I have posted here previously and wanted to know if anyone else has had a problem like mine. I have a brand new expedition with 2000miles on it and from day one have had front end vibration due to 20 in Pirelli scorpion str tires that are bad. I have been to three dealers and one tire was out of round and replaced. The other tires have been road forced balanced 4 times and will hold the balance for about a week or two and then the vibration comes back. Ford will do nothing and states that they are not out of round and that temporary flat spotting is normal and should go away. the truck has been to the shop 6 time in 2 months. I am ready to go nuts. I give you two cents for Ford customer care- they could care less. This is the third expedition that I have owned. So if anyone has any advice , I would appreciate it. I am thinking Lemon law is the next step, but I really want to avoid the hassle over stupid tires and I would have thought that Ford would have also Thanks

 

File the lemon law paper work for your state. It isn't hard and doesn't take long. This will force Force to deal with the problem or buy the truck back.

 

Is the vibration present at all times or only when you first start driving and goes away after a few miles?

If it appears and then goes away that is 100% normal. Just the nature of 20" rims/tires

Also check that your rims are properly torqued on. Improper/uneven torque can cause this vibration

Lastly, have you rotated the tires around? Sometimes tires prefer 1 spot over another.

I feel you about those POS STR tires. I hate mine. But they are acceptable for right now

 

Thank you for your replies. The tires have been moved multiple times and have been moved to different rims. Temperature seems to make a difference also. Left work tonight and the temp was about 25 degrees for the first time this year. I literally had to pull to the side of the road because the truck felt like it was bouncing all over. Started driving slowly again and it did get better, but is never right . It feels like you are constantly driving on a gravel/bumpy road even if the road is new. I know that there was a TSB in 2006-08 about flat spots and I think this may be the problem, but why will the the tires not stay in balance. Thanks for any info. People at Ford could care less even after being a loyal ( stupid for buying another one) customer. I have had other vehicles with the large rims and have never had to deal with this. I called Pirelli and their customer service was worse than Ford. It is unbelievable that a person can spend the amount of money on a vehicle and then be treated like this. I knew better than to buy another American made vehicle-I do not like saying that

 

Back... Have you tried going to a reputable tire dealer somewhere in your area? Someplace like a Town Fair Tire, Sullivan Tire, NTB type place? I would try my luck at a reputable tire shop who specializes in that area. Dealers don't care much for tires or issues regarding them. It's not their specialty and it's typically just a PITA for them to deal with. Not saying it's the right way to handle their customers but it is what it is. Hit a tire shop and explain the situation to one of their service reps. They may be able to help you find an answer.

And those Pirelli STRs are just horrible tires to begin with. I have a set in my garage waiting to go to the dump. They have about 20k on them and they look horrible.

I hope you get it worked out. Good luck!!

 

Thanks for your comments. I have spoken to a an honest tire guy that I have dealt with before. I was concerned that if I let anyone else handle the tire that in some way it would negate the warranty or give the dealer an excuse to say that someone has caused a problem. Is it ok for someone other than the dealer to look at the tires without causing problems? I am pretty sure that it is time for lemon law. I was on the highway last night and even though I do not let little things about vehicles worry me, I was worried on the road last night because of the way the tires felt. The dealer says it is normal for the flat spotting to go away after driving for 15 -20 minutes. I swear to God I wish i could get a little bit of what the people at Ford are smoking. This is just ridculous. I make one small error in my job or cared as much as Ford's people I would be sued left and right.

 

Flat spotting happens when the car sits and it's cold. It doesn't happen all the time. A good tire tech that knows the road force machine-Hunter GPS9700 is the latest I believe-will, within 20 minutes, tell you how bad your tires are.

Our expies are sensitive to out of round/bad tires. Having another place balance or road force balance your tires won't void anything. It will just cost you money.

 

I was so un-happy with the Pirelli Scorpion STR wet street traction, I replaced them at under 30k miles, with Good Year tripple tread, i am happy with them, at 81k miles now, i will go with Michelin's at my next tire change. I have the 18" ties

 

Just got an '08 Expedition with the 20" rims. Needed tires so went with the Yokohama Parada Spec-X line. Had them for two weeks, 1200 miles and so far very impressed with them. Excellent dry and wet handling. Snow in the forecast. I'm curious how they will handle.

 

Thanks for responses. With the consistent cold weather here in Chicago the tire problem has gotten worse. There is a constant slight upward and downward bouncing sensation that is making me crazy. The tire was road forced balanced for the fourth time and it seems to be good for about a week each time and then slowly it gets worse. The truck sat at work for 12 hours the other day and when I left work I actually had to pull off the road to see if I had a flat because it felt so awkward . Ford escalation team rep who I have been dealing with states that he does not know why the tire had to be balanced 4 times, but each dealer says the balancer doesnt show it to be a problem so they are not replacing it even though they had to replace one bad tire already. The techs at the dealers say you have to break the tire in. There is 3000 miles on the vehicle now and the problem is getting worse not better. This entire situation is ridiculous. But this is how Ford works. I do not think it is suspension issue because after balancing, I get a week where it feels normal at all speeds then slowly gets worse. Does anyone know if flat spots or belt problems can be detected by the balancing equipment. I really do not want go the Lemon law route, but do not see any options. I really do love the vehicle with the exception of the constant bouncing. I for sure am not going to but new tires for a brand new 50 K $ truck. Any advice from techs would be appreciated. Now other dealers will not look at the truck because they state they will not be paid to continually balance a tire. WTF what am I supposed to do. Ford corporate says go to another dealer and the other dealers say no to looking at tire.

