice, the vast majority of those who posted in this thread have the first generation Fusion, not a second generation such as yours or the person from the other forum..

 

Additionally, most of the people in this thread never posted back after 2013-2014.  They may have found a solution, but as happens often, just not come back to tell us.  Or they did not find a solution and never posted back.  We just don't know

 

You should be aware that eGuru is one of our more knowledgeable tech members. He did not say your issue was "normal".  He recommended the normal things to check first..."Sensors, spark plugs, injectors, motor mounts - any of those could be the cause."  You did not state in your post that you had those items checked on your car. Have you had the car looked at by your Dealer or a qualified mechanic?  That would be where you would start. It does not matter what others did or did not do in the past with their cars.

 

More information about your car and what you did so far would help us help you. And please keep in mind, we are all here to try and help each other, so keep it polite and civil.

 

Keep us updated and good luck.

In addition, recalls are for safety issues. A vibration at idle is clearly not a safety issue.   Perhaps you meant a TSB but that's unlikely for a 2013 MY as well.  I don't ever recall seeing a TSB for a 5-year-old car.

[Cody D]

25 minutes ago, drolds1 said:

 

In addition, recalls are for safety issues. A vibration at idle is clearly not a safety issue.   Perhaps you meant a TSB but that's unlikely for a 2013 MY as well.  I don't ever recall seeing a TSB for a 5-year-old car.

 

I have a 2014 Fusion SE 1.5L Turbo DI Automatic. I have just run a fuel system cleaner and changed spark plugs. I fat fingered 2013 in my post. 

 

You’re correct, my response to eGuru was ill advised. I was taking his response as a general blanket response instead of an individual one towards myself and my car issue. I just didn’t find his input or advice valuable because he only repeated what had already been stated in the thread previously. I could have worded it differently. As far as “waiting for a recall” it was mostly a sarcastic comment, and not something I’ll be holding my breath for. 

 

Sure there could be a TSB for the issue, especially with all the complaints that seem to have been made. Seems like a known issue with the Fusion. But the problem could eventually become more serious in the future, only time will tell. I reposted the comment from another forum to try and be helpful with finding answers, that was the reason for that. I guess I misunderstood his comment and responded with the “normal” response, my apologies for that, not sure where I got that from. We are all adults here, what I said was not impolite or uncivilized.

 

[bbf2530]

1 hour ago, Cody D said:

 

I have a 2014 Fusion SE 1.5L Turbo DI Automatic. I have just run a fuel system cleaner and changed spark plugs. I fat fingered 2013 in my post. 

 

You’re correct, my response to eGuru was ill advised. I was taking his response as a general blanket response instead of an individual one towards myself and my car issue. I just didn’t find his input or advice valuable because he only repeated what had already been stated in the thread previously. I could have worded it differently. As far as “waiting for a recall” it was mostly a sarcastic comment, and not something I’ll be holding my breath for. 

 

Sure there could be a TSB for the issue, especially with all the complaints that seem to have been made. Seems like a known issue with the Fusion. But the problem could eventually become more serious in the future, only time will tell. I reposted the comment from another forum to try and be helpful with finding answers, that was the reason for that. I guess I misunderstood his comment and responded with the “normal” response, my apologies for that, not sure where I got that from. We are all adults here, what I said was not impolite or uncivilized.

 

 

Hi Cody. Just so you know, your Bio under your screen name also states you have a 2013. You may want to change that.

 

Now, more questions, unfortunately. How any miles on your 2014 Fusion? How long ago did your vibration issue begin? I'm assuming before you did the plug change, but as they say, one should never assume.

 

Are you still within the 5 year/60,000 mile Powertrain Warranty? If yes, taking it to the Dealer for a proper diagnostics would be your best route.

 

You stated you used a "fuel system cleaner". Was it a basic Techron type that you add to a full tank of gas, or was it a Seafoam type that you run through the intake system and get clouds of smoke out the exhaust? An FYI for everyone out there with Ford EcoBoost or Lincoln EcoBoost/Lincoln Turbo engines...Do not use the Seafoam type which you run through the induction system. It can/will foul the turbos.

 

Who performed the spark plug change? What brand spark plugs? Motorcraft are your best bet, since some other brands do not always seem to work and play well in our cars. If you or a friend performed the change, are you sure the new plugs were properly gapped before they were installed?

