No one can figure out my car's vibration problem… any ideas?

Seeking Help
1

I’ve got a 2015 Ford Fusion Titanium 2.0T FWD with 111,000 miles. Had new tires at 99k, spark plugs at 104k, and brakes/rotors at 103k. I started noticing a vibration and took it to the shop where I got the tires. They did a balance and alignment, but the vibration came back. They rechecked under warranty, still no fix.

Went to a mechanic who said my rear shocks were leaking, so I replaced them at 105k. But the vibration—through the steering wheel and body over 65-70 mph—continued. Another mechanic said nothing was wrong. Went to Firestone for a lifetime balance/alignment; they said it was alignment, but it didn’t solve the issue.

Now I’m at a loss. No abnormal sounds, no uneven tire wear, no bent rims. The car idles fine. Everyone says nothing is wrong, but I know something is. Has anyone dealt with something similar?

2

Tires can sometimes cause this even if they’re balanced. They can develop lumps or other defects that lead to weird vibrations. Bearings, on the other hand, will usually cause consistent vibrations at certain speeds but also vary with turns as load shifts on the wheels.

3

I had a bad experience with a shop like that. They made me pay for two alignments within six months, blaming my driving. I told them my car didn’t need an alignment for two years before getting new tires, but they didn’t care. They even dinged my rims. I’m never going back to them.

4

@Sawyer
Same here. They’ve messed up a lot of cars. I’m done with them.

5

Chris said:
@Sawyer
Same here. They’ve messed up a lot of cars. I’m done with them.

What kind of tires do you have on your car now?

6

Sawyer said:

Chris said:
@Sawyer
Same here. They’ve messed up a lot of cars. I’m done with them.

What kind of tires do you have on your car now?

Bridgestone QuietTrak.

7

@Chris
I’ve got Continental PureContact LS. I still have some vibration after a year and multiple balances. My hybrid just hit 60k. It’s frustrating.

8

Had the same issue on my truck. It started vibrating above 60 mph on the highway. The problem turned out to be the tire balancing.

9

shelvin said:
Had the same issue on my truck. It started vibrating above 60 mph on the highway. The problem turned out to be the tire balancing.

I’ve had my tires balanced multiple times, but it hasn’t helped. I’m thinking about trying a shop with a road force balancer.

10

@Chris
Try a different shop for balancing. Also, have them check your tie rods while they’re at it.

11

Dempsey said:
@Chris
Try a different shop for balancing. Also, have them check your tie rods while they’re at it.

I’m heading to another shop on Sunday to get it looked at.

12

Chris said:

Dempsey said:
@Chris
Try a different shop for balancing. Also, have them check your tie rods while they’re at it.

I’m heading to another shop on Sunday to get it looked at.

Wheel bearings can also fail around 100k on these cars, but they usually don’t cause issues unless they’ve been bad for a while. It’s probably still the tire balance, unless you hit curbs often. Then it might be tie rods.

13

@Dempsey
Thanks for the tip.

14

I had a similar issue caused by uneven tire wear. A local shop didn’t switch sides during a tire rotation, so one side wore differently. By the time I noticed, the tires had already developed cupping. Replacing them fixed it, but not before multiple failed balancing attempts.

15

My tires are only about 10-12k miles old and high-quality ones too.

16

Chris said:
My tires are only about 10-12k miles old and high-quality ones too.

Even newer tires can have issues. Sometimes defects slip through. Have you tried rotating them to see if the vibration moves?