 

Suspension parts won't cause a vibration. A vibration is caused by something in motion and your suspension is not really in motion per say. Shocks, springs, sway bars, etc., are not in motion. They help control motion caused by the wheels/tires going down the road and keep the body structure from bouncing around and the vehicle under control.

A vibration is caused by something in motion and pretty much the only things in motion the wheel/tire combination and everything related to creating that motion. We seem to be focusing on just wheel/tire. Going through this post I admit that I have been focusing there also.

Has the drivetrain been checked out? Are there any weights missing from the driveshafts? Are there any wheel bearings loose or out of spec? Is a half-shaft slightly bent? I'm hoping those were checked at the dealer but I don't see any mention of it here. New vehicles aren't immune from defects. Not saying this is the case, but it's worth having it checked and verified.

Granted, "most" vibrations stem from a wheel/tire issue, but not all. Another thought...

Does the dealer have another Expy on the lot? Used or new it makes no difference. I'm willing to bet there's a used one there at least. You don;t need the same wheel/tire combo, you just need a set that fits. Try to get them to swap wheels over from another Expy and take a test drive with the service writer or service manager. See if the wheel/tire combo off another Expy creates the same condition. If it still shakes with the test set, you know it's something other than your wheels/tires. If it stops vibrating with the test set, you know it's YOUR wheel/tire combo. I've done this multiple times when trying to diagnose a weird problem like this at dealerships. This at least gives you some idea as to what is going on and where exactly the problem is.

Hope that helps!

 

Thank you for your reply . I spoke to the owner of dealer today and he is going to speak to the Ford rep this week about the ongoing problem. I will discuss the other possibilities with him as I know for a fact that they have not been addressed. The dealers do bare minimum when it comes to the problem that I have discussed previously. I think at this point that the service manager thinks that I am the problem and not the truck. It is pretty bad when a person can spend this amount of money and then be made to feel like the bad guy when continuing to go back to the dealer with the truck. I thank everyone for the advice and will see what happens this week. Until then the bouncing continues and Ford corporate has written me off. I was also told today that the continuing balancing being done from dealer to dealer is probably being done just so that each dealer can get paid for looking at the tire- not because it needs balancing which is just stupid. There is a definite change in the handling of the truck after the balancing is done.

 

Again, file the lemon paper work.

 

Look in your owner's manual and follow the grievance procedure. It usually starts with a phone call to the manufacturer to open a case.

I've been through a lemon law suit (Toyota) and despite our victory, it is still an extremely unpleasant and daunting project. I lost 100's of hours of my own time before Toyota settled by buying back our 2007 Avalon for full price and paying our attorney's $2500.00 in fees. We got to put 17k miles on the car for free though.

In my state, CA, it's almost impossible to file a lemon law suit, especially with an attorney that only gets paid when you win, unless you have gone through the corporate arbitration process first. You need to show that you were willing to get the vehicle fixed and exhausted EVERY outlet before you sued. Don't expect the arbitrator to help though. They get paid by the manufacturer and are anything but an UNBIASED party. Our arbitrator and the dealer's service manager acted like lifetime best friends during our hearing. But, you have to go through that process before you can bring out the big guns and make them pay.

If you or anybody gets to this point, please feel free to send me a PM with any questions.

MOST IMPORTANT: Start taking brief notes about EVERY dealer visit, phone conversation, who said what, get full names, include the dates and times. This is CRITICAL if you need to have a hearing and present a chronological summary of how you have been ignored.

 

hey guys as always thank you for your replies. Story gets better- I went to put the spare tire on the truck tonight because I can not stand the bouncing and guess what ? My 53, 000 dollar truck has no spare and I guessing Ford and the dealer will not stand good for this either. This is a nightmare. Does anyone know of a lawyer in Illinois that can be trusted to do his job when I file Lemon law? I am in Shorwood, Il. Just a side note I spoke to Ford Customer Care today one more time trying to see if I could get someone to reconsider replacing this tire and was told that if flat spotting is the problem it would not be replaced. When i said Lemon law the rep said go ahead and get a lawyer . I could make up a story like this. If I could choke someone at Ford right now -I would.Hey if anyone from Ford Motor Company checks these boards Look for the Maroon limited Expedition on the streets of the chicagoland suburbs with Lemons all over it. Like it matters.