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2015 Ford Explorer XLT 4 wheel drive V6. Slight vibration felt above 58 +/- mph experienced from day one. Feels to correspond to tire/axle RPM, not affected by engine RPM change. Not affected by headwind/tailwind change therefore not likely to be wind caused vibration. Had tire balance checked at 600 miles, very slight modifications made. Had tires road force balanced, again very little was changed. Ford service writers and supervisor have acknowledged the slight vibration and can offer no solution/remedy. Had new tires installed at 50K miles, problem still exists. Checked all 4 wheels and new tires for lateral and radial runout while mounted on the vehicle. All wheels within 0.030" lateral and radial, all tires with 0.038" lateral and radial.

Talked with other owners of same/similar vehicle, problem is unique to mine.

Could it be brake rotor imbalance, bad CV joint(s), bad axle shaft, other?

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  • Do you feel the vibration in the steering wheel? This might seem strange, but have you noticed what's the "nature" of the vibration, is it "vertical" like on a concrete highway/corrugations or is it "horizontal"?
    – Lukas G
    Dec 20, 2018 at 0:34
  • Have you tried switching the front and rear tyres to see if the vibration moves around the car? This will definitively say if it's associated with the wheels/tyres or the unsprung rotating mass.
    – Steve Matthews
    Dec 20, 2018 at 9:19

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It may be your wheel bearings. To diagnose this drive the car on a long empty straight road and turn the well left to right. When the car leans to right or left and you hear a buzzing or rumbling or any vibrations when the car is leaning to either side then it's an indication that your wheel bearings are failing

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It isn’t your wheel bearings. If they had been causing the vibration 50k miles ago they would have completely failed many thousands of miles ago. It’s not the brakes, you feel that when you’re braking, a warped rotor will cause the pedal to pulsate under your foot. If it’s a bad enough pulsation you may feel the entire car judder. It’s more pronounced at freeway speeds or hard braking at slower speeds. An imbalanced driveline will cause a constant vibration no matter what speed. Does the feeling go away at 75-80 mph? Can you mostly feel it in the seat back, steering wheel and a bit in the floor boards? I believe you have a tire issue. I’ve seen tires so out of round and balance before they where impossible to correct. I’d put on new tires, have a reputable tire store or dealership do it and have them road force balanced again and get your 4wheel alignment done at the same time. I’d bet this makes a huge difference. If you’re at 50k miles on the factory tires you more than likely need new ones anyway. Only other thing may be ujoints on the driveline.

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