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

[lweisenthal]

We’ve got a RWD, with tires inflated to 41-42 PSI. I plan on adding another 3 PSI to maximize performance and efficiency. Wife and I are in our 70s. We’ve done 3 different 130 mile round trips on CA freeways. There is one section of trip with a washboard road. We get a bit of a rattle, but nothing like a “bounce.”

It’s supposed to be a Mustang, not a Lincoln Continental touring car. We like the ride - nimble, for a heavy SUV. No barf bags required, though neither of us is prone to motion sickness.

Mustangs are supposed to have at least a modicum of “feel for the road.” I think it’s a bit like mattresses. Some prefer soft and cushy. Others firm. Still others downright hard.

It’s not a defect to have a tight suspension. It’s the way the car was designed.

It appears you bought the wrong car.

If you can’t come to terms with it, one thinks you ought to swallow the loss and move on.

You do a service by calling attention to what I view as a feature, while others may view as a disadvantage.

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[jdmrc93]

It is noticeably bouncy. But I’m coming from a way bouncier truck so it doesn’t really bother me. But it is a bit off putting at times, depending on the roads. It’s like a compounding bounce on bad roads. Very floaty. My husband pointed it out, now I do notice it.

 

[pdxzzr]

Is it in all driving modes? I’ve read somewhere on this forum of owners having motion sickness due to one pedal mode feathering in regen in a way that maybe could be the same as what you’re experiencing? They turned it off

 

[macchiaz-o]

I've been getting neck soreness, too... Had it from my first test drive.

I definitely noticed the bouncies the first few days of ownership. Within the first day, I reduced tire pressure from 45 (as delivered) to 39 psi.

As the days have gone on, I'm noticing it a lot less now. I may have changed my driving approach to compensate. Or maybe I'm setting cruise control speeds a bit differently. I'm not sure.

Those of you saying a Mustang should be a little harsh or rough... This is NOT that at all. My Fiesta was far more connected to the road and especially any potholes no matter how small. By comparison, the Mach-E is very well planted while also significantly softer/cushier than the Fiesta.

What we're describing here is "bouncy." Especially on roadways that undulate. The car seems to amplify and repeat them, like weak spring or something. I'd also like it to harmonic resonance.

I'm not a car guy so I might not be describing this too well. Also, I've never owned a truck, but I've driven some from time to time and I never noticed this particular type of bounciness.

 

[jlamarca73]

I test drove a MY today then right after a MME. The Tesla handled much better. It was more responsive, better acceleration and no bounce. The MME is sluggish off the line and I definitely felt the bounce. It reminded me of my Kia SUV. The stying of the MME blows the MY away!

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

Try turning off 1 pedal driving for starters. And perhaps switching to Whisper mode as well. After that, see if you can find another MME to test and see if there’s a noticeable difference. Then take it to the dealer for an inspection.

 

[sockmeister]

I've been getting neck soreness, too... Had it from my first test drive.

I definitely noticed the bouncies the first few days of ownership. Within the first day, I reduced tire pressure from 45 (as delivered) to 39 psi.

As the days have gone on, I'm noticing it a lot less now. I may have changed my driving approach to compensate. Or maybe I'm setting cruise control speeds a bit differently. I'm not sure.

Those of you saying a Mustang should be a little harsh or rough... This is NOT that at all. My Fiesta was far more connected to the road and especially any potholes no matter how small. By comparison, the Mach-E is very well planted while also significantly softer/cushier than the Fiesta.

What we're describing here is "bouncy." Especially on roadways that undulate. The car seems to amplify and repeat them, like weak spring or something. I'd also like it to harmonic resonance.

I'm not a car guy so I might not be describing this too well. Also, I've never owned a truck, but I've driven some from time to time and I never noticed this particular type of bounciness.

Ok, we really need to define "bounce".
From your description here, if the car continues to move up and down (more than once) after hitting a bump, then it sounds like worn or inadequate shock absorbers.

If we're just talking about firmness of the suspension, that's just the way it was tuned.

It sound from the descriptions like a defect.
Especially since not everyone says they have it.

 

[MrRossKeys]

It’s not a defect to have a tight suspension. It’s the way the car was designed.

It appears you bought the wrong car.

It appears you don’t know what you’re talking about.

Ok, we really need to define "bounce".
From your description here, if the car continues to move up and down (more than once) after hitting a bump, then it sounds like worn or inadequate shock absorbers.

If we're just talking about firmness of the suspension, that's just the way it was tuned.

It sound from the descriptions like a defect.
Especially since not everyone says they have it.

I have the same issue as the OP but without the feeling of sickness. The car bounces up and down as it travels along.

Along a smooth road the car will not bounce. On a road with humps, bumps, potholes, or uneven pavement, and even sometimes on inclines and declines my car bounces. This is not a “benefit” of the firmness of the suspension.

I’ve driven 5 Mustangs (rentals), 11 SUV’s (owned and rented), and owned a Camaro in the last couple years. The Camaro had a very firm, glued to the ground feel and I could feel every bump as if it was happening right under my feet. I disliked it at first but got used to it pretty quickly.

Let me be clear that the OP is not referring to a firm suspension that is a feature of the vehicle. He is referring to the bounciness that is exhibited in some Mach E’s and apparently not in others. My car bounces and it shouldn’t, and it’s annoying enough to try to seek out a solution for it.

I’d love to hear any suggestions for DIY or a target area for the service department to check to reduce the bounce ???

 

[MachE911]

Let me be clear that the OP is not referring to a firm suspension that is a feature of the vehicle. He is referring to the bounciness that is exhibited in some Mach E’s and apparently not in others. My car bounces and it shouldn’t, and it’s annoying enough to try to seek out a solution for it.

