Car feels like its steering from the rear?

[wild_one]

Noticed in the last few weeks (not been using the car much for obvious reasons), that at speeds around 60mph in a straight line, the car sometimes feels likes its moving around a little at the rear. I thought it might be my imagination but this 'weird' feeling has been confirmed by passengers. The sensation is similar to driving in a cross wind. There is no issue below 60mph, and in fact slowing down a little settles the car down. But, it doesn't do it all the time, and the same pieces of road always get the same effect. The car is about two years old and has only just started this issue. Interestingly over the last few weeks the car has also had suspension work involving front struts/springs, ARB, rear shocks, spring mounts etc, and at every stage I have nipped the car up the road to see if the issue was resolved and it hasn't. The only thing I can think is that the rear axle beam bushes have failed. But on at least three ocassions i've had a crow bar on them looking for 'play' and found none. Although the sensation is from the rear I suppose in reality it could be the front so I am having an alignment done during the week just to confirm the wheel are all pointing in the right direction at least>

Any ideas guys?

[sussamb]

Provided you've checked tyre pressures sounds like an alignment issue

[Tiexen]

12 hours ago, wild_one said:

 The car is about two years old and has only just started this issue. Interestingly over the last few weeks the car has also had suspension work involving front struts/springs, ARB, rear shocks, spring mounts etc, >

Why would a two year old car need all that work?

 

[Bobr]

My first thought was tyre pressures.

[Milkman]

Take it back and tell them to sort it out. It should have another years warrantee on it and whoever did the work didn't do it properly.

[wild_one]

35 minutes ago, Milkman said:

Take it back and tell them to sort it out. It should have another years warrantee on it and whoever did the work didn't do it properly.

The 'issue' was pre existing. I had attempted to change various items in the hope of curing things. I think it's called the scatter gun approach, which never works. Interestingly the last thing (replacing the shocks) has slightly worsened the issue. Basically, it's only when I'm on a 'fast' road, dual carriageway/motorway and get up 60mph that it might happen. Interestingly, there are two roads that I use that have short stretches that seem to aggrevate the car. I know when they are coming, slowing down settles the car down. It feels like someone is gently pushing the car from side to side. What I don't understand is that it doesnt do it all the time. I understand that the car is more sensitive at high speed, but why not 'all the time' at high speed and not just certain patches of road?

[wild_one]

42 minutes ago, Bobr said:

My first thought was tyre pressures.

There's a lot of posts about tyre pressures on Fiesta's, lots of people finding that the car 'feels' better when the tyres are pumped up. To my mind Ford put a lot of time and effort into tyre pressures and the standard factory pressures are good enough. Unless you are on a track day?

[nicam49]

If one if the trailing arms is cracked it can be quite difficult to detect  visually, Maybe take it to an mot testing station and get them to put it on the lift and give the rear suspension a shakedown. (one guy on a Mondeo forum needed 3 friends bouncing the rear end before he detected the cracked arm) 

[Mavroz]

Not an answer to your issue but why not just go back to the dealer initially before randomly changing parts to fix a previous issue? You would have had warranty left on the vehicle to fix any issues.

[Milkman]

2 hours ago, Mavroz said:

Not an answer to your issue but why not just go back to the dealer initially before randomly changing parts to fix a previous issue? You would have had warranty left on the vehicle to fix any issues.

Exactly, cooked his goose there! They won't touch it now.

[TomsFocus]

Poor wording in this thread...the car is 10 years old, the OP has owned it for the last 2 of those years.  

 

Full alignment check (including rears) is needed next really.  You could always swap tyres front to rear to rule those out, just in case?

[wild_one]

32 minutes ago, Milkman said:

Exactly, cooked his goose there! They won't touch it now.

No supplying dealer? I’ve owned this car two years. Fault only appeared in the last few months? 

[wild_one]

As a little update I had a four a wheel alignment check. Needed a little adjustment to the tracking but other than that it’s spot on (obviously my rear wheels can’t be adjusted but the toe in and camber is factory spec). I explained my problem and the work I’d had done on it over the last few months. The inspected the axle bushes while it was up on the lift and they’re in good nick. They may even have possibly been replaced recently? They said, could be tyre? But they would wouldn’t they? The plot thickens?

[TomsFocus]

4 minutes ago, wild_one said:

As a little update I had a four a wheel alignment check. Needed a little adjustment to the tracking but other than that it’s spot on (obviously my rear wheels can’t be adjusted but the toe in and camber is factory spec). I explained my problem and the work I’d had done on it over the last few months. The inspected the axle bushes while it was up on the lift and they’re in good nick. They may even have possibly been replaced recently? They said, could be tyre? But they would wouldn’t they? The plot thickens?

Sounds like tyres, swap wheels front to rear to see if the wandering moves.

[Milkman]

Sorry Mike, I may have read it wrong, I thought you'd only had the vehicle for a short time. Reminds me of a 1992 Fiesta that my Brother bought for his wife after passing her test, (driving test that is) the car was doing the same as yours, the car came with a full history including past repairs, an elderly lady was the last owner and looking pack through the paperwork one bit of it was an invoice for over £500 for the 'fitment of a new rear axle beam, trailing arms and associated parts'. Thinking that it had not been fitted properly Brother had it checked out and it turned out that the car had been hit in the rear quarter side on and bent the axle beam, and the investigation revealed that the original had been straightened, rather poorly, so the garage where the previous owner had it so called repaired had ripped her off. This 'repair had been done not long before my Brother bought it, armed with this evidence he took it back and demanded they fix it as they stated in black and white or he would get Trading Standards involved, they had to fit a new unit.

[wild_one]

So, we're revisiting this. The car has just been MOT'd yesterday and passed with no advisories. I was hoping for rear axle beam bushes but no it went straight through. I'm reluctant to 'bin' the rear tyres as they are in really good nick with heaps of tread?

On 7/20/2020 at 8:07 PM, Milkman said:

Sorry Mike, I may have read it wrong, I thought you'd only had the vehicle for a short time. Reminds me of a 1992 Fiesta that my Brother bought for his wife after passing her test, (driving test that is) the car was doing the same as yours, the car came with a full history including past repairs, an elderly lady was the last owner and looking pack through the paperwork one bit of it was an invoice for over £500 for the 'fitment of a new rear axle beam, trailing arms and associated parts'. Thinking that it had not been fitted properly Brother had it checked out and it turned out that the car had been hit in the rear quarter side on and bent the axle beam, and the investigation revealed that the original had been straightened, rather poorly, so the garage where the previous owner had it so called repaired had ripped her off. This 'repair had been done not long before my Brother bought it, armed with this evidence he took it back and demanded they fix it as they stated in black and white or he would get Trading Standards involved, they had to fit a new unit.

Thanks, I have investigated the rear beam for damage. I've had the alignment checked on all four wheels and it's spot on. I've had the car nearly two years. The problem only started in the last few months so I'm happy that I've not inherited a 'bent' car. Something, has happened to the car since I've had it. Either a pot hole, or some other impact has done something somewhere? The car 'wanders' a little at speeds over 50mph, not all the time. There are two places local to me where the car will do this little dance every time. I have even had passengers in the car to confirm I'm not going mad. I can reduce the effect by slowing down slightly. I did think the car could be just reacting to tram lines in the road from trucks, but it seems a bit excessive for that (again all four wheels are aligned) and I can't beleive Ford would let a car out like that?

So, bearing in mind the Fiesta is quite simple suspension wise at the rear, and through a process of elimination, it has to be the tyres?