Intermittent Vibration at Highway Speed

[Scallywags]

2020 SX AWD w/tow

Hoping someone can help me diagnose this. The main issue is when driving on highway with cruise control set at speeds ranging from 60 to 80mph the car develops a very noticeable vibration. It occurs when the cruise is consistently applying throttle. If I tap the breaks or bump down the cruise speed enough that the car removes all throttle the vibration immediately stops. What is odd to me is that sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn’t. I can most consistently replicate the heavy vibration when using cruise control to hold a set speed, I can go 20-30 min without it showing up, then vibration will develop seemingly for no reason because nothing changed in my driving or speed. The vibration comes on quickly and sustains until throttle is removed.

I’m currently on a long road trip for Thanksgiving so I’m on the highway a lot. It developed on day 2 of the trip. I took it tot a tire shop and had all 4 tires rebalanced which seemed to help some but definitely did not eliminate problem.

Wtf!?

 

[KMiles]

Some things to look at - motor mounts, suspension bushings, loose shock/strut, driveshaft, bent wheel. I've had all of those cause vibrations in the past. My experience with the Telluride is limited and mine is still almost new. You did the first thing that I would do in checking the tire balance. Do any of the tires have strange wear patterns? You could also have an alignment issue.

 

[NickyRay]

2020 SX AWD w/tow

Hoping someone can help me diagnose this. The main issue is when driving on highway with cruise control set at speeds ranging from 60 to 80mph the car develops a very noticeable vibration. It occurs when the cruise is consistently applying throttle. If I tap the breaks or bump down the cruise speed enough that the car removes all throttle the vibration immediately stops. What is odd to me is that sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn’t. I can most consistently replicate the heavy vibration when using cruise control to hold a set speed, I can go 20-30 min without it showing up, then vibration will develop seemingly for no reason because nothing changed in my driving or speed. The vibration comes on quickly and sustains until throttle is removed.

I’m currently on a long road trip for Thanksgiving so I’m on the highway a lot. It developed on day 2 of the trip. I took it tot a tire shop and had all 4 tires rebalanced which seemed to help some but definitely did not eliminate problem.

Wtf!?

Same exact thing is happening to my 2020 KIA Telluride to. The wobbles/vebration & shake are concerning when I have my whole family on board.

 

[agsmith]

I had the same issue returning from a roadtrip this past weekend - 2020 SX with 75k miles. Another thread here (drive-train-vibrations-at-60-75ish-mph.13836) mentions vibrations at highway speed but seems different from what you are describing. Like you, when I tapped the brakes / turned off cruise control, it stopped the vibration immediately. There is a service bulletin.

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[Excogitator]

Vibrations can be SO many things that the only thing I can recommend is having an expert look at it. I recently thought my Land Cruiser was vibrating and riding harsh due to worn bushings but I was wrong. It had a worn upper control arm, worn ball joint and worn out shocks. Vibrations can also come from a tire with a separated tread or sidewall. Or, bad wheel bearing. Loose wheel. Shock mount., Etc. Etc. Don't look for a diagnosis here. Take your Telluride to a pro.

 

[Scallywags]

I had the same issue returning from a roadtrip this past weekend - 2020 SX with 75k miles. Another thread here (drive-train-vibrations-at-60-75ish-mph.13836) mentions vibrations at highway speed but seems different from what you are describing. Like you, when I tapped the brakes / turned off cruise control, it stopped the vibration immediately. There is a service bulletin.

Very helpful thank you! My local Kia dealer is running through the steps of the TSB right now and said they will pay for all repairs if the issue is related to the TSB. Not sure if that’s standard or not but it would be second time they’ve paid for major repairs addressed within a TSB (self leveling rear shocks replaced last year).

 

[Scallywags]

@admin can you please move this topic to drivetrain please? The issue pertains to the propeller shaft.

 

[G-41599]

i’m having the same problem , 2020 kia telluride, did you guys ever get it diagnosed??

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[Scallywags]

Not yet, dealer couldn't replicate the issue because they're morons. Their policy is test drive customer car at 55mph max when step #1 of the TSB inspection & repair workflow is to "drive at highway speeds for 20 min" and determine if vibration is present between 60-75mph. The vibration has only been present in cold weather and I live in FL. Since I know it's going to be a battle to overcome their level of stupidity I haven't made it a priority. However, last week it started vibrating on the way to the Miami airport so I'll have to engage pretty soon. I'll report back here on how it goes...

 

[Scallywags]

Here's a video I took of the vibration. Cruise set at 70. As soon as I put input into the steering wheel it stopped. Ironically the phone's anti-vibration settings on the camera made it hard to see but you can see the cups vibrating.

 

[MrMCar]

Definitely weird, I guess I have yet another question, based around the throttle. the throttle is (usually) in one of three states;
Negative; throttle is not applied and backed off.
Neutral; Just maintaining (50% slight on. 50% slight off) and really just maintaining around a perfectly flat road.
Positive; Throttle is beyond the neutral point and asking the engine to accelerate & gain speed.

Do you suppose that switching from your right foot to the cruise control temporarily gets the driveline into a very neutral state?
I'm just trying to ascertain if something like a driveshaft coupling or center joint (being loaded or unloaded) might be the culprit.

Furthermore if you KNOW the exact speed (you said 70) accelerate to 80, let off and place the vehicle into neutral. When coasting down back through "the spot", is it there?

Report back and let us know...

 

[Scallywags]

I had about 1,500 miles of a road trip to experiment so I have a pretty good grasp. I think you have given a great description of throttle status. My vibration always occurs in the “neutral” throttle position and always when cruise control holding it steady. Flat ground doesn’t really matter. I drove through the Smokey Mountains and vibration occurred going up/downhill. It’s all about sustained speed. I don’t think I ever had it occur under manual throttle control. It doesn’t seem to be more frequent at a specific speed but only shows up at highway speeds between 65-80 mph. Maybe it also happens at 90 mph or whatever but that’s irrelevant to me as I’m not likely to cruise at that speed.

As soon as there is ANY change to throttle input which could come from me cancelling cruise control, accelerating, braking, or putting in some moderate steering input the vibration stops.

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[Scallywags]

Tagging this TSB here since it appears I can't find the thread mentioned earlier. This is exactly my car's issue but it only happens when the weather is cold which is not often in the sunshine state.

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2022/MC-10206644-0001.pdf

 

[G-88286]

Thank you so much for the link! This was driving me crazy!