I’d love to hear any suggestions for DIY or a target area for the service department to check to reduce the bounce ???

It sounds like bad shocks to me. Any bounce of the car is usually related to the shocks not absorbing the motion and dissipating it. The only place to get that fixed is at the dealership as they’d need to replace the shocks. It might also be a function of where you live... here in CA on our highways, I haven’t felt an undampened vibration, everything gets nullified pretty quickly.

 

[pt19713]

There's a free app called Accelerometer Meter. If you have another vehicle, you can do two controlled drives on the same stretch of road and compare.

 

[Shayne]

Anyone have an idea of whether the Mach-me-sick bouncing is only on the AWD model? If the front lights are going up/down, it might not be shocks, it might be motor control resonance. I had an excessively firm ride that was helped by reducing tire pressure to spec, but I would not call it bouncy. Mine is a RWD model. I wonder if it might be another software glitch, sort of an oscillation trying to balance the rear axle torque with the front axle torque. Any Geeks want to weigh in?

42 psi in the pick up would give a firm (rock hard) drive but save gas. 32 psi would be a whole lot smoother. I have to say driving it slow on bumpy roads does not feel too much different than a truck at 40 psi. Guess they are the same weight and both suspensions feel good and solid. It helps to hit bumps at an angle such that no two wheels hit at the same time. This is definitely not a 1970 Cadillac but a highway mustang. You could run the pressure lower for around town stuff and pump them up for those 200 mile trip. Once you get out to the highway I have felt no problem so if the OPer finds the same on a smooth highway I would talk to my service department. It is good to test on different surfaces and start to feel comfortable with how much it weighs. Bumpy side roads are slow going but I am impressed and happy with the performance. Definitely my route planning now differs a bit for the MME then it does for the 4x4. I pick better roads but some are unavoidable.

 

[bellyer]

Sorry for not replying directly to a lot of the comments/thoughts/suggestions above, but I am going to try to respond to much of that in this post.

- One Pedal Driving is turned off and is not related to this issue. I was not a big fan of OPD, so I tried it for a day and switched back to good, old-fashioned two pedal driving.

- I keep the car in Engage mode, but have tried both Whisper and Unbridled. Engage is the most comfortable ride for us, but I do not think any of the modes impacted the bounciness at all.

- The bounciness we are experiencing is most definitely *not* a feature of the car or of a Mustang. I use to own a 2007 Mustang GT manual transmission, so there was plenty of the "feeling the road" sensation and lurching back and forth somewhat between gear changes, etc. The constant bouncing we are having here is not at all similar and my Mustang GT was a much smoother car than what this is. Heck, my old '98 Jeep Wrangler was a less bouncy ride than this. The bouncy sensation is not from hitting the occasional (or many) potholes or speed bumps and getting jostled around a bit. The bounciness is pretty much a constant rocking front to back of the car as you drive along an expressway; likely, mostly when the expressway is not completely even pavement, but it is truly constant and you visibly watch the headlights shining ahead moving up and down against the jersey barriers and cars ahead of you. Hitting potholes while driving regular city streets is a little rough and getting tossed around a little from it isn't great, but it is not terrible; the issue is the sustained bouncing/rocking front to back as we speed along the expressway that is the cause of concern (and car sickness).

- As for the Accelerometer app recommendation, we are a one-car city family, so we don't have another car to test it in, but I guess if I can arrange a test drive of another MME with my dealer, I can try to compare.

 

[mr_raider]

Sorry for not replying directly to a lot of the comments/thoughts/suggestions above, but I am going to try to respond to much of that in this post.

- One Pedal Driving is turned off and is not related to this issue. I was not a big fan of OPD, so I tried it for a day and switched back to good, old-fashioned two pedal driving.

- I keep the car in Engage mode, but have tried both Whisper and Unbridled. Engage is the most comfortable ride for us, but I do not think any of the modes impacted the bounciness at all.

- The bounciness we are experiencing is most definitely *not* a feature of the car or of a Mustang. I use to own a 2007 Mustang GT manual transmission, so there was plenty of the "feeling the road" sensation and lurching back and forth somewhat between gear changes, etc. The constant bouncing we are having here is not at all similar and my Mustang GT was a much smoother car than what this is. Heck, my old '98 Jeep Wrangler was a less bouncy ride than this. The bouncy sensation is not from hitting the occasional (or many) potholes or speed bumps and getting jostled around a bit. The bounciness is pretty much a constant rocking front to back of the car as you drive along an expressway; likely, mostly when the expressway is not completely even pavement, but it is truly constant and you visibly watch the headlights shining ahead moving up and down against the jersey barriers and cars ahead of you. Hitting potholes while driving regular city streets is a little rough and getting tossed around a little from it isn't great, but it is not terrible; the issue is the sustained bouncing/rocking front to back as we speed along the expressway that is the cause of concern (and car sickness).

- As for the Accelerometer app recommendation, we are a one-car city family, so we don't have another car to test it in, but I guess if I can arrange a test drive of another MME with my dealer, I can try to compare.

Is it related to a particular stretch of road, or is it on any freeway road?

Is it present at any speed, or in particular range of speeds?

 

[bellyer]

Is it related to a particular stretch of road, or is it on any freeway road?

Is it present at any speed, or in particular range of speeds?

I would say that it is worse on some stretches of freeway than others and the faster you go, the worse it seems to get, as it becomes more and more constant bouncing as the speed increases. It seems to become most noticeable as we get above 35 miles per hour on the expressway, but the bouncing never seems to go away between 35 and up to maybe 55-60. Even accelerating on the on-ramp to the expressway closest to my house, the car starts doing the bouncing as we smoothly go from about 10 MPH up to the full speed on the highway. In city of Chicago driving, it is not often that we get the chance to get above 55 given the heavy traffic.

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