Can't deal with the bouncy ride anymore after two weeks with the Mach-E. What do I do?

[TruWrecks]

Tire pressure is a big deal. When I got my MME the tire pressure was 49 PSI. 10 PSI above the recommended and it rode very rough and bouncy. After taking the tires down to 39 the MME rides much smoother. I lost no notable efficiency.

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[Cnote]

Tire pressure is a big deal. When I got my MME the tire pressure was 49 PSI. 10 PSI above the recommended and it rode very rough and bouncy. After taking the tires down to 39 the MME rides much smoother. I lost no notable efficiency.

Tire pressure made no difference and it's usually the first thing those of us that think the ride is too bouncy tried (and is discussed in the earlier posts on this thread). Mine was only 41 psi from the dealer and I've lowered it to as much as 35 and it's still very bouncy.

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

Tire pressure made no difference and it's usually the first thing those of us that think the ride is too bouncy tried (and is discussed in the earlier posts on this thread). Mine was only 41 psi from the dealer and I've lowered it to as much as 35 and it's still very bouncy.

It’s all relative, a matter of perspective, and subjective. What you think of as very bouncy, I might think of as smooth. I was driving a Tacoma for many years before the MME. To me it’s fine, for others it’s a hobby horse bouncy along the local streets.

 

[SportZnTouring]

I truly love almost everything about my Mach-E First Edition AWD ER, but my wife, son and I literally get car sick when we take it out for anything more than a ride through the neighborhood because it is so incredibly bouncy. As we drive along the expressway, you can actually see the light from our headlights bouncing up and down constantly because it is such a bouncy ride. I don't know what to do about this? Heck, I am happy to buy new shocks that are designed for touring, as opposed to performance, if that will help. I don't really want to have to consider this, but is returning a car an option? Is there something wrong with my Mach-E? I know others have reported a bouncy drive, but others don't seem to notice this at all from what I can tell? I have lowered the PSI in my tires to 37 hoping to address the comfort of the ride, but that has not helped.

Help! I don't know what to do to fix this. Admittedly, I am not a "car guy," so figuring this out is a mystery to me. I truly want to love this car and had such high hopes for it and would love to find a way to address the bounciness of the ride because I love everything else about it and have not really faced any of the other issues that people have reported. I am honestly happy to buy new shocks or something to smooth the ride out, but what other options do I have here? Would new shocks even help smooth things out?

There's a couple of possibilities:
a) The car could be as designed but you were expecting a soft, floating ride and not a more sporty ride designed to give you confidence in cornering and direction changes or
b) There's an issue with your suspension.

On a car's suspension, the spring compresses and extends as you hit bumps in the road. The dampers (sometimes people call them shock absorbers) limit the amount by which this oscillates (or bounces). Obviously, suspension is a complex topic, but in basic terms – when a car's ride is bouncy, it can mean that the dampers allow too much oscillation or aren't matched to the spring rate.

Sorry if this has already been said, but the best thing to do is to report the issue, arrange with a dealer to test drive another MME of the same spec and see if they're the same. Note the tyre pressures. Set the same pressures on your car and drive yours straight after (this is just to eliminate any significant variation). Test-drive theirs again. If it's the same experience for you, then you'll know it's nothing specific to your car. If your car is noticeably worse, then it could be an issue. Don't load up your car with anything different to the dealer's car.

If your car behaves noticeably differently to the standard one then your dampers may be faulty or be the wrong dampers (I saw in one video from Ford that they tuned the suspension for different geographic markets due to variations in preference and quality of the roads)... So maybe you've got the wrong spring/dampers for your country?

It's more likely that the ride is just as designed, but a more sporty experience than you are familiar with... But it's worth checking with the dealer to arrange the test drive to be sure.

 

[bellyer]

There's a couple of possibilities:
a) The car could be as designed but you were expecting a soft, floating ride and not a more sporty ride designed to give you confidence in cornering and direction changes or
b) There's an issue with your suspension.

