Car Shaking in idle/drive?
#1
Car Shaking in idle/drive?
Hello! I am hoping someone here can perhaps point me in the right direction. There is a bit of history though...
I bought a 2010 Fusion used with 70K miles in 12/13. Starting in 7/14 it's been a huge problem. Simple issues that were fixed quickly but as of late it's becoming a much bigger safety concern.
It started with the car shaking and the engine light on. Mind you I kept up with the maintenance since I have had the car. Dealer said it was first a bolt in the 6th cylinder. Took them 4 days to fix, and when I got it back it broke down an hour later. Took it back the next morning, they said it was 2 bad motor mounts and it was backfiring in the 2nd cylinder. They ended up fixing the 2nd cylinder (I can't remember what was wrong) and let me come get it. An hour later, on the side of the road. Take it back and they say it's all 6 spark plugs are burnt out. I agree to let them replace those and the motor mounts and I got it back a few days later. Light is off but the car is still shaking. It feels like it is cutting out. Mostly in idle but sometimes when its driving. You can feel it in the steering wheel and seat and I just don't know what else it could be. In July of 14 I had to have the whole cooling system re done. This work is all done at a dealer. It isn't due for an oil change quite yet. The only service they recommended that I didn't do was the power steering flush and brake flush. Could this cause the shaking?
Ideas? I also plan to take it to get the fuel injectors cleaned as well this weekend.
Thanks!
I bought a 2010 Fusion used with 70K miles in 12/13. Starting in 7/14 it's been a huge problem. Simple issues that were fixed quickly but as of late it's becoming a much bigger safety concern.
It started with the car shaking and the engine light on. Mind you I kept up with the maintenance since I have had the car. Dealer said it was first a bolt in the 6th cylinder. Took them 4 days to fix, and when I got it back it broke down an hour later. Took it back the next morning, they said it was 2 bad motor mounts and it was backfiring in the 2nd cylinder. They ended up fixing the 2nd cylinder (I can't remember what was wrong) and let me come get it. An hour later, on the side of the road. Take it back and they say it's all 6 spark plugs are burnt out. I agree to let them replace those and the motor mounts and I got it back a few days later. Light is off but the car is still shaking. It feels like it is cutting out. Mostly in idle but sometimes when its driving. You can feel it in the steering wheel and seat and I just don't know what else it could be. In July of 14 I had to have the whole cooling system re done. This work is all done at a dealer. It isn't due for an oil change quite yet. The only service they recommended that I didn't do was the power steering flush and brake flush. Could this cause the shaking?
Ideas? I also plan to take it to get the fuel injectors cleaned as well this weekend.
Thanks!
#2
Hello: I am not up on these modern cars but I do not understand the first example you say the dealer gave you re a bolt in number 6 cyl. If there was a bolt in the cylinder your engine would have received catastrophic internal damage. to the point that your engine would have needed to be removed from the car and rebuilt or have major machine work to repair the cylinder.
Secondly are you sure the car is actually shaking or is it shuddering? Shuddering can be a number of things from a fuel injector that has gone bad and flooding the cylinder with fuel or starving it of fuel. Or it could be misfiring of the spark plugs from being used well over their life expectancy. This is also true for the plug wires which start to break down from age and cause arcing across the wiring which will cause misfiring on other cylinders.
If your car has coils built in to each cylinder ??? it could be faulty coils or the wiring to them. Sorry i can't be of more help. But have you also tried googling your vehicle for problems with that model year of car and seen what comes up? You will be surprised at what info you can obtain this way.
Secondly are you sure the car is actually shaking or is it shuddering? Shuddering can be a number of things from a fuel injector that has gone bad and flooding the cylinder with fuel or starving it of fuel. Or it could be misfiring of the spark plugs from being used well over their life expectancy. This is also true for the plug wires which start to break down from age and cause arcing across the wiring which will cause misfiring on other cylinders.
If your car has coils built in to each cylinder ??? it could be faulty coils or the wiring to them. Sorry i can't be of more help. But have you also tried googling your vehicle for problems with that model year of car and seen what comes up? You will be surprised at what info you can obtain this way.
