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

dbsb3233

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Has anyone ridden in a Tesla Y. They're rougher. Believe it. Not sure of the issues but our cars really are competent. Excellent on the highways. Great on roads. Our cars are not F250's, they'll rough you up. But they were designed to have sport, manners and engagement. There is some price to that. It is a Mustang, not a Crown Vic.
Well, it's called a Mustang. That they claim is an SUV. It's really a crossover in nearly every practical way but name and few body styling elements.

Although this is one of those few areas they decided to not make it a crossover, and extracted a price by making us feel every bump in the road. It's my only big disappointment in the vehicle, as it's one not likely to be improved by OTA updates. I didn't expect a Crown Vic ride, but I did expect it would be at least as smooth as my other crossover that was half as expensive (an Escape). I set my expectations too high.
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sockmeister

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Lol. Guys, this thread is kind of a mess. There are least two definitions of "bounce" out there and everyone is putting their two cents in on whichever definition they thought it was referring to. Among other off-tangents.

OP is not talking about ride firmness or harshness. He's talking about a long repetitive heaving after hitting an undulation in the road.
 

mamejunkie

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I have the RWD SR and also noticed the bouncy ride. It def is also related to the road condition. Super smooth roads doesn't have the issue. But when there are areas where the road is uneven, potholes. Its not just hitting those area. For a short time afterwards, the car oscillate (bounces) up/down/up/down/up/down. Reminds me driving those crappy uhaul trucks. This is the first car that I've driven that I feel a little queasy as the driver without any alcohol in my blood.
 

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Check the tire air pressure, it's probably too high. The suspension on this car is excellent, Ford found a good compromise between comfort and control.
The OP is not saying all Mach-e's are like this, he is only speaking to the example he has. I am curious what his local dealer will say.

And he already lowered the air pressure.
 


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Wow - your car is extremely quiet - I didn't hear a thing - that's actually how I imagine the out of space feels like :)
LOL My dashcam has the option to turn off sound.

I figure no one wants to hear me farting as we go down the road...
 
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Well, it's not typical but it's not unheard of. In any case, whatever the manufacturer says is correct, is what's "right". They would not specify different parts left and right without a good reason.

It would be good if the OP could check to see if the correct suspension components were installed. Of course the dealership could do this as well.
Well, I tried to see what I could with the shocks without trying to squeeze under the car. I don't really see any model numbers that correlate to what was posted. There are some tags with CX727 marked in them on the front ones and QR codes, and some other numbers. CX727 seems to be the internal Ford reference number for the Mach-E. The rear shocks tell me nothing really. There are some serial numbers of sorts and a QR code, but nothing that aligns to anything posted for the shocks.

20210323_072442.jpg


20210323_072242.jpg


20210323_072257.jpg
 
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bellyer

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They say a picture is worth 1,000 words. I wonder how much a video showing the issue would be worth?
See Jamie Geek's post back in post #116. The bouncing he has filmed there is exactly what I am dealing with. I am hoping to try and get a video today and will hopefully be able to get a night time video showing the bounce you see in the headlight beams sometime this week.
 

The ICTVillain

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IMO - all the Mach E’s have the issue... it all comes down to road conditions. I have come across two roads in 2,500 miles of driving that exhibited the complaints mentioned by the OP. First, southbound I35 in Northern Oklahoma was brutal. Second, the road I have to travel on at 35 MPH during my daily commute is brutal... everything else feels perfect. I can tell you I have never felt a similar phenomenon in another car... it is as if the suspension gets excited until it “bottoms out.”

If all roads were similar to the two mentioned above the car would be traded in.... as it stands I am ok with it. My gut feel is that Mach E battery weight combined with releasing so many models simultaneously resulted in the short coming. I would guess it will be addressed in a mid-cycle refresh.

Note: My family owns car dealerships - I have driven just about everything on the road so I have a good feel for suspensions and what is normal for all types of cars.
 
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IMO - all the Mach E’s have the issue... it all comes down to road conditions. I have come across two roads in 2,500 miles of driving that exhibited the complainants mentioned by the OP. First, southbound I35 in Northern Oklahoma was brutal. Second, the road I have to travel on at 35 MPH during my daily commute is brutal... everything else feels perfect. I can tell you I have never felt a similar phenomenon in another car... it is as if the suspension gets excited until it “bottoms out.”

