I have 2012 F150 XL(22000 miles) with 20" Wheels and 275/55/20 tires. I had the wheels and tires rotated and balanced on Friday to reduce the vibration. Well as I was coming home from work going down some hills I noticed it was vibrating pretty bad again when I would start braking. It also does it on a straight away. Could there be an issue with the tires or the brakes? Almost feels like warped rotors but I would think with low miles that wouldnt happen.

 

Rotors can warp at any mileage. All it takes is getting hot from one hard braking experience. The factory rotors are notorious for warping.

 

So should I replace with aftermarket? Im sure its not covered under warranty.

 

Mine are warped also, dealer tech............."no problem found"

 

False. Rotors warp from incorrect lug nut torque. I've gotten my brakes quite hot hauling a 7,000 lb. trailer through mountains, and have no warping at 49,000 miles. Years ago, I had an issue with rotors constantly warping on vehicles. Including some high-dollar ones. Once I researched it in depth and acquired a good torque wrench, the problem mysteriously vanished.

Overheating brakes with wheels that aren't properly torqued is a guaranteed way to warp rotors.

OE rotors are generally of exceptional quality. But I have frequently used cheap rotors on other vehicles and have never had an issue with them, which only further proved the point.

If it's caught early, simply re-torquing the wheels may cause them to straighten themselves out considerably. But once they're warped, they will never be as smooth as when new.

150 lb-ft in the standard criss-cross pattern every time on these trucks. Every year after my state inspection at the dealer, I break all of the lug nuts loose and torque them myself before driving away. Same for any time that somebody removes my wheels. If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. This attention to detail has saved me thousands in rotors.

To the common "factory rotors are junk" comments that are too easy to find, every one can be traced back to this point.

 

They will turn them under warranty to smooth them out.

This is probably just a band-aid fix but it will give you more time till you have to replace the rotors.

I had the same issue on my 2012 XLT and they turned my rotors a couple weeks ago. (for free, under warranty). The brakes are nice and smooth now.

 

Put new OEM rotors in the front, unless you can justify spending the money on top $$$ rotors. Pretty easy to do yourself unless its under warranty. Had several vehicles do the same thing, same fix every time.

 

Hey charden08,

I'll gladly look into this for you. Shoot me a PM with your name, VIN, mileage, dealer, and best daytime phone number.

Nick

 

pm sent