Car shakes above 80?

Tiny
ZACKBROWN
  • MEMBER
  • 2008 FORD ESCAPE
  • 150,000 MILES
Hello, I have a 2008 4wd ford escape, it has started to vibrate and shake above 80 km/h. Anything below that speed it drives great, as soon as you hit 80 you can start to feel it and it gets worse as you increase the speed. I put on new tires, had them rebalanced then when that didn't work I put on an entirely new set of tires and had them rebalanced, exact same symptoms. It is not dependant on the vehicles RPM's or what gear the tranny is in as I can shift it into neutral or hammer the gas to get it to shift at 90 km/h and the shaking stays constant. Its not the tires, I dont' think its the engine (mounts etc) or tranny, any ideas?
Tuesday, September 25th, 2012 AT 10:34 PM

20 Replies

Tiny
SATURNTECH9
  • MECHANIC
  • 30,870 POSTS
Have you checked the tie rods?Does it ever start shaking after hitting a bump?
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Tuesday, September 25th, 2012 AT 10:41 PM
Tiny
ZACKBROWN
  • MEMBER
  • 8 POSTS
Sorry should have mentioned the car was safetied 3 weeks ago, anything included in a safety in Ontario should not be an issue. I believe tie rods are part of that
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Tuesday, September 25th, 2012 AT 10:53 PM
Tiny
ZACKBROWN
  • MEMBER
  • 8 POSTS
Also no shaking at all when hitting bumps at any speed, it is a constant shake increasing with speeds above 80 km/h (sorry for the km Im canadian)
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Tuesday, September 25th, 2012 AT 10:55 PM
Tiny
SATURNTECH9
  • MECHANIC
  • 30,870 POSTS
When I did new york state inspections it didnt include tie rods or ball joints are you sure there included?Also I wouldnt depend on that and assume there good. People get in a hurry and over look things.
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Tuesday, September 25th, 2012 AT 11:12 PM
Tiny
ZACKBROWN
  • MEMBER
  • 8 POSTS
Very true, I will have them looked over tomorrow. Tie rods and ball joints would cause an issue only over 80km/h? And not have any noises or issues when hitting bumps or turning?
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Tuesday, September 25th, 2012 AT 11:16 PM
Tiny
SATURNTECH9
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Not so much ball joints but tie rods keep the wheels from moving side to side. Most people don't even know they have bad tie rods.
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Tuesday, September 25th, 2012 AT 11:35 PM
Tiny
SATURNTECH9
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Also have the whole front end check and make sure there is no bent rims etc.
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Tuesday, September 25th, 2012 AT 11:39 PM
Tiny
ZACKBROWN
  • MEMBER
  • 8 POSTS
No bent rims, had that checked, it is an all time 4WD, I believe it has 80% power going to the front wheels and 20% to the back until you need it (start slipping) then it will switch to 50/50
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Tuesday, September 25th, 2012 AT 11:45 PM
Tiny
SATURNTECH9
  • MECHANIC
  • 30,870 POSTS
If that's the case I would check the axles also.
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Tuesday, September 25th, 2012 AT 11:56 PM
Tiny
ZACKBROWN
  • MEMBER
  • 8 POSTS
Yea I'm not an expert, hence why I'm on this site, but I was thinking driveline - driveshaft (unbalanced or something), u joints, CV joints or axle, I'm going to have to take it in for a closer look by someone who knows what they are doing, thanks
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Wednesday, September 26th, 2012 AT 12:06 AM
Tiny
SATURNTECH9
  • MECHANIC
  • 30,870 POSTS
If its just a vibration in the vechile and not just in the front end it could be drive line.
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Wednesday, September 26th, 2012 AT 12:10 AM
Tiny
ZACKBROWN
  • MEMBER
  • 8 POSTS
Yes its the entire vehicle, you can feel it in the steering wheel, the seat and the gas peddle, the whole SUV starts to shake. I have a few things in the back storage compartments and you can hear them banging around
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Wednesday, September 26th, 2012 AT 12:16 AM
Tiny
SATURNTECH9
  • MECHANIC
  • 30,870 POSTS
Better get it checked out right away before something else happens.
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Wednesday, September 26th, 2012 AT 12:20 AM
Tiny
CADIEMAN
  • MECHANIC
  • 3,544 POSTS
Have the rims checked for runout or rims with weights over 3oz. On any sides.
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Wednesday, September 26th, 2012 AT 12:21 AM
Tiny
ZACKBROWN
  • MEMBER
  • 8 POSTS
Yes, I orginally thought tires and rims, its the one thing I have had checked thoroughly. I had it to the first tire shop who put new balanced tires onto my rims, still had the issue so I took it back to them and the rebalanced and checked everything, still had the issue so I took it to a different, well know, tire place who put on brand new rims and tires just to see if that was the issue and it had the exact same symptoms no matter what rims and tires were on the vehicle
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Wednesday, September 26th, 2012 AT 12:29 AM
Tiny
ZACKBROWN
  • MEMBER
  • 8 POSTS
Turns out it was a bad CV joint. Had it replaced and its smooth at 80km/h plus. Thanks for giving me some direction. It was driving me nuts
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Wednesday, January 16th, 2019 AT 6:47 PM
Tiny
SATURNTECH9
  • MECHANIC
  • 30,870 POSTS
Your welcome and thanks for using 2carpros and please tell all your friends about us.
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Sunday, January 20th, 2019 AT 9:22 AM
Tiny
BLYNN711
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
  • 2001 FORD ESCAPE
  • 6 CYL
  • FWD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 80,000 MILES
Recently in the morning I start my car and drive to the first stop light. While at the light my car begins to shake and I can hear a noise as if the car can't breath. As soon as the light turns green I press the gas and the car is fine. It remains fine for the rest of the day too, until the following morning it does the same thing. My car also died about a month ago, battery issues per AAA. So I replaced the battery and had hoped this problem was related to the battery. Unfortunatly it wasn't and my car is still shaking in the morning at the first stop light. Can you tell me what this could be?

Thanks, Blynn
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Saturday, October 10th, 2020 AT 9:26 AM (Merged)
Tiny
WHIPPLE1386
  • MEMBER
  • 13 POSTS
Hi Blynn

By any chance does your vehicle have a check engine light? Kind of sounds like you might have a bad IAC Sensor or a bad MAF sensor. Please respond back
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Saturday, October 10th, 2020 AT 9:26 AM (Merged)
Tiny
BLYNN711
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
Hi, Check engine light is not on. I did have the car looked at last weekend and I was told (hope its true) that it might be the Fuel Filter, I had that replaced and a fuel intake service. My car now seems to start just fine, but I have not driven it enough to see if the shaking has really stopped. I feel like it did it for a moment this morning but I might just be super sensitive to it - but I do know it was nothing like the shaking before. It really happens at the first stop light I have to sit and wait for and that did not happen this morning. Do you think my problem could be solved? Fuel Filter?

Thanks for your help.
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Saturday, October 10th, 2020 AT 9:26 AM (Merged)

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