I have a 2003 Ford Focus LX (manual transmission)with almost 19,000 miles. Lately this car has been making thumping noises somewhere from the underneath of the car on the front drivers side (you can really notice it from the brake, clutch and gas pedals) when braking to a stop, when it is in second gear, and when it is going around 55 to 60 miles a hour and it makes a strong steering wheel vibration at 75 to 80 miles a hour.
I have took it back to the dealership 4 times now. They gave the car a front-end realignment, rotated the tires (twice), balanced the tires (twice), and lately turned the front rotors, but it still has not alleviate the problem yet. I am frustrated that I am continuing to pay for all these repairs and these thumping noises and steering vibrations still exist. I do not know what to do now or who to turn to.
My co-worker told me she had this kind of problem before and she found out after numerous repairs that the reason for this was that one of her vehicle's front tire rim was cracked. Could this be the problem?
Tags: focus, ford, LX, tire, vibration