Shaking/wobbling in front end of Black Diamond with 5,000mi

[BroncoRebelRunner]

Hey guys, I have a 2022 Non-Sasquatch Black Diamond with the optional wheels that I purchased in early February. It had only 3012 miles on it, had the mid package with heated seats for my wife, and came with the Ford Gold Certification and warranty, so basically as close to brand new with a longer warranty than new as I could find, and I got it below MSRP. I was really really wanting to get a Bronco with the Sasquatch package, but I just couldn’t justify spending the $8,000 at a minimum more that I could find one at (nor could I afford it even if I wanted to, which let’s face it, I would’ve done if I could). I also settled on getting the 2.3L engine, which worried the hell out of me as I was trading a ‘21 Ram Rebel with the 395 HP 5.7 on it. Luckily I’m blown away by the power that this little engine has, and the handling makes this thing a blast to drive. It feels sooo much quicker than the Ram on everything but a straightaway. And it still destroys the speed of my 4Runner I had before that.



Anyways, on to the real reason for this post. A short time after I got the Bronco I noticed that the ride was a little shaky. I didn’t think much of it at first, assuming that it was just me getting used to the stiffer Hitachis compared to the squishier Bilsteins that my Rebel had. But then I noticed the shaking on freshly paved roads. My 2.5 year old son even started making sounds in the car so he could hear his voice get shaky. I could even visibly see the shaking when I looked at my car seat mirror through my rear view mirror. I paid more attention to it and noticed that it almost always started at around 35mph and was pretty consistent feeling at all speeds above and at all GOAT modes as well as both 2hi and 4hi (I don’t have 4A). It seemed to be worse at some speeds than others, but I haven’t pinned down what speeds those are. It is often the worst after I accelerate out of a corner, with what I can best describe as a “wobbly” feeling that transitions into the less intense vibration and shaking that continues until I slow back down below 35mph.



I plan to upgrade to larger tires, but definitely not until this gets resolved under warranty. I don’t want the dealer claiming that as the cause. So I took the Bronco into the dealership closest to my work today, hoping things would get settled. They called me this afternoon and said that the tech checked the front axles and diff and found no issues there, that he suspected a road force balance would solve the issue. So after agreeing to pay the $130 (crazy that I used to get as many road force balances as I wanted for free from Discount Tire, love those guys), I was happy that I’d soon have a smooth driving Bronco. 2.5 hours later I called them to see what was going on and they conveniently said that they just finished the papers and I was all set to pick it up.



I had to rush out of there to get home to the kids, as my wife was already going to be late for her ER shift. I took a look at the papers as I drove out and saw that the tech stated they were able to get the road force balance on all 4 tires to be “within spec around 20 lbs of force”. It also stated that a post road test was completed.



As I drove out and began to accelerate to get on the highway I felt that horrible wobbly feeling again, which feels like something I’d expect on an old beater. I got on the highway and noticed MAYBE a very very slight reduction in the intensity of the shakiness, but that might’ve just been because I wanted to make myself feel better about missing some of my work day, making my wife late, and spending $130 to repair something that a Ford certified gold car should have had taken care of already.



Am I out of line for expecting better than this? Does this shaking feeling sound normal to anyone?



I really don’t know what to do, as I don’t want to continue missing work and getting rides from people or giving up the little time I have with my kids on weekends to keep taking it in to the dealer. I never experienced wobbling or shaking like this when I had my 4Runner with 5100’s at 3” and 32” KO2’s that became unbalanceable or my 34” Nitto Ridge Grapplers that I had around 50k miles on before I sold it.



Any recommendations or advice would be greatly appreciated. I really want this to all go away so I can continue my love affair with this truck.

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[Discount Tire]

Hey guys, I have a 2022 Non-Sasquatch Black Diamond with the optional wheels that I purchased in early February. It had only 3012 miles on it, had the mid package with heated seats for my wife, and came with the Ford Gold Certification and warranty, so basically as close to brand new with a longer warranty than new as I could find, and I got it below MSRP. I was really really wanting to get a Bronco with the Sasquatch package, but I just couldn’t justify spending the $8,000 at a minimum more that I could find one at (nor could I afford it even if I wanted to, which let’s face it, I would’ve done if I could). I also settled on getting the 2.3L engine, which worried the hell out of me as I was trading a ‘21 Ram Rebel with the 395 HP 5.7 on it. Luckily I’m blown away by the power that this little engine has, and the handling makes this thing a blast to drive. It feels sooo much quicker than the Ram on everything but a straightaway. And it still destroys the speed of my 4Runner I had before that.



Anyways, on to the real reason for this post. A short time after I got the Bronco I noticed that the ride was a little shaky. I didn’t think much of it at first, assuming that it was just me getting used to the stiffer Hitachis compared to the squishier Bilsteins that my Rebel had. But then I noticed the shaking on freshly paved roads. My 2.5 year old son even started making sounds in the car so he could hear his voice get shaky. I could even visibly see the shaking when I looked at my car seat mirror through my rear view mirror. I paid more attention to it and noticed that it almost always started at around 35mph and was pretty consistent feeling at all speeds above and at all GOAT modes as well as both 2hi and 4hi (I don’t have 4A). It seemed to be worse at some speeds than others, but I haven’t pinned down what speeds those are. It is often the worst after I accelerate out of a corner, with what I can best describe as a “wobbly” feeling that transitions into the less intense vibration and shaking that continues until I slow back down below 35mph.



I plan to upgrade to larger tires, but definitely not until this gets resolved under warranty. I don’t want the dealer claiming that as the cause. So I took the Bronco into the dealership closest to my work today, hoping things would get settled. They called me this afternoon and said that the tech checked the front axles and diff and found no issues there, that he suspected a road force balance would solve the issue. So after agreeing to pay the $130 (crazy that I used to get as many road force balances as I wanted for free from Discount Tire, love those guys), I was happy that I’d soon have a smooth driving Bronco. 2.5 hours later I called them to see what was going on and they conveniently said that they just finished the papers and I was all set to pick it up.



I had to rush out of there to get home to the kids, as my wife was already going to be late for her ER shift. I took a look at the papers as I drove out and saw that the tech stated they were able to get the road force balance on all 4 tires to be “within spec around 20 lbs of force”. It also stated that a post road test was completed.



As I drove out and began to accelerate to get on the highway I felt that horrible wobbly feeling again, which feels like something I’d expect on an old beater. I got on the highway and noticed MAYBE a very very slight reduction in the intensity of the shakiness, but that might’ve just been because I wanted to make myself feel better about missing some of my work day, making my wife late, and spending $130 to repair something that a Ford certified gold car should have had taken care of already.



Am I out of line for expecting better than this? Does this shaking feeling sound normal to anyone?



I really don’t know what to do, as I don’t want to continue missing work and getting rides from people or giving up the little time I have with my kids on weekends to keep taking it in to the dealer. I never experienced wobbling or shaking like this when I had my 4Runner with 5100’s at 3” and 32” KO2’s that became unbalanceable or my 34” Nitto Ridge Grapplers that I had around 50k miles on before I sold it.



Any recommendations or advice would be greatly appreciated. I really want this to all go away so I can continue my love affair with this truck.

Congrats on the new Bronco! That 2.3L engine is a solid power plant. I was skeptical myself when I had to trade in my old 5.4L V8 F150 for a new truck with a much smaller power plant. I was pleasantly surprised to see just how it did with towing, etc... I'm a believer!

The ride you are describing sounds to be a balancing issue, but the road force balance should have taken care of that.

I know there is low mileage of the Bronco, but have you noticed any cupping on the tread? That will definitely cause a vibration issue as well.

I recommend you start small and work your way up the food chain. I noticed there are a few Discount Tire stores in your neighborhood. When your schedule permits, take the vehicle to your local store and have them do a thorough inspection and test drive. (Free of Charge). Store personnel may be able to diagnose issues that may have been overlooked by the dealer. They can definitely point you in the right direction.

It will be a process of elimination going from there. I'm hoping it's a simple fix.

 

[Fivefingerheist]

Seconded, this sounds like a balancing issue. Thought I power washed enough after wheeling myself, but at 70 mph my rig shook like a leaf. All due to mud inside of the wheels.

 

[BlueBronco]

If you can definitely feel the wobbling is coming from the front, rotate the front tires to back to see if that makes a difference or moves the wobbling to the back. That will tell you if it is your wheels/tires or possibly suspension/drivetrain related.

 

[cbrenthus]

Did you verify the history with Carfax or similar? While Carfax doesn't catch everything, I'd at least want to make sure it wasn't in a major wreck or something. The next thing I would do would be to rotate the tires, with both rears now on the front and vice versa and see if anything changes. Also check that every lug nut is properly torqued.

 

[BroncoRebelRunner]

Congrats on the new Bronco! That 2.3L engine is a solid power plant. I was skeptical myself when I had to trade in my old 5.4L V8 F150 for a new truck with a much smaller power plant. I was pleasantly surprised to see just how it did with towing, etc... I'm a believer!

The ride you are describing sounds to be a balancing issue, but the road force balance should have taken care of that.

I know there is low mileage of the Bronco, but have you noticed any cupping on the tread? That will definitely cause a vibration issue as well.

I recommend you start small and work your way up the food chain. I noticed there are a few Discount Tire stores in your neighborhood. When your schedule permits, take the vehicle to your local store and have them do a thorough inspection and test drive. (Free of Charge). Store personnel may be able to diagnose issues that may have been overlooked by the dealer. They can definitely point you in the right direction.

It will be a process of elimination going from there. I'm hoping it's a simple fix.

I’m going to have to take another look to see if I can see cupping, but I’ll probably just take you guys up on the free inspection. You have a location just up the road from my work. I know I struggled to see the issues with previous tires that your techs were able to find.

I’ll be so happy if it turns out to just be the tires,

Did you verify the history with Carfax or similar? While Carfax doesn't catch everything, I'd at least want to make sure it wasn't in a major wreck or something. The next thing I would do would be to rotate the tires, with both rears now on the front and vice versa and see if anything changes. Also check that every lug nut is properly torqued.

I did check the CarFax and saw no accidents reported, looks to be well maintained at the original dealer as well, which is where I purchased it from.

Prior to taking it to the dealer and having the road force balance done I checked the torque on all of the lug nuts and saw no issues. That doesn’t mean they were tightened in the proper sequence, but I’d think I should have noticed a difference after my balance was done and the wheels re-mounted.

I’ll see if I can try rotating the tires this weekend and report back with results.

Thanks for the help everyone!

 

[John94]

interested to see where this goes

 

[flip]

20lb road force is fairly high after indexing, it's probably not too high to get the tire mfgr to cover under warranty but will give some ride disturbance. Aside from that, you could also have flat spots on the tires if the vehicle has been sitting. If the flat spotting is not severe driving for several miles will usually make it better but not fix the problem. Some driveshaft balance issues come in around 40mph and up but usually produce a droning noise more than a shake unless severe.

 

[BroncoRebelRunner]

Well I’m hoping that we found the problem. I scheduled the free inspection at Discount Tire on my lunch break and was yet again amazed at their customer service. They found that there was some level of cupping already on all of the tires, with the driver side front being the worst. The tech then said that they would road force balance and rotate them for me for FREE! I was in shock, I just paid a Ford dealer $130 to do this after I bought a $44k car from them that was supposedly certified as being in too top shape, and Discount Tire is doing it for free when they have absolutely no reason to other than good customer service.

So it turns out that either the Ford tech either had no clue what he was doing or just simply didn’t even balance my tires. Only one wheel was actually balanced. One needed .75oz, another needed .5oz, and the third wheel had the hammer on weights counter balanced.

Discount Tire PROPERLY balanced my wheels and rotated them to move the tire with the most uneven wear to the back, and I notice a significant improvement in the ride. The wobble feeling that I felt around 35mph when the shaking used to start is gone. The shaking is still slightly noticeable at certain speeds above 35, but is significantly reduced, and I can now feel it coming from the rear of the vehicle instead of the front.

I’m hoping that the ride will smooth out more as the tires begin to wear more evenly after the balance and rotation.

I definitely will never purchase new tires from anywhere but Discount Tire. They have earned my trust and respect on anything wheel and tire related.

 

[RHeinz]

Cool! I was going to recommend you take the vehicle to Discount Tire….. but then saw they immediately posted. Excellent!!

I have been a Discount Tire customer for over 30(?) years. Wouldn’t go anywhere else.

 

[Discount Tire]

Well I’m hoping that we found the problem. I scheduled the free inspection at Discount Tire on my lunch break and was yet again amazed at their customer service. They found that there was some level of cupping already on all of the tires, with the driver side front being the worst. The tech then said that they would road force balance and rotate them for me for FREE! I was in shock, I just paid a Ford dealer $130 to do this after I bought a $44k car from them that was supposedly certified as being in too top shape, and Discount Tire is doing it for free when they have absolutely no reason to other than good customer service.

So it turns out that either the Ford tech either had no clue what he was doing or just simply didn’t even balance my tires. Only one wheel was actually balanced. One needed .75oz, another needed .5oz, and the third wheel had the hammer on weights counter balanced.

Discount Tire PROPERLY balanced my wheels and rotated them to move the tire with the most uneven wear to the back, and I notice a significant improvement in the ride. The wobble feeling that I felt around 35mph when the shaking used to start is gone. The shaking is still slightly noticeable at certain speeds above 35, but is significantly reduced, and I can now feel it coming from the rear of the vehicle instead of the front.

I’m hoping that the ride will smooth out more as the tires begin to wear more evenly after the balance and rotation.

I definitely will never purchase new tires from anywhere but Discount Tire. They have earned my trust and respect on anything wheel and tire related.

Thank You for the shout out!

I am happy to hear that progress was made. It seems we have found the answers we were looking for! Please keep us posted!

 

[Discount Tire]

Cool! I was going to recommend you take the vehicle to Discount Tire….. but then saw they immediately posted. Excellent!!

I have been a Discount Tire customer for over 30(?) years. Wouldn’t go anywhere else.

Thank you for the recommendation! We really appreciate your patronage!

 

[BroncoRebelRunner]

Just wanted to give an update for everyone. The shaking slowly increased in intensity after the balance, possibly reaching the original intensity. I was pretty discouraged by this, really hoping there wasn’t something going on in addition to cupping and balance that I couldn’t differentiate between.

Then it hit me that I only have 6,000 miles on my tires and I have a brand new full size spare on the back of the bronco. I could swap the spare out for the tire that I believed was the culprit and see what happens. I did that last night, and the shaking is 100% gone at all speeds!

So I am surprised that a tire could cup that much in a matter of 6,000 miles. Unless I am just hyper sensitive to weird feelings in cars (I know I am, I’m constantly paying attention to the tiniest bumps, vibrations, and other feedback through the pedal, steering wheel, and floor), or the Bronco frame and Hitachi suspension is so rigid that it just transfers more vibrations that I normally wouldn’t have noticed in other cars (especially coupled with the increased road noise from having a convertible).

So do you guys think it’s just hypersensitivity coupled with the rigid frame and suspension, the out of balance condition causing uneven wear so quickly, or is there something else going on entirely that caused it to wear unevenly so fast?

 

[Frankie945]

Probably best to take it for a alignment soon to keep tire wear to a minimum glad you figured it out.

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