On a car's suspension, the spring compresses and extends as you hit bumps in the road. The dampers (sometimes people call them shock absorbers) limit the amount by which this oscillates (or bounces). Obviously, suspension is a complex topic, but in basic terms – when a car's ride is bouncy, it can mean that the dampers allow too much oscillation or aren't matched to the spring rate.

Sorry if this has already been said, but the best thing to do is to report the issue, arrange with a dealer to test drive another MME of the same spec and see if they're the same. Note the tyre pressures. Set the same pressures on your car and drive yours straight after (this is just to eliminate any significant variation). Test-drive theirs again. If it's the same experience for you, then you'll know it's nothing specific to your car. If your car is noticeably worse, then it could be an issue. Don't load up your car with anything different to the dealer's car.

If your car behaves noticeably differently to the standard one then your dampers may be faulty or be the wrong dampers (I saw in one video from Ford that they tuned the suspension for different geographic markets due to variations in preference and quality of the roads)... So maybe you've got the wrong spring/dampers for your country?

It's more likely that the ride is just as designed, but a more sporty experience than you are familiar with... But it's worth checking with the dealer to arrange the test drive to be sure.

Everything possible has already been addressed with Ford and others through this thread. Adjusting tire pressure has limited effect. Drive mode does not really make any difference with the sort of bounce that I and others are experiencing. Ford has thoroughly inspected my vehicle and found everything to be operating as they would expect and allowed me to test drive another comparable vehicle and the experience was exactly the same. It simpy comes down to this car not riding comfortably on certain road types. Crossing my fingers that either there are some more comfortable aftermarket suspension options made available or that the F-150 Lighting that I have reserved does not have this same uncomfortable ride, so that I can trade my Mach-E in for it. Either way, I really do love this car, but it is awful to ride in on certain road types.

 

[Cnote]

It’s all relative, a matter of perspective, and subjective. What you think of as very bouncy, I might think of as smooth. I was driving a Tacoma for many years before the MME. To me it’s fine, for others it’s a hobby horse bouncy along the local streets.

Yes it's all a matter of perspective which is why the thread exists. Enough of us feel it is very bouncy, but if it was as simple as tire pressure which has been mentioned a ton on the thread and the first thing we tried, then we wouldn't still be complaining. It's like one of the screen buzzing threads...if you don't hear it or care about it, great, but if you do it's annoying and not something resolved by a simple fix.

When you say you drove a tacoma for years and are used to it, I find that interesting because I wouldn't expect a crossover/lifted hatchback/wagon (even an electric one) to ride like a truck just like I didn't expect it to ride like my Highlander or my Corvette. I certainly didn't expect my Corvette to be the less punishing ride by far lol.

 

[Cnote]

Everything possible has already been addressed with Ford and others through this thread. Adjusting tire pressure has limited effect. Drive mode does not really make any difference with the sort of bounce that I and others are experiencing. Ford has thoroughly inspected my vehicle and found everything to be operating as they would expect and allowed me to test drive another comparable vehicle and the experience was exactly the same. It simpy comes down to this car not riding comfortably on certain road types. Crossing my fingers that either there are some more comfortable aftermarket suspension options made available or that the F-150 Lighting that I have reserved does not have this same uncomfortable ride, so that I can trade my Mach-E in for it. Either way, I really do love this car, but it is awful to ride in on certain road types.

You summed it all up perfectly, thank you for this. I too have taken it to more than one dealership, talked to Ford, etc. I don't know why people think we haven't tried the obvious and even some less obvious actions by now to figure out a solution.

If I could fit the lightning in my garage I'd be tempted too. It's the first truck that has actually fascinated me and I'm also curious how the ride will be. I'm tempted by the GT PE, but I don't want what comes on that trim level other than magnaride and the grill which makes it hard to justify the price differential. I also have my eye on the Nissan Ariya. I like the Mach e's exterior way better but that Ariya interior is intriguing to me.