 

Did you change the plugs etc, to solve the vibration issue or did it begin after that work was performed?

 

Perhaps we can find something along the way with more information.  Then again, Internet diagnosis is always a dicey proposition, at best.

 

Keep us updated and good luck.

 

[eGuru]

Cody, I apologize for my response to your post. 

On reading it again, I can see how you may have perceived a note of sarcasm (and I admit that I am sometimes guilty of that).

That was not intended.

 

Let's see what we can do to help you out.

Other than a trip to a mechanic, do you have any diagnostic tools available?

 

A good (as recommended on the FORScan webpage) OBD2 Bluetooth adapter and FORScan software  for your PC or tablet would be an excellent addition to your tool kit.

 

 

 

[Chandocalrissian]

Just thought I’d add to this body of knowledge since I’m going through the same thing. I’ve got a 2012 Lincoln MKZ, same as the Fusion, and I’ve had the persistent rattle at idle for over a year. I was originally told by a mechanic that it was a transmission mount (under the battery), that was over a year ago and today I had some work done by a different mechanic that I trust and he stated that after inspecting all the motor mounts and doing a visual load test that they were all in good shape. Today I had the number 4 ignition coil and all spark plugs replaced, which fixed the issues I was having but the rattle at idle is completely unchanged. And as with everyone else it completely goes away when you switch into neutral. I can feel the rattle prominently in my foot when stopped with my foot pressing on the brake pedal and the car in gear. As I said it’s been well over a year that this has been going on and everything else about the drivetrain seems to be completely fine so it’s just annoying more than anything else. I can floor the gas and the car will get up and go, if it was a bad mount I’m pretty sure I would’ve trashed it by now. My next move was going to be a transmission flush but earlier in the thread someone tried that without success. Anyway I hope we can eventually get to the bottom of this!

Edited April 17, 2019 by Chandocalrissian

[eGuru]

7 hours ago, Chandocalrissian said:

Just thought I’d add to this body of knowledge since I’m going through the same thing. I’ve got a 2012 Lincoln MKZ, same as the Fusion, and I’ve had the persistent rattle at idle for over a year. I was originally told by a mechanic that it was a transmission mount (under the battery), that was over a year ago and today I had some work done by a different mechanic that I trust and he stated that after inspecting all the motor mounts and doing a visual load test that they were all in good shape. Today I had the number 4 ignition coil and all spark plugs replaced, which fixed the issues I was having but the rattle at idle is completely unchanged. And as with everyone else it completely goes away when you switch into neutral. I can feel the rattle prominently in my foot when stopped with my foot pressing on the brake pedal and the car in gear. As I said it’s been well over a year that this has been going on and everything else about the drivetrain seems to be completely fine so it’s just annoying more than anything else. I can floor the gas and the car will get up and go, if it was a bad mount I’m pretty sure I would’ve trashed it by now. My next move was going to be a transmission flush but earlier in the thread someone tried that without success. Anyway I hope we can eventually get to the bottom of this!

 

Have you had your ETB cleaned or replaced?

I doubt that the vibration at idle issue is transmission related.

[echelon64]

I'll add my 2 cents, I have the exact same issue. In Park or in Neutral there is zero vibration and I just recently replaced both the Passenger side mount and the Dogbone mount under the transmission but it vibrates, annoyingly, when at a stop light in Drive or even in reverse. Surprised nobody has tracked this issue down. I'm chalking it up to age of the car and the I4 on this engine being a bit squirrelly. I'm thinking of pulling the airbox out and cleaning the Throttle body and MAF clean and see if that alleviates the issue somewhat. I see people in this thread also replaced the transmission mount underneath the battery with zero results, might replace mine anyway as I already have the replacement in hand.

[gopoglet]

Same issue! 2010 Ford Fusion Sport, 148K miles, bought it at 77k miles. 3.5 liters V6. The mechanic suggested a mount. From my point as a stick shift driver, it looks like an incomplete separation of the clutch in the auto-transmission. No matter how I push the brake pedal down the annoying vibration is still on. Don't think is a mount or issue with engine, engine runs fine with some light engine knocking. Shifting to neutral eliminates the vibration, therefore no mount is the issue. If the clutch separates completely there will be no vibration (IMHO). A rider in my car suggested a PBC (or PCB, or PVC) (sensor, or widget) replacement that would fix this issue.

