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

Cnote

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There’s too many of us including automotive journalists describing the same problem in various states that it’s a tangible and real issue. Much like the wind noise that some of us experienced and now there’s a TSB solving it.

Much like most of us here, I’ve owned many cars over the years and never felt anything quite like this. its not always bothersome but it’s certainly noticeable in some road conditions more than others. Like others have said, when going over concrete expansion joints on the highway it can be very disconcerting. At times almost like the car will “fly off“ the road.

I really like this car, but after 8 months of ownership, this issue, on top of the blue cruise delay, general system reliability, wind noise, PAAK and app problems, is really getting me to think if I cut my losses, or double down and trade in for a GTPE. I was hoping a spring/shock replacement might help out and certainly be cheaper than a 10K upgrade. That said, The Kia EV6 GT looks promising but probably a year away.

I do hope Ford is aware of this issue. They’ve put out numerous TSBs to fix things, but maybe they are content with the way this car feels by design. It isn’t punishing, but it is the most unusual suspension I’ve ever driven in 30 years.
Yeah there are enough people mentioning the issue that I don't feel like I'm going crazy anymore haha. It's bad enough that I am also looking at what's coming out next year (my eye is mainly on the nissan ariya). For me it's punishing enough that I prefer to drive my corvette for the less punishing ride, which I never thought I would happen. I still haven't had any luck finding non oem replacement shocks so for now my hopes of fixing the problem continue to be dashed.
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ABD

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Yeah there are enough people mentioning the issue that I don't feel like I'm going crazy anymore haha. It's bad enough that I am also looking at what's coming out next year (my eye is mainly on the nissan ariya). For me it's punishing enough that I prefer to drive my corvette for the less punishing ride, which I never thought I would happen. I still haven't had any luck finding non oem replacement shocks so for now my hopes of fixing the problem continue to be dashed.
You aren’t crazy. I love my Mach-e otherwise but my husband refuses to drive it anymore because he can’t get his coffee cup to his lips, I can’t hit the touchscreen right because I’m bouncing and it is bouncing, and my kid is constantly car sick (on the highway where braking isn’t an issue). I’ve got 11,000 miles on the car so it isn’t going away.

It’s a bummer.
 

jonkMACHE

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I agree, oem shocks won’t do anything.

And OEM springs won’t fix it either if the springs aren’t the problem.

I’m just trying to offer possible solutions, but you keep pushing back on the shocks thing.

I’ll say it again: GT bouncy, GTPE not bouncy. The only difference is the shocks.

You say you aren’t pushing back, then give me a list of arguments against trying new shocks.

Where to start? Go to a suspension shop and see if you can try out some universal shocks that would fit.

Without going into a lengthy explanation of the dynamics involved in a mass-spring damper system (which, from a mathematical standpoint, is quite complex), suffice to say it just isn't as simple as changing the springs/shocks.

What you're looking for is (in engineering terms) a critically-damped response with minimal overshoot and a fast settling time. Many factors come into play here - the mass of the car, the mass of the passengers/cargo in the car, the velocity/acceleration the car is engaged in, the type of terrain the car hits, the direction of the car's motion, and the and stiffness/dampening of the shocks. If even one of these factors changes, it affects the response of the suspension system. My hunch is that the bounciness is predominantly due to the car's mass (larger mass makes it easier for the harmonic motions to swing back and forth more wildly) - but that's just a hunch. Fixing the issue is not just a matter of replacing the suspension - it's making sure that suspension is tuned so that it responds to the given state of the car in exactly the way you want it to.

I am also not surprised to hear that magnaride is providing a much better ride. That technology dynamically adjusts the stiffness/dampening values based on the dynamic conditions the car is in. That by its very nature is going to provide a much better response in a wider variety of situations than a "one-size-fits-all" tuned suspension.
 

EVTRAVEL

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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?
You have probably checked but a number of Mach E's shims were not removed after shipment.
 

mkhuffman

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You have probably checked but a number of Mach E's shims were not removed after shipment.
I checked that in mine because my car was moved to Newark on an ocean vessel and apparently those shipping blocks are used when shipping overseas. So I thought maybe they put them on my car. No blocks. It is possible the dealer removed them.

I am sure part of it is I am getting used to it, but even my wife commented that the bounce seems better now after 1600 miles. I don't think it is our imagination. It is still pretty jarring over very rough roads, but it doesn't seem to bounce as much.
 