#3
Would like to offer some help, but the info you are giving us is kinda out in left field if you know what I mean.
Today's vehicles are a lot more complicated than older vehicles and it is very important to get accurate info before jumping the gun. It is possible your dealership could be "taking you for a ride" repair wise, or, you don't have all the info to give us. When you go to the dealer don't be afraid to ask questions, the more you know the easier it is to understand and most times they are happy to explain what is happening and why they need to do what they say needs to be done.
Brake fluid does change over time and should be replaced when any brake work is done. You might do a little checking on the net to pick up a little info regarding "flushes" ,a good part of the time it becomes a wallet flush.
Keep good records of everything that you have done so you don't wind up having services duplicated and if necessary you can provide good info when you ask questions here. Please excuse the long winded speech , but the right info is very important.
Today's vehicles are a lot more complicated than older vehicles and it is very important to get accurate info before jumping the gun. It is possible your dealership could be "taking you for a ride" repair wise, or, you don't have all the info to give us. When you go to the dealer don't be afraid to ask questions, the more you know the easier it is to understand and most times they are happy to explain what is happening and why they need to do what they say needs to be done.
Brake fluid does change over time and should be replaced when any brake work is done. You might do a little checking on the net to pick up a little info regarding "flushes" ,a good part of the time it becomes a wallet flush.
Keep good records of everything that you have done so you don't wind up having services duplicated and if necessary you can provide good info when you ask questions here. Please excuse the long winded speech , but the right info is very important.
#4
My apologies... Let me try to clear it up. I was told there was some bolt loose which caused a gasket to burn up in the 6th cylinder. They did explain it better than that but I was already over my head mad. I had already had pep boys look at it and they said it was either a coil/spark plug but something in the 2nd or 6th cylinder. They didn't call it anything but on the invoice it said replacement bolt and replacement gasket. Then I took it off the lot and it broke down, with my kids in the car. I was trying to give it gas but it wouldn't move. I was able to get it off the main road and get a tow truck.
The next time they had it they said it was something in the 2nd cylinder because they codes they were getting from the computer showed something in the 2nd cylinder. I can't remember what they fixed now honestly, but I believe it was similar to the original issue. Then I get it and it breaks down again. I was able to drive it further this time before but still yet, same thing. The engine light comes on and the car just shakes or shudders. I don't really know what the difference is but it feels like it isn't getting gas. Oh, they also replaced the gas cap the second time they had it, it has a cap less one and the seal became loose.
The third time they had it they told me all 6 spark plugs were bad, which was strange because I had them all 6 replaced in December 14 so I wasn't sure why but thats what they said. All in all, I have paid about 3k for this and lost so much time at work.
Also, as a nice side note I drove to Target this afternoon and my car began doing the same thing again. Engine light and shaking. I was able to make it back to my house, I wasn't far away, but will have to have it towed back to Ford tomorrow.
Any ideas? The work was all done May 18 - 29th.
The next time they had it they said it was something in the 2nd cylinder because they codes they were getting from the computer showed something in the 2nd cylinder. I can't remember what they fixed now honestly, but I believe it was similar to the original issue. Then I get it and it breaks down again. I was able to drive it further this time before but still yet, same thing. The engine light comes on and the car just shakes or shudders. I don't really know what the difference is but it feels like it isn't getting gas. Oh, they also replaced the gas cap the second time they had it, it has a cap less one and the seal became loose.
The third time they had it they told me all 6 spark plugs were bad, which was strange because I had them all 6 replaced in December 14 so I wasn't sure why but thats what they said. All in all, I have paid about 3k for this and lost so much time at work.
Also, as a nice side note I drove to Target this afternoon and my car began doing the same thing again. Engine light and shaking. I was able to make it back to my house, I wasn't far away, but will have to have it towed back to Ford tomorrow.
Any ideas? The work was all done May 18 - 29th.
Last edited by Jennifer Heinsinger; 06-28-2015 at 03:13 PM.
#5
Thank you for clearing up a few things.
Now,,,,,,,,,,spark plugs should last at least 50,000 miles if quality plugs are installed.