[soba]

Same issue and same trying to fix - motor / trany mount set / sparks / ERB .... Same vibration on breaks ... Can it be MAF or  IAC Valve ?

[indifferent]

how bad is this vibration???  I have an 11 sport.. 150k miles.. an 8 year old car with that many miles i expect some small degradation of performance and feel. 

[sirtanon]

For those just recently posting in this thread - There are a multitude of reasons that this kind of vibration, but they almost all certainly originate from the engine in some way.

 

Mounts are a common cause, and there are 3 mounts in the engine bay - The transmission mount, the engine mount, and the "dogbone" mount.  The dogbone mount is the easiest to check, and also the easiest to replace and cheapest.  There are a few good videos on Youtube showing this.

 

Fuel/air/spark delivery issues are another cause.  Bad spark plugs are a good place to start, along with coils.  Next would be air intake - filter and throttle body.   Fuel injectors are another potential cause, although as a rule, the ones on the gen 1.5 Fusions seem to be pretty robust, so a fuel injector cleaning like Techron is worth a try.

 

Depending on the mileage on the car, a misfire is also not out of the question.  My own 2010 Fusion has experienced this.  Low compression will lead to either an actual misfire, or low power contribution from 1 or more cylinders, and this will certainly cause vibration, especially at idle.  If you have the capability, doing a compression test on all 4 cylinders is an easy way to check this.  A decent compression tester can be had for under $30.

[Cruisecontrol]

I'm not a Ford Fusion owner; I own a 2015 Subaru Forester 2.5i with the CVT transmission.  I'm here because I've been having the same problem with vibration when at a stop with my transmission in Drive and foot pressing the brake pedal.  I've been searching all over the internet, and not only in the Subaru forums, hoping to find a solution to this problem that I could apply to my Forester.  This problem seems to be widespread over many brands and year models.  I've seen complaints about Hondas, Toyotas, Nissans, etc.  One thing I've not seen yet is a definitive solution.  The most common one seems to be that this vibration is caused by the use of cheap Chinese made aftermarket axles.  I still have the factory ones with less than 28,000 miles, so I don't think that's it.  I've also changed my spark plugs, removed and cleaned my MAF sensor and throttle body, checked all vacuum lines and fittings, replaced my alternator and tensioner pulley per a TSB addressing vibrations.  I haven't checked or replaced my engine or tranny mounts, but at only 28,000 gently driven miles, I don't think those should be a problem, and most people who have replaced theirs on many different car models seem to say that it did not make any difference.  I did take my car into my dealership to have them check it out, and their response was that everything is operating as designed.  It seems crazy that no one can find a definitive solution to a problem that has been so widespread over so many years as this.  One thing I found that seemed interesting was a response from someone who did take his car in to his dealership.  He was told that one possibility would be the concept of "stacked tolerances", meaning that several different areas could be just a little bit out of spec, each not enough to cause the vibration by itself, but all together might be enough to do it.  Sounds like an expensive fix, if at all, so I think I'll keep looking.

[MoulderingCorpse]

I'm having the same issue on my 2016 2.0 w/ 120k miles.  A fairly heavy, almost lugging, vibration at idle.  I've changed plugs at 100k, and just did the third transmission fluid change and fresh oil.  No codes, just that annoying vibration at idle.

 

Just a theory, but since we're dealing with GDI engines that experience intake valve carbon buildup, could this be throwing off the fuel air mix at idle?

 

The only item I've replaced outside of scheduled maintenance is the evap purge valve.

[cccerbeus]

3 hours ago, MoulderingCorpse said:

I'm having the same issue on my 2016 2.0 w/ 120k miles.  A fairly heavy, almost lugging, vibration at idle.  I've changed plugs at 100k, and just did the third transmission fluid change and fresh oil.  No codes, just that annoying vibration at idle.

 

Just a theory, but since we're dealing with GDI engines that experience intake valve carbon buildup, could this be throwing off the fuel air mix at idle?

 

The only item I've replaced outside of scheduled maintenance is the evap purge valve.

perfectly reasonable theory in my book. excess valve deposits on one valve could make for very poor flow dynamics at idle and a significantly different flow from the rest of the cylinders.

i no longer have my fusion , but my 2016 edge (2.7 eco) has an issue of what i would call a thrumming under throttle, a perception of significantly imbalanced power per cylinder.

I may have done an induction service and had the problem go away for a short time..

Edited July 2, 2020 by cccerbeus
clarification