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Say I want to switch from Premium SR springs to GT springs but don't want to lose any ride height or have to do an alignment. Is there a way I can add a half inch spacer to the GT springs?
 

agoldman

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I’ll say it again: GT bouncy, GTPE not bouncy. The only difference is the shocks.
I had a First Edition for 9 months. Bouncy, yes.
I now have a GT for a few weeks. Not bouncy like then FE, but it is a tight suspension, in a good way.
I realize this is somewhat subjective as to what type of ride you're going for. I had air shocks and adjustble shocks on the last few high end suv's I owned. I don't think any model of ME is supposed to be like a high end lux ride. In any case, havn't driven the PE, but so far the GT suits me fine and handles well.
 

mkhuffman

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I had a First Edition for 9 months. Bouncy, yes.
I now have a GT for a few weeks. Not bouncy like then FE, but it is a tight suspension, in a good way.
I realize this is somewhat subjective as to what type of ride you're going for. I had air shocks and adjustble shocks on the last few high end suv's I owned. I don't think any model of ME is supposed to be like a high end lux ride. In any case, havn't driven the PE, but so far the GT suits me fine and handles well.
I agree. I drove a Premium ER when I first ordered my car. I only had it for 30 minutes, but I do remember the bounce. It was not horrible, at least on the roads I drove on, but it was noticeable, and different from how my GT handles. Yes the GT bounces, but it is more of a very quick reaction to bumps in the road and not the undulating type of bounce I noticed in the softer Premium. The GT seems smoother to me now after 1600 miles. I am going to aim for speed bumps to try to soften the springs a little more. ;-)
 

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Fix the damn roads!
 

silverelan

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You aren’t crazy. I love my Mach-e otherwise but my husband refuses to drive it anymore because he can’t get his coffee cup to his lips, I can’t hit the touchscreen right because I’m bouncing and it is bouncing, and my kid is constantly car sick (on the highway where braking isn’t an issue). I’ve got 11,000 miles on the car so it isn’t going away.

It’s a bummer.
i took my GT on the interstate for the first time yesterday and hit some expansion joints. Holy crap, if the GT's bounce is an improvement then I don't even want to know what it's like for the lower trims. Otherwise, the GT rides like butter and is incredibly sure-footed.
 

alexgorod

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i took my GT on the interstate for the first time yesterday and hit some expansion joints. Holy crap, if the GT's bounce is an improvement then I don't even want to know what it's like for the lower trims. Otherwise, the GT rides like butter and is incredibly sure-footed.
GT has the same suspension as all others except GTPE, if I'm not mistaken. But more interesting is that - what car are you (and everyone else complaining) comparing it with? ICE Mustang? If you take that car on the same road at the same speed - how does it feel?
When I hit a section with bad pavement, I definitely know it. But I knew it in X3 or any other (not very expensive) cars that I've had in the past. And MME doesn't feel any worse.

Maybe it's my thick skin, maybe the extra weight of extended battery makes the difference, but I don't see it.
 

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GT is not the same. Springs are lower, dampers are different by part number and sway bars are different from MME ER 4x
 

alexgorod

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GT is not the same. Springs are lower, dampers are different by part number and sway bars are different from MME ER 4x
Thank you
 

markboris

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I had a First Edition for 9 months. Bouncy, yes.
I now have a GT for a few weeks. Not bouncy like then FE, but it is a tight suspension, in a good way.
I realize this is somewhat subjective as to what type of ride you're going for. I had air shocks and adjustble shocks on the last few high end suv's I owned. I don't think any model of ME is supposed to be like a high end lux ride. In any case, havn't driven the PE, but so far the GT suits me fine and handles well.
I am glad you posted your findings on these two cars. It is what I have been saying about my Premium 4X after I replaced the springs and shocks with the GT parts. Now you see the difference in both cars. Much less bouncy and a more firm, smoother ride with better handling. That is how I describe it. I now have a GTPE and it is a little smoother with a bit less bounce BUT the difference between the GT and GTPE is not nearly as great as was the Premium with stock suspension going to to the GT suspension.
 

Mach1E

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I am glad you posted your findings on these two cars. It is what I have been saying about my Premium 4X after I replaced the springs and shocks with the GT parts. Now you see the difference in both cars. Much less bouncy and a more firm, smoother ride with better handling. That is how I describe it. I now have a GTPE and it is a little smoother with a bit less bounce BUT the difference between the GT and GTPE is not nearly as great as was the Premium with stock suspension going to to the GT suspension.
Seems to make sense.

Stiffer springs reduce the amount of the bounce and better shocks control it.

Technically you could remove the springs and shocks and weld a solid pipe in there and have zero bounce, and a huge chiropractor bill.

Everything is a compromise. Except mag ride because it’s adjustable.
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