If all roads were similar to the two mentioned above the car would be traded in.... as it stands I am ok with it. My gut feel is that Mach E battery weight combined with releasing so many models simultaneously resulted in the short coming. I would guess it will be addressed in a mid-cycle refresh.

Note: My family owns car dealerships - I have driven just about everything on the road so I have a good feel for suspensions and what is normal for all types of cars.
If this is present in all Mach E's then I think it would be a major issue/deal breaker for a lot of us - unless Ford realizes / acknowledges / fixes the problem. If not, you'd have to base your buying decision on the type(s) of roads you (mostly?) drive on. That would be nuts.
 

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Came from a BMW550i and this ride is comparable to that car. Mine is a First Edition ER AWD. I don't find it bouncy. What mode are you driving it in....Unbridled? Might be worth taking in to your dealership.
 

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Well, I tried to see what I could with the shocks without trying to squeeze under the car. I don't really see any model numbers that correlate to what was posted. There are some tags with CX727 marked in them on the front ones and QR codes, and some other numbers. CX727 seems to be the internal Ford reference number for the Mach-E. The rear shocks tell me nothing really. There are some serial numbers of sorts and a QR code, but nothing that aligns to anything posted for the shocks.

20210323_072442.jpg


20210323_072242.jpg


20210323_072257.jpg
Do you know the location history of your car from manufacture to delivery? I'm looking at the weather history for Chicago and I notice the area had arctic type weather all through February with temperatures hitting as low as -10 degrees F. I'm thinking if some water might have found it's way into the shock absorber oil during manufacture. A small amount of moisture in the oil would normally be driven off as the dampers heated up in use but, if it sat through that cold spell, it could have damaged the seals or allowed the nitrogen charge to leak out.

Alternatively, the cold weather could have caused the new (un-broken-in) seals to stiffen up enough it allowed the pressurized nitrogen in the dampers to leak out, especially if the car was strapped down on a train or car-carrier through the arctic conditions. I know, the dampers should be able to handle this but weather that cold can do funny things to materials. Especially if the vehicle suspension was strapped down or the first use of the vehicle was in arctic conditions. Do you know the movement of the vehicle before delivery and on what date did you take delivery?

Also, those damper covers (accordion-like) shown in your first picture, I believe you should be able lift them up (or push them down) and see the damper shafts. I would look for signs of leaking oil with a flashlight.

The more I think about this, I think losing the nitrogen charge is the most likely culprit from a position of statistical likelihood (assuming the dampers are nitrogen charged which I assume they are).

Do you have an appointment to look at the problem with Ford service yet?
 
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Do you know the location history of your car from manufacture to delivery? I'm looking at the weather history for Chicago and I notice the area had arctic type weather all through February with temperatures hitting as low as -10 degrees F. I'm thinking if some water might have found it's way into the shock absorber oil during manufacture. A small amount of oil would normally be driven off as the dampers heated up in use but, if it sat through that cold spell, it could have damaged the seals.

Alternatively, the cold weather could have caused the new (un-broken-in) seals to stiffen up enough it allowed the pressurized nitrogen in the dampers to leak out, especially if the car was strapped down on a train or car-carrier through the arctic conditions. I know, the dampers should be able to handle this but weather that cold can do funny things to materials. Especially if the vehicle suspension was strapped down or the first use of the vehicle was in arctic conditions. Do you know the movement of the vehicle before delivery and on what date did you take delivery?

Also, those damper covers (accordion-like) shown in your first picture, I believe you should be able lift them up (or push them down) and see the damper shafts. I would look for signs of leaking oil with a flashlight.

Do you have an appointment to look at the problem with Ford service yet?
My car arrived at the dealer on March 4th, I believe, which was definitely after the brunt of the really cold weather, so it would not be anything weather related. I picked it up with a total of 4 miles on it, so it had not been driving around extensively or anything. I can try to take a look at the dampers, but am guessing I won't find anything wrong. I don't have an appointment for service yet because I need to drive the car out of state for a couple of weeks, but will have it checked out when I get back.
 

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Have you tried taking out the front seats and replacing with lawn chairs? That worked in my 2019 Mercedes S-class. Rides like a dream now.

I do love this thread and thanks for bringing it to our attention as I definitely have a list of things to test before I sign on the dotted line once mine gets here.
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