2013 Hybrid 83k fourth set of tires, rear tires wear first and rear also wiggles

[Hammerle9]

I have a 2013 Hybrid with 83k on it. It is mostly highway miles. We are currently on our fourth set of tires. It seems that the rear tires are wearing out before the fronts. They seem to be wearing evenly across the treads.Once the factory tires wore out we replaced them with some Continentals which we paid a lot more than OE. They wore out so quick that Continental replaced them for free. They put four new tires on and they wore out just as quick. Instead of spending more money on the same tires, we decided to have the dealer install OE tires. They are again showing significant signs of wear just on the rear tires again. The dealer says the shock are worn and need to be replaced at a cost of $395.00. I do NOT agree with this as they seem fine and show no visible signs of wear.

 

I also notice that the cars rear 'Wiggles' when going over bumps in a straight line, especially at highway speeds, in a side to side movement. Sometimes it wiggles so bad it will cause my head to wiggle similar to a bobble head. I am sure that this is related or causing the rear tires to wear quickly.

 

Any advice on where to look or what to check?

 

Thank you

[murphy]

What do the brake pads on the rear (service and parking) look like? It's a front wheel drive car. Braking is the only way to scrub rubber off of the rear tires unless they are seriously out of alignment. Do you brake with your left foot?

[billford]

Can you post a picture of the tire treads?

 

How often do you rotate them?

[ptjones]

Are they wearing on outside or inside edge? Sounds like alignment and I would go to 50psi if you are using Michelin's. Should get 60k mi. from the tires. ;(

 

Paul

[md13ffhguy]

Definitely a problem somewhere, as I'm just preparing to replace the original tires on my 2013 - at over 86K. Most miles I've ever gotten out of a set of tires, which I attribute to the rule I set when I purchased this car of driving gently. Easy on the gas, easy on the brakes.

[Waldo]

Wiggles and rear tire wear all point to alignment issues. What's the rear toe measuring?

[Hammerle9]

I just picked the car back up from Ford. I started looking around and bouncing up and down on the car to test the shocks. I heard a rattle noise I thought was coming from the trunk. I started to look at the shocks, starting with the passenger rear. I wiggled the car and saw the top of the shock moving around making a clunking noise. I jacked the car up and got the wheel off the ground and tried to shake the wheel again. It appeared that the top of the shock did not move. I also checked the driver side rear and had no movement.

 

I climbed in the trunk and had my wife drive me down the driveway to verify that this was the rattle noise we have been hearing and it did not take long to confirm this thankfully. I don't recommend trying this on public roads. There isn't much room. :)

 

It looks like there is a nut on top of the shock, can I just tighten this down or do I need to replace it like Ford wants me to at the cost of $390.00?

 

Also the tread does seem to have some uneven wear only on the passenger side rear.

 

Thank you

[ptjones]

Go to FORDPARTS.com LINK: http://www.fordparts.com/Commerce/CatalogResults.aspx?y=2013&m=Ford&mo=Fusion#Search to see the Suspension Parts.

 

Paul

[Hammerle9]

I tightened the nut on top approx. 1 full turn. SURPRISE = no clinking noise and the wiggle has gone away.

 

Called Ford and asked them why they recommended me to replace the shocks and said they would ask the technician that looked at it.

 

I wonder how often is stuff like this going on?

 

Am I making a bigger deal out of this than I should be?

 

Should I call the Better Business Bureau and file a complaint?

 

Thank you

[lolder]

It sounds like it was never tightened at the factory. Did you buy this car new? These cars routinely get 40-80K miles on the OEM ( Michelin ) tires. I think you should have all the suspension and shocks checked and after that is successfully completed have it aligned.

Edited March 22, 2017 by lolder

[Waldo]

While a thorough tech probably should have found the loose nut, the fact is they correctly diagnosed the problem as being the shocks. 99% of the time the problem with shocks is internal wear requiring replacement, so I don't think their recommendation was out of line at all. It's also quite common for a shock to fail and not show any external signs of wear or leakage.

Edited March 22, 2017 by Waldo

[tr7driver]

I had one rear shock start leaking at 40K miles. Just out of warranty. ;(

[Hammerle9]

It sounds like it was never tightened at the factory. Did you buy this car new? These cars routinely get 40-80K miles on the OEM ( Michelin ) tires. I think you should have all the suspension and shocks checked and after that is successfully completed have it aligned.

Yes we bought it new. The loose nut from the factory seems logical since we have been going through tires so quick. Brake pads seem fine and we do not brake with left foot or drive it like a race car. We try to get a 100% brake score all the time or as close as reasonably possible. We also do gentle accelerations, it is not a drag car.

 

I will take it into my local shop to double check shocks and struts and then have it aligned. Not sure of alignment numbers until I get it done and then I will report back.

 

How do technicians diagnose a shock that would need to be replaced?

 

I would post pictures of tire wear and video of loose nut, but I don't know how. :)

[Waldo]

 

 

How do technicians diagnose a shock that would need to be replaced?

 

 

 

They have to guess based on symptoms. The only way to truly test a shock is to put it on a shock dyno and compare it to the spec (a spec which is not generally published). Unless it's a race shop, no tech is going to have access to a shock dyno.

[ptjones]

Yes we bought it new. The loose nut from the factory seems logical since we have been going through tires so quick. Brake pads seem fine and we do not brake with left foot or drive it like a race car. We try to get a 100% brake score all the time or as close as reasonably possible. We also do gentle accelerations, it is not a drag car.