Anyway, here's to hoping the aftermarket comes through (other than swapping to air, don't want to deal with the maintenance on that) and that people share what they find on this thread. Since I've never considered modifying a vehicle's suspension before I'm going to need all the advice I can get.

 

[RockwallRick]

My Wife loves the way this car rides but I think she is just comparing it to my Truck! She is just happy to have a car again after going car less for 2 months!!

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

When you say you drove a tacoma for years and are used to it, I find that interesting because I wouldn't expect a crossover/lifted hatchback/wagon (even an electric one) to ride like a truck just like

The Tacoma rides rough. The Mach-e is far better. I like the ma h-e ride, there’s nothing wrong with it. As I said, it’s a matter of perspective.

 

[Cookiekitty2016]

Is the regular (non performance pack) GT expected to have the same suspension as the current select/route 1/premium model?

 

[phil]

Is the regular (non performance pack) GT expected to have the same suspension as the current select/route 1/premium model?

I expect it to be the same. Others expect it to be different. Ford has not divulged what they expect.

 

[silverelan]

Is the regular (non performance pack) GT expected to have the same suspension as the current select/route 1/premium model?

The base GT suspension is going to be stiffer than the non-GTs. Someone in the know once made a comment along the lines that their kidneys could tell the difference.

 

[Cnote]

The Tacoma rides rough. The Mach-e is far better. I like the ma h-e ride, there’s nothing wrong with it. As I said, it’s a matter of perspective.

Glad you like the ride, and I understand your different perspective. Hopefully you can understand ours, which is the point of this thread.

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

Glad you like the ride, and I understand your different perspective. Hopefully you can understand ours, which is the point of this thread.

Absolutely. Just because one person finds it bad doesn't mean it's so. The same with the reverse. And the screen whine. Those that have it might find it unbearable due to their unique makeup. Others don't have the whine, or can't hear it, or don't care (according to my 20 something nieces and nephews mine is in the first category, but either way I can't hear it).

The presence or absence of any of these things does not make the car inherently bad or good. What's unfortunate is that the vast majority of us can't get a long test drive (3 or 4 days) to find some of these things ahead of time. In this case, such a long drive might reveal that the suspension is not to your liking given the local secondary road/highway/freeway conditions and personal preferences.

 

[Cnote]

Absolutely. Just because one person finds it bad doesn't mean it's so. The same with the reverse. And the screen whine. Those that have it might find it unbearable due to their unique makeup. Others don't have the whine, or can't hear it, or don't care (according to my 20 something nieces and nephews mine is in the first category, but either way I can't hear it).

The presence or absence of any of these things does not make the car inherently bad or good. What's unfortunate is that the vast majority of us can't get a long test drive (3 or 4 days) to find some of these things ahead of time. In this case, such a long drive might reveal that the suspension is not to your liking given the local secondary road/highway/freeway conditions and personal preferences.

I thought it was all about perspective? Perspective can indeed make a car bad or good for a specific person. In that person's perspective, the issue my be a deal breaker and make the car bad in their eyes. If someone says a car is bad, that's their perspective right? You love the car and I guess don't have any major issues with it. That's great, and in your perspective the car is awesome. The car is an inanimate object, it doesn't need defending.

I've said several times that I love the car except for this issue. That's why I went ahead with the purchase in the hopes that it was an issue that could be corrected and that's why i have taken such an interest in this thread. It's more than one person and even some car reviewers with the same perspective. In my personal life I've had several people comment on the bumpy ride in my vehicle as well.

I'm not sure why there has to be a good vs bad or right vs wrong side on these types of threads. If someone doesn't have the issue, they can easily skip the discussion. I'm not going on the screen buzz threads telling those folks that nothing is wrong, it doesn't exist, or to just deal with it even though I'm not bothered by it and that the car is awesome so they need to just realize that. I understand it bothers them and they are discussing it in their threads, which is the whole point.

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