Hello,

Sorry if this has been beaten to death, but regarding the steering wheel shimmy on 2004's I have the option of returning this truck to the dealer next week and getting my trade-in allowance back. Trying to catch up on all the previous treads on this issue is a daunting task.

I just blindly walked into the whole issue (Including the Tech Service Bulletin 03-20-8) on steering wheel vibrating which many people are reporting. I have to make a quick decision as to what I want to do regarding the return of the vehicle or not.

Can I have a show of hands (yes/no or an explanation, fix,etc) if you are having steering wheel shimmy and if you run OE tires and wheels or not.

I had a wheel and tire set put on immediately after I took delivery of this truck (which only complicates things) so I don't know if I had this problem or not prior to the wheel/tire set. Discount Tire has tried 3 different sets of tires on my 200 mile truck now and I have shimmy on all of them. 3 different sizes at that. 285/50, 275/55, and now I have 265/50-20 Falkons which look real nice. They are almost dead-on vs the overall rolling diameter and have an aggressive enough look for me. They have a very reasonable width which the dealership could not argue with as well since the OE's are 255/65-17's.

I was really wondering if the problem was a bad aftermarket wheel during these 3 balancing attempts, the whole time not knowing the vehicle itself had issues. I have to say that other new 2004 F-150's I test drove had way too much steering wheel feedback even with OE tires/wheels.

I need to hear from you 04 owners! Even if it is yes or no.
Thanks in advance,
Reid in Houston

 

I have 04 with 8000 miles and have not noticed this. I am planning on adding wheels and 33's.

 

I have an 04 150F with 2000 mi on it so far. From day 1, the steering wheel turned clockwise, counterclockwise like a vibration at 55 mph to 75 mph. At 80 it is quiet again. Down low it is quiet.
They tell me this has something to do with the rack and pinion, but that the old SBN doesn't work and there is a new one in product due out in Nov.
But I think it is the tires and/or wheels.
I am goint to Discount tomorrow.

 

I just bought a fine Lariat 05 super crew. Have 20" wheels with now Toyo tires. Shimmies like hell. Bought the truck as is from the dealer. Spent $42,000 on this ride and have had nothing but shimmies and shakes since day one. Tire folks say that there is nothing wrong with the tires and wheels. Ford folks say there is nothing wrong with the truck. Have had everyone from the dealer drive it, they say nice truck. Have had friends and family drive it, they say it drives like it is worn out! I am wondering if there is a steering stabilizer that can be bought to help.

 

i might be wrong on this but the steering stablizers wont work of any f150 newer than a 97 model due to fords change on the front end drive

 

I got a flat, drove on an unbalanced spare, had the tire patched, remounted it and have had the shimmy ever since. I'm at 10k miles and fed up:

https://www.f150online.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=205622

I've heard from one guy who had a new rack put in the other week that it doesn't fix it. A dealer in OK says 2/3 of the time the rack does fix it.

 

My '05 Supercrew 4X2 XLT has about 600 miles and no shimmy at any speed. Equipped with original 17" Continentals and Ford alloy wheels. Have not driven past 80-85 mph, but I can tell you it's very stable to that point. Not much feedback through the steering wheel; puts me to sleep sometimes.

 

My 05 XLT is smooth and I am at 10,000 miles. When I apply brakes firmly, I feel a slight wobble. Not enough to do anything about it. I have had my truck to 95 MPH and it is smooth as silk. At 75 to 80 going down the highway, it is the most comfortable, smooth, quiet vehicle I have driven.

 

it seems that most of the complaints are from 04 F150s. Nobody knows what is different in the 05s that seems to correct this problem...or maybe the 05s haven't developed it yet. Some say the rack is different, but a new rack didn't do anything for a guy I know. There are tons of threads about this in the 2004-2005F150 forum.

 

They replaced all of my tires at 9500 miles per TSB and it didn't do anything. In fact it seems to have made the vibration worse. From what I've been reading, tires don't seem to make the difference, nor do wheels. I thought the tires were to blame (after hearing how crappy my OE Generals are) and pushed my dealer to replace them with Michelins. Ford blames it on wheels and tires for those who have aftermarket ones. So those who are in this bind put the OE ones back on, and the problem still remains. It has to be in the front end somewhere.

How did you hear about this new rack? I don't know if I am willing to continue shimming until November while making payments.

 

I've got a front-end shimmy/vibration between 70-75mph. Pretty annoying on a highway trip. Need to get the tires balanced to see if that's it.

 

I to have an xlt 05 4x4 with no problems. Are the suspesions different from the xlt to the fx4 to the lariat and so on?

 

I had a little between 40 and 45 and then about 70, but I have since replaced tires and rims and with the larger tires and rims I do not seem to have any problems

David