That seal for the filler cap area , if it was ineffective dirt and/or water might have found it's way into the fuel system and a change of the fuel filter should show some improvement . Has anyone changed the filter yet, if not don't be afraid to suggest it we have good reason to be suspicious of it if the seal was defective.
You are getting quite an education with this vehicle the only problem is the inconvenience and the cost.
I know dealers can be expensive and even they have problems too, but if possible try to find a shop that is honest and has experienced people they are out there. Many walk in places have quotas to meet and you know the rest. Don't be afraid to ask questions and hopefully the dealer will put an experienced tech on your vehicle.
There is no harm in asking the dealer person why you need to pay a towing charge when they worked on it and said it was fixed.
Now,,,,,,,,,,spark plugs should last at least 50,000 miles if quality plugs are installed.
That seal for the filler cap area , if it was ineffective dirt and/or water might have found it's way into the fuel system and a change of the fuel filter should show some improvement . Has anyone changed the filter yet, if not don't be afraid to suggest it we have good reason to be suspicious of it if the seal was defective.
You are getting quite an education with this vehicle the only problem is the inconvenience and the cost.
I know dealers can be expensive and even they have problems too, but if possible try to find a shop that is honest and has experienced people they are out there. Many walk in places have quotas to meet and you know the rest. Don't be afraid to ask questions and hopefully the dealer will put an experienced tech on your vehicle.
There is no harm in asking the dealer person why you need to pay a towing charge when they worked on it and said it was fixed.
#6
Thank you for clearing up a few things.
Now,,,,,,,,,,spark plugs should last at least 50,000 miles if quality plugs are installed.
That seal for the filler cap area , if it was ineffective dirt and/or water might have found it's way into the fuel system and a change of the fuel filter should show some improvement . Has anyone changed the filter yet, if not don't be afraid to suggest it we have good reason to be suspicious of it if the seal was defective.
You are getting quite an education with this vehicle the only problem is the inconvenience and the cost.
I know dealers can be expensive and even they have problems too, but if possible try to find a shop that is honest and has experienced people they are out there. Many walk in places have quotas to meet and you know the rest. Don't be afraid to ask questions and hopefully the dealer will put an experienced tech on your vehicle.
There is no harm in asking the dealer person why you need to pay a towing charge when they worked on it and said it was fixed.
Now,,,,,,,,,,spark plugs should last at least 50,000 miles if quality plugs are installed.
That seal for the filler cap area , if it was ineffective dirt and/or water might have found it's way into the fuel system and a change of the fuel filter should show some improvement . Has anyone changed the filter yet, if not don't be afraid to suggest it we have good reason to be suspicious of it if the seal was defective.
You are getting quite an education with this vehicle the only problem is the inconvenience and the cost.
I know dealers can be expensive and even they have problems too, but if possible try to find a shop that is honest and has experienced people they are out there. Many walk in places have quotas to meet and you know the rest. Don't be afraid to ask questions and hopefully the dealer will put an experienced tech on your vehicle.
There is no harm in asking the dealer person why you need to pay a towing charge when they worked on it and said it was fixed.
#7
There are people that when they find it is costing or going to cost a lot of $$$ they unload the vehicle to get rid of the headache. A dealer's worst nightmare is a recurring customer with a recurring problem with a vehicle purchased from them. You have done them a favor by taking it someplace else. What you might consider would be to go speak with the owner of the dealership and unload your problems with the vehicle on him. They will be so glad to get you out of their hair that they just might fix it right. After all you are a customer and you purchased the vehicle from them.
#8
There are people that when they find it is costing or going to cost a lot of $$$ they unload the vehicle to get rid of the headache. A dealer's worst nightmare is a recurring customer with a recurring problem with a vehicle purchased from them. You have done them a favor by taking it someplace else. What you might consider would be to go speak with the owner of the dealership and unload your problems with the vehicle on him. They will be so glad to get you out of their hair that they just might fix it right. After all you are a customer and you purchased the vehicle from them.
Once I took it back a third time, they refused to give me a rental until I called them enough times. Once it was ready, 2k later, no one came out to talk to me about my car. A guy pulled it up and gave me the keys. Awesome customer service.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post