 

I will take it into my local shop to double check shocks and struts and then have it aligned. Not sure of alignment numbers until I get it done and then I will report back.

 

How do technicians diagnose a shock that would need to be replaced?

 

I would post pictures of tire wear and video of loose nut, but I don't know how. :)

I have 150k mi. on my CMAX and shocks seem fine, I love ripping around round-a-bouts. :) You must have missed the note, compared to Prius or KIA NIRO it is a Drag Car. :lol: BTW if you want to get the best MPG's you need to EV to 15mph, than accelerate at 2 Bars on the Empower Smart Gauge Display, to a little over speed limit, then let off and go into EV again. When you can always accelerate at 2 Bars. Car isn't designed to run efficiently by using gentle acceleration. :)

 

Paul

Edited March 23, 2017 by ptjones

[Frank F]

I tightened the nut on top approx. 1 full turn. SURPRISE = no clinking noise and the wiggle has gone away.

 

Called Ford and asked them why they recommended me to replace the shocks and said they would ask the technician that looked at it.

 

I wonder how often is stuff like this going on?

 

Am I making a bigger deal out of this than I should be?

 

Should I call the Better Business Bureau and file a complaint?

 

Thank you

I would suggest filing a complaint with the BBB and the NHTSA and investigate lemon laws for your state. I've never heard of shock absorbers nor struts wearing out.

[Waldo]

I would suggest filing a complaint with the BBB and the NHTSA and investigate lemon laws for your state. I've never heard of shock absorbers nor struts wearing out.

 

Huh? Shocks and struts wear out all the time. But that wasn't his issue, the issue was the shock was not attached properly. That's not a common problem, but now that it's fixed the issue should be resolved. No need for lemon laws.

[Texasota]

 

Huh? Shocks and struts wear out all the time. But that wasn't his issue, the issue was the shock was not attached properly. That's not a common problem, but now that it's fixed the issue should be resolved. No need for lemon laws.

I think that is exactly the point Frank F was making. He has a sarcastic sense of humor. Makes me laugh.

[tr7driver]

 

How do technicians diagnose a shock that would need to be replaced?

 

 

Mine was leaking fluid on to the garage floor. At first I thought the car was leaking brake fluid when I spotted the fluid on the floor. As soon as they put it on the rack you could see it was coming from the shock.

 

[ptjones]

 

How do technicians diagnose a shock that would need to be replaced?

 

 

Mine was leaking fluid on to the garage floor. At first I thought the car was leaking brake fluid when I spotted the fluid on the floor. As soon as they put it on the rack you could see it was coming from the shock.

 

 

If it was leaking fluid, I would say is a good sign it needs to be replaced. ;( From there it gets harder to detriment, at 151K miles I think my struts seem to be OK. :)

 

Paul

[klatoo]

On 4/4/2017 at 1:09 PM, tr7driver said:

How do technicians diagnose a shock that would need to be replaced?

 

 

Mine was leaking fluid on to the garage floor. At first I thought the car was leaking brake fluid when I spotted the fluid on the floor. As soon as they put it on the rack you could see it was coming from the shock.

 

This just happened to mine. Yesterday I saw some fluid but we have had some much rain lately figured I hit a puddle. Today another puddle was there, looked under the car, it’s coming from the RR shock. 

 

Going to edit here, shock change was stupid simple.  Followed this video and changed both out in under 40 min.  Did the RR first, think the LR was under 5 min total.

 

 

 

Edited April 28, 2020 by klatoo

[Nerdyfairy101]

I purchased a 2014 Ford Fusion Energy in 2015, and in the last 6 years I've had the tires replaced 3 times. The wheel alignment issue is a yearly problem with this car, and at this rate I wonder if there is a chassis built defect that causes the tires to wear so fast. I had them replaced at Sears in 2019, but they closed. I am out $700 for tires that didn't even last 1.5 years. Anyone have any other ideas on what the problem may be?

[eisbaer]

How are the tires wearing. Inside, Oustide, both?

I had to replace both ball joints because of excessive inner wear

[klatoo]

10 hours ago, Nerdyfairy101 said:

I purchased a 2014 Ford Fusion Energy in 2015, and in the last 6 years I've had the tires replaced 3 times. The wheel alignment issue is a yearly problem with this car, and at this rate I wonder if there is a chassis built defect that causes the tires to wear so fast. I had them replaced at Sears in 2019, but they closed. I am out $700 for tires that didn't even last 1.5 years. Anyone have any other ideas on what the problem may be?

 

Did you try contacting tire manufacturer?  Also, you might still have a warranty from Sears.  There is a 800 number you can call for tools, they ask questions, and send new ones out.  Google around and see if you can find something for tires as well, esp if you purchased road hazard warranty.

[ptjones]

On 12/4/2020 at 1:49 PM, Nerdyfairy101 said:

I purchased a 2014 Ford Fusion Energy in 2015, and in the last 6 years I've had the tires replaced 3 times. The wheel alignment issue is a yearly problem with this car, and at this rate I wonder if there is a chassis built defect that causes the tires to wear so fast. I had them replaced at Sears in 2019, but they closed. I am out $700 for tires that didn't even last 1.5 years. Anyone have any other ideas on what the problem may be?

Were the tires wearing evenly across the tread? What tires were you using? You should be getting 50K anyways.

 

Paul