I have a 2005 Ford Focus with 130,000 Km. I am on my 5th set of tires and I think I need a another set. The rear tires come out of balance quickly when driven at 120 kph. For example, I drove 2040km over three days after having the tires balanced at 100 to 140 kph. After 1000 km some vibration was apparent. By the end of the trip the vibration was as bad as when I took the car in for balancing. I took it to the dealer where I bought it 3 times for this and poor fuel mileage. He first told me there was mud in the wheels , then the tires were worn out (40,000Km) I replaced the tires and by 50,000 Km they were vibrating again. I had them rebalanced after removing the wheels and washing any dirt out. I also picked out any pebbles stuck in the tire tread. They were vibrating again by 60,000 Km. I took the car to the dealer again and was told the tires were defective. I replaced the them with a different brand which started to vibrate again by 80,000 Km. I went to a different dealer and they did a 4 wheel alignment. They could not get the right rear wheel to come into correct alignment unless they replaced a suspension component. (Chamber not quite right but it was close) I was told the problem would be solved by this but I needed to replace the tires again. I did replace the tires and this time they stayed pretty good for about 15,000 Km. Fuel mileage numbers went up by about 7 percent s after the wheel alignment. Now they are vibrating again. The right rear tire looks worn ( this is the wheel that they could not completely adjust) while the rest are in good shape. I think the wheel alignment is still not right and the rear suspension has been wrong from day one. Is this a common problem with the Focus? The dealers I spoke to claimed it was unusual. Is there anything that can cause the wheels to go out of balance other than misalignment?
Tags: 2005, focus, rear, tire, vibration, wear