Thanks for all of the replies. This has been very informative. I am going to make an appointment with dealership and I will definately mention the suggestions posted here. I will post back after they have completed repairs and see if they actually fix it.

 

No TSB but there was an extended tire warranty issued against premature wear and balance problems.

My dealer admitted that the Continental/General tires were junk and they had already replaced several sets of them. Mine would not road force balance and remove the hop.

The new Michelins still flat spot and give me the general shakes from time to time until they warm and true up. Never had that problem on any truck with any tire before. I think it's a combination of the weight of these trucks and the stiff frame / new suspension geometry.

 

Dealer's tech still feels "nibbling". Didn't get truck up to 60 because of traffic(?). They are ordering a TSB steering dampener. We will see. My theory - crappy "south of the border" tires, these same tires were recalled in June 05 for
"unacceptable wear characteristics".

 

OEM CONTINENTAL _(*&#%_(@#%_(^%

Chased all sorts of symptoms... even had the guys at NTB have a go. They were all at 65 - 80 mph. When I hit the 50,000 and had an alingment problem I got a new, not Contintental, set and lo and behold all the little problems went away.

Had the same problem, but not as severe, on my '03 Expy. Same thing, get rid of the Contintenals and things got a whole lot better.

 

'04 Lariat w/Goodyears. Almost 24k. have delt w/a slight nibble ever since it was new, never a big issue. seemed to be intermittant. worse when cold.

Just today experienced a severe shudder that shook the whole truck. I'm talking bouncing the wipers off the wind shield. Never happened before. Happened a couple of times then went away. Speed was about 60-65. It came on slow and I could feel it through the seat before it got really bad. I then stopped and restared, drove it about 150 miles (we were out of town) at speeds ranging from 60-80 without incident.

I haven't had drive shaft, clutch packs or any other work done other than routine oil changes.

Is this TSB 05-26-11?

Anyone else have this issue?

Thanks in advance.

 

DRZ400

Sounds like your e-brake is sticking.

 

Thats interesting you say the e brake because I never use it and just today I DID use it b/c we were parked on some steep hills.

When I disengaged it it seemed to be sticking and there was a harmonic type sound that was coming from the drivers rear wheel area. I tried to unstick it by engaging and disengaging. Seemed to be fine and we hit the highway and thta's when the s**t hit the fan. You think that could make the whole truck shudder like that? I mean it was bad. However it did go away as I stated. I didn't have another issue the entire trip home.

Thanks.

 

Yup, sounds exactly like the 'e-brake problem' If you do a search, Im sure you could dig up some information on how to fix the problem. If you are mechanically inclined than I'd say fix it yourself and not mess around with it at the dealer. Im glad I could help!

 

I'll check it out on the search.

Thanks again!

 

06 scab 4x4 i too have the cont's and same vib issue, will be getting checked next oil change, the only other issue so far is the f150 peeling on the emblems, 4100miles, how many times are you guys taking it back to get a new truck?

 

Mine was back to dealer 3 days after I took it home. It was in a total of 3 times. The first 46 days I owned the truck the dealer had it 32. All 32 of those days I was in a car or truck they rented for me.

 

Vibration at certain road speeds, usually most noticeable at 55-65 is almost always tire balance, or a bad tire. Those vibrations you can usually ‘top’ by going faster. The vibration will start at 40-move up to a maximum, then diminish as you go faster.

I have had great luck with Michelin tires on these trucks, and the Long Trails from BFG (also made by Michelin) seem just fine. Every other tire I have seen numerous postings of bad luck, vibration, nibble, early wear, etc.


Shudder going up through the gears tends to be out of balance driveshaft or clutch packs in the differential.

Nibble tends to be bad tires or bad rack. It's very seldom a bad rack but some of the 2004 trucks shipped with them. Best bet is tires.

Dollars to doughnuts it's one of these things on your truck. I'd start with tires.


DRZ400 has the classic e-brake problem. Everyone who has the problem 'doesn't usually use' the e-brake.

The parts rust up if not used regularly. Then when it does get used, it sticks engaged. This can shake you right off the road.

Moral, use the e-brake. It can save your transmission, motor mounts, etc. Park is just a place to put the transmission for all the old guys who used to leave their trucks in gear. It is not safe to leave the truck in park; if it gets banged in a parking lot you can break the transmission. If the truck rolls into something and you did not set the e-brake just park, you can get seriously ticketed. It also can be very rough on your engine/transmission mounts. The weight of the truck was never intended to rest on those mounts.
Chris

 

Trk at dealer yesterday and today. Tires re-forced balance ok, Manager talked to Ford for 45 min, they said swap rims off trk on lot or change steering rack if that won't cure it.

 

Hi all, I have a 2006 Lariot 4X4 with 5.5 bed. It has 5200 miles on it now. It has LT265/65R 18 Goodyear Wrangler AT/S Tires. I have a little vibration but the main thing I am getting is I guess whats called steering wheel nimble. The steering wheel moves back and forth. At times is minor but some times its bad. The bad occurs mainly when the tires are cold, then seems to get better but never goes away completly. The tires have been balanced twice and the steering problem is better at first then it comes back. I asked the dealer if they could force balance them and they said they didn't have the equipment and would have to send me to another tire dealer. I am waiting at this time to have them set the appointment. Any ideas? Thanks Wildcatfan

 

Had a problem @ 4500 miles found out that I break to hard(rotors out of round) so they changed the front rotors it fixed the problem.The wobble started in drive right out of the shoot till about 15mph.,went away till about 45 mph till 65 mph.I went to bfg long trail 285 70 17 balanced @ 2000 miles and they said that might have contributed to the problem but it never returned since they replaced the bad rotors on the front steer axle.20,000 miles later still rolling fine.
After I think about they never asked if I pull a trailer with out breaks on it, even though I have an aftermarket hitch on the truck.This is what I think contributed to the problem.3500 to 5000 more pounds to stop does put extra pressure on the front axle rotors.