I have a Screw FX4 with approx 6,000 miles on it. About 1,000 miles ago, the bed on the left rear (and the entire left side) started to bounce or shake excessively when I go over the smallest of bumps.

My local dealer had it for the past day and said that there is nothing wrong with it. No loose bolts, no suspension problem, etc. They even said they drove a couple of other new trucks on the lot and they would do the same thing, one side or the other. They also said Ford knew of no such problem and they couldn't find anything, so they've sort of washed there hands off the deal.

My truck didn't do this when I bought it, and no other truck I've ever owned has done this either. I even called a friend who has an '04 Lariat, and he said his truck doesn't do it.

Any suggestions? I'm about to pull my hair out!

 

My Lariat SCrew 4x4 does that as well....really noticed it in the last 2000 miles or so (have 4500 now). I remember another post on here a while back that stated it was from the NEW placement of the shocks....not really the bed itself but the whole rear end going up and down. I noticed the left side doing it (drivers side) more so than the pax side....maybe just because I have a better view down the drivers side of the truck (in the side mirror).

 

Sheesh! Cool it, man. All '04 beds do that. Did it ever occur to you that the 'left side' occurrence is the side you observe in the side view mirrors (the shake is not visible in the right mirror). The bed shake is likely due to the RELATIVE movement of the bed and cab due to the mounting of the cab on shear-style body mounts. In other words, what you're likely seeing (as we all do) is the CAB movement on the flexible body mounts RELATIVE to the stationary bed...i.e., it's the cab moving (as it's supposed to for improved comfort and isolation) vis-a-vis the bed moving. The bed is mounted directly to the frame... NON-FLEXIBLE.

 

Grimalkin: sounds like you're the one who needs to cool it.

First off, I'm not an idiot nor am I a child. I resent the condescending attitude in your post. Second, only Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder couldn't tell the difference between "the CAB movement in the flexible body mounts RELATIVE to the stationary bed," and actual bed movement.

When looking in the REARVIEW mirror I can see that the one side definitely does it and the other side doesn't. Like I said before, my bed hasn't always done this. It is a new phenomenon that started about a thousand miles ago. The dealer also admitted he noticed it, but basically can't find a cause for it.

Unfortunately the only way I can describe it is that it SEEMS like one side is bolted to the frame (with minimal bed bounce) and the other side is actually mounted on springs. I know that's not the case, but I don't know how else to explain it. If the bed's not moving relative to the frame, then it has to be some sort of suspension problem on that side. Could it be the leaf springs? The shock seems to be okay.

At this point I need to figure this out simply on GP.

 

I know you don't like his comments, but I think he is right. I know I freaked out when I first saw my bed doing this, but after stopping and looking it over and running through some rough roads just to observe it (had the wife drive while I watched) it is the cab moving, the bed can't.

 

F150 Diesel, My 04 F-150 4x4 Lariat has done this from day 1. The dealer did say they are aware of the problem and there is a fix for this but it is still being tested and needs to pass thru the legal-eagles before it is released, most likely in the spring. In the meantime, we can continue to almost lose control of our vehicles when driving on the freeway.

 

I noticed this within the first 24 hours with my SCrew. It did grab my attention. I looked over the entire bed area to see if there was something wrong. Then I heard others talking about it on this board, and I realized it isn't anything to worry about. I don't even notice it anymore. Coming up on 10k miles, and the truck is fabulous, just fabulous.

 

I just joined this forum (this morning) and this is the first thread I have read...so glad I did...this sounds like a disconcerting problem. I was about to order the Lariat SuperCab 4X4 6.5'..but may be it's worth waiting for the fix....damn...otherwise a great truck!

 

I just joined this forum (this morning) and this is the first thread I have read...so glad I did...this sounds like a disconcerting problem. I was about to order the Lariat SuperCab 4X4 6.5'..but may be it's worth waiting for the fix....damn...otherwise a great truck!

 

My truck has done it since day 1 and so did my old F150. My freinds Z71 does the same thing as well. This is normal flex from the cabin to the bed. It may be more apparent on this new body frame since the bed is a little taller or the location of the shocks but doesn't alarm me one bit.

 

I can not say that there is problem or not with the trucks mentioned but I believe is the redesigned frame and suspension that acts that way to absorb bumps better on rough terrain to keep control of vehicle and have more comfort inside. I do not have an '04 but I have seen the bed bouncing on them from out side and inside but when driving, it did not feel like it was shaky or bumpy, it was very smooth.

 

I noticed the same thing on my 4x4 XLT Screw when I first got it, left side appearing to move more than the right. Since then I have had a Line-X bedliner sprayed in (they removed and replaced the bed bolts in the process). This seemed to help. It also was back at the dealer to have the right front speaker connected (little detail someone missed), and they told me it was normal?. I don't even notice it anymore, couldn't be happier with the truck!!

 

thanks for all the responses.

I know what you guys are talking about, and I would have a tendency to agree if it was a small bounce that occurred equally on both sides. The thing is, if I hit a bump that makes the right side bounce a couple of times, the left will literally bounce twice as much.

Oh well, just thought I'd see if anyone had found something. Either I'm completely insane or I'm eventually going to figure this thing out. What bothers me the most is that I've ridden in another '04 that has what I would consider to be a "normal" or acceptable amount of bounce for an '04 model (i'm fully aware of the new changes), but the one side of mine is approximately double that.

Oh well, guess I'll have to trade in for a King Ranch next year.

 

My concern is that i am buying the truck specifically to carry a full size Harley...and man I am having images if it "bouncing" from side to side!!

 

Operator error.

My truck is solid as a rock. Have any of you guys ever seen a truck driving off road in slow motion? The bed moves relative to the cab. It moves quite a bit for all the reasons mentioned in the above post. You'll get used to it and that panicky feeling you get in the pit of your stomach will go away. Don't worry, your truck isn't going to spontaneously flip over on the freeway.