Ok guys, My truck was built last week sometime and I'm assuming it will be here in a few weeks. I'm getting a little paranoid about the vibration problem so those of you who have it, give me some advice on what to look for, I'm planning on asking to take a test drive of at least 20 miles on various roads before I sign on the line (I think that is reasonable). Any advice is appreciated! Anyone in the know if Ford is producing less trucks now with the vibration than they were a few months ago? I also heard rumors that it might be more prevalent with the Limited slip rear axel, any thoughts?

 

Hi fatman66. There are several vibration problems.

The limited slip was one of them, Ford supposidly has a TSB out to make a fix if you experience the problem. I've seen no proof that they have fixed this problem on the assembly line. It will feel like a chatter, especially starting from a stop, or turning from a stop.

Another vibration problem is a shudder or lingering vibration after hitting bumps. It can be felt throughout the chasis and in the seat of your pants. It can be seen by looking at the bed while it's happening, or by dropping the tailgate and watching for a vibration. Ford has a vibration dampener kit out to help with this, but it appears to be a partial and temporary fix. I've seen no indication that Ford is putting these dampeners on new production trucks, or that a fix has been incorporated into assembly line production. New trucks that my dealer just go in did not have them.

Another vibration issue is in the driveline/drivetrain/steering vibration. Some people are having drivelines replaced, wheels balanced, alignments, and a variety of other things. But this vibration problem seems to be the hardest to find and fix.

20 miles on a test drive might show some obvious vibrations, but chances are you won't recognize or become familiar with them until well after that.

Good luck.

 

I hear the GMC 1500 Crew Cab calling my name. Damn Ford, why won't they acknowledge this stuff and fix it before the trucks make it to the customer. But no, they'd rather take the cheap way out and hope that only a few people notice this crap. Not good.

 

There are 6 people I know with an 04 F150. All types, 4x4, FX4, XLT, etc. Not one of us have had any of the problems I have seen discussed here. They were built starting last September with the latest one in Febuary all at the Norfolk plant. 400 miles up to 6000 miles. I truely beleive all the posts we see here each day but I don't think that most of the new trucks are having the problems you see here. We might see maybe 50 problem trucks in this forum according to the polls that have been run on the site but there are 100's of members so the odds look to be less than 5% that you would have a problem. This is a forum so people with problems look and ask for answers here and I might add that the advice this forum doles out each day is invaluable. I really feel for the guys having the problems, one of the reasons we buy new vehicles is that we don't won't to be working on them and we want to be able to turn the key and go. I just wanted to throw my two cents in that 6 of us here are extremely happy truck owners. Good luck to all of you and I hope your trucks are back and making you smile soon.

 

I should have bought another chev too! It's one thing to have a vibration problem with a new $43000 truck but when Ford won't fix it and says good luck your on your own well that's when I as a consumer see RED!
And Web, 3 out of the 7 trucks I drove had the driveline vibration so they are out there.

 

If it's any help, the majority of the vibration problems seem to be with the 4x4s, the SuperCrews and the 5.4L engine. I read all the vibration threads last night and those seem to be the ones with the most problems. I saw one with RegCab longbed and only one 4x2 Supercab Lariat. I did not see that the majority were from KC built plant like someone else claimed.

 

I look at it as the people here with problems are an extremely small number of the total people who actually do have problems. It's almost impossible for a production vehicle to show problems on some vehicles and not others. They are stamps of each other.

Most people get in and drive. They might not even know they have a problem. If they get lucky they remember to change the oil. And people in general are very tolerant. America is a throw-away society. A vibration, shimmy, or defect, etc. is simply lived with. Most people aren't technical or mechanical, and they take Ford's word concerning the truck. They read Motor Trend, and they think they have the cats azz. Plus many people have lower standards and expectations...not a bad thing, just different.

 

I just received my 04 Lariat Last Week, built in March and drove it about 300 miles this wekend to get A Line-x Sprayed in, was worth the drive, looks much better than the Rhino.

I was spooked about this vibration thing too. Test drove it two days and didn't feel anything. My drive all weekend, differnet type of roads, etc.

I have experienced no problems, 14.7mpg on first tank, mostly highway, not level, 60 mph.

Anyone wanting to order a truck, I would not let the "bad vibes" stop you. Just make sure you do an extensive test drive before you buy. My dealer didn't have any problems letting me take my truck home for a few days before I bought it.

As far as the ride, it's a CADI on decent roads and more like a truck on the crappy roads.

 

A small poll I know but out of 202 owners 56 have a vibration problem.That's 27%.
http://www.f150online.com/forums/sho...5&pagenumber=1

 

If you want to know if your truck has a true vibration you will have to drive it on the smoothest road you can find. Other wise you won't know if its the road or the truck. Most post say between 40 -60 mph. Also this new rack & pinion steering was designed for alot of road feedback(BMW seems to like this also). I like feed back, but some people prefer a totally smooth light steering wheel. The steering wheel should not "nibble"/shimmy however. These trucks have very heavy steering compared to the 03's, which is nice!
My 04' FX4 Screw has a different ride for every road, but not any "vibration". At 70mph on the interstate its smooth, at 30mph on patched black top its choppy/shaky feeling. Every FX4 Screw will have this choppy/shaky feeling on irregular roads, at least everyone I drove did. But its not a harsh ride like other trucks have. There's always a trade off. As far as the vibration problem, I don't think 4x4's are more prone than 4x2's or screw versus scabs, 5.4 or 4.6. I think a 4x4 5.4 Screw/Scab limited slip just has more sales than a 4x2 4.6 longbed. Alot of these vibration problems have been fixed also. Bad tire balancing, bad driveshaft, backlash out of specs, rack & pinion preload, harmonic dampener, seems like a few others. Any manufacturer can have these problems. There are a couple/few who still have unresolved problems. If I were in their shoes I would expect the problem to be completely fixed or a complete refund. If the dealer/Ford can't fix the problem, then Ford should accept that product as defective and eat the loss. You probably have a 99% chance of getting a normal/near perfect truck over a lemon truck.

 

Keep in mind - this is not a random sampling of 202 F150 owners. These are 202 f150online.com readers. As its been stated before, many readers of these forums are here because they have a problem. Not because they have a perfectly functioning truck.

 

I picked up my Lariat 2WD SCrew 5 Nov 03. It has been a dream since. I can honestly say, I haven't had any vibration problems that weren't caused by the road I was traveling. It is quiet and rides like a Lincoln. I now have 7K on it and have added a Leer Tonneau. Check it out in my gallary. I am sure there are some issues out there, but truly believe they are few and far between.

 

IMO, the bottom line here is that the Ford F-150 is the best-selling truck in America right now. If the vibration problem were as prevalent as some people here think, then there would have been a lot bad publicity spread by word of mouth and sales would not be as good as they are. Also, I'm sure we would have seen it picked up in the media and Ford would have a big black eye instead of the the great blue oval.

I get mine this week and am not worried at all. I will definitely test drive and look for the "vibration" but I also accept the fact that nothing is perfect. There definitely seems to be a little bit of paranoia about the vibration. I think all the talk has caused some to "feel" a vibration that is probably 100% normal. Seriously, this is a massive engine we are getting in our trucks. How can anyone expect 0 vibration?

Of course there are those who legitately have a problem with their truck and from what I have seen, there are fixes for most. I wouldn't let the problems of a few deter you from buying this vehicle. Obviously those who are having the problem and not getting it resolved are going to be more vocal about it on this and other forums. Therefore, it would seem the problem is more widespread than it really is.

Just my 2 cents