JC Denton

Hello all,

First time poster, longtime lurker here .

I've got a 2010 V6 that I've had since June of '09. For the most part, it's been a real joy to drive. It's my daily driver, and while I would have loved a GT, I couldn't spare the extra payment or higher insurance premiums. (Maybe in a few years it'll be time to upgrade!) Anyways. In November '09, it started to develop a steering wheel vibration. I took it in thinking it needed to be balanced. The dealer claimed the axle was bent and that it wasn't covered under warranty. That smelt a bit funny to me, since I had been babying this car, so I took it to another dealer for a second opinion. They tested it, and tested it, and tested it. Eventually, they came back reporting one of the tires had "belt separation" and that they had replaced it under warranty.

It was smooth driving from then on up until a few months ago. A semi (without his trailer attached) decided to smack into me. Right hand turn from the far left lane. No signal. No nothing. He tore up my driver side door, front quarter, and front bumper area. The insurance company's shop fixed her up nice and pretty. It rode well for a few weeks and then the steering wheel vibrations began. Intermittent and with varying degrees of intensity. I couldn't get the insurance company to look at it, so I took it back to the second dealer for them to have a look.

For the longest time, they could not find the problem. A few return trips later had them determine the rotors needed to be machined. (Odd, since I never got the vibration when braking.) Once again, smooth driving for awhile, and now the vibration's back with a vengeance. The dealer said the tires had slightly uneven wear, but we're a couple thousand in (now). At this point, I'm at wit's end. I really like the car, but I get frustrated that it's no longer smooth. When the wheel is vibrating significantly, it'll often "pull," and the car's grip with the road feels tenuous. (I know that's kind of vague, but that's how it feels.)

I want to go back to the dealer, but I need some leads/information.

Anyone care to speculate what might be wrong? Is it better just to save some money for a new down and trade this car in?

Any advice, info, etc. is greatly appreciated!

2005Redfire6

I'm sure you have but it doesn't hurt to ask, have you ever had the alignment checked after the wreck? Usually the car will pull if it needs to be aligned.

MoneyShot

do your wheels have any left to right play in them? jack it up and test. also you chould have someone check your TPMS to see if they are loose. one snapped off the rim and made my car shake something fierce until i was able to get it fixed. Try rotating your tires front to back and see it that helps. also even with an alignment done it may not be correct. my eclipse would pull to the left even after a correct alignment was done and everything was in spec. turns out one wheel was father up (caster?) the the other. i know yours was vibration but ask whoever does your alignment.

good luck and don't go all anti mustang or american because of this experience


also just got your Deus EX reference and pic. nice.

JC Denton

I should have mentioned this in my initial post... On the second trip to the dealer, they did align and balance the tires. They also performed the 15K maintenance, which included a tire rotation.

Never . The 'stang's been good to me. It's not its fault it had a shoddy tire and got smacked into by a semi driver.

My desire right now is to get it fixed before winter sets in. RWD and icy roads already don't place nice together; I want the car in its prime to handle the conditions.

Always good to meet another Deus Ex fan. I'm looking forward to number three...

conejo172

It sounds like either your tire is out of balance or the alignment is off. Sucks that you got hit by a tractor trailer but S happens!

MOOK3456

Wait...lol maybe a bit off topic but I gotta ask...

How is it that your 2010 isn't covered for a bent axle??

JC Denton

I think that dealer's service manager was trying to rip me off; the axle wasn't bent. It's a real shame, too, as that was the dealer I bought the car from. The sales department was decent, but the service department was terrible. When I went to the other dealer's service department, there was a night and day difference in customer service.