Bubbling / Shuddering Tonneau cover while driving

[Maxximus]

I have had many trucks and many soft tonneau covers over the years. Just purchased a new 2024 XLT Hybrid with Factory tri-fold tonneau cover. Looks beautiful with the Ford logo. The thing scares me how much it fills with air and shudders while driving at highway speed. Mostly the first 1-2 feet behind the rear window. I have checked the fit and tightness of all tensioners. It came from factory with the cover basically touching my back glass which I feel is too close to the window, it was barely sealing at the tailgate. I moved it back just enough to make it look correct at the tailgate while still completely sealing at the front. No change at all. It has to be sucking air in from somewhere. Has anyone experienced this to this level? On my previous trucks I have ordered covers and sent them back for another brand because of this. Some are much better than others. Not sure what brand Ford is using? I am not impressed with the strength of the rail system. When snugging down it basically just starts bending the thin metal strip inward so I stopped tightening at that point. Thanks for any suggestions.

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[Mavrik23]

I have had many trucks and many soft tonneau covers over the years. Just purchased a new 2024 XLT Hybrid with Factory tri-fold tonneau cover. Looks beautiful with the Ford logo. The thing scares me how much it fills with air and shudders while driving at highway speed. Mostly the first 1-2 feet behind the rear window. I have checked the fit and tightness of all tensioners. It came from factory with the cover basically touching my back glass which I feel is too close to the window, it was barely sealing at the tailgate. I moved it back just enough to make it look correct at the tailgate while still completely sealing at the front. No change at all. It has to be sucking air in from somewhere. Has anyone experienced this to this level? On my previous trucks I have ordered covers and sent them back for another brand because of this. Some are much better than others. Not sure what brand Ford is using? I am not impressed with the strength of the rail system. When snugging down it basically just starts bending the thin metal strip inward so I stopped tightening at that point. Thanks for any suggestions.

I bought an aftermarket roll-up cover, not the tri-fold style. I noticed the shuddering with mine, too, but at the tailgate end. It surprisingly keeps water out of the bed so I figured it was just normal operation at higher speeds. But I could be wrong because I never had a tonneau cover before. Let's see what others have to say.

 

[Skulls Road]

I have had many trucks and many soft tonneau covers over the years. Just purchased a new 2024 XLT Hybrid with Factory tri-fold tonneau cover. Looks beautiful with the Ford logo. The thing scares me how much it fills with air and shudders while driving at highway speed. Mostly the first 1-2 feet behind the rear window. I have checked the fit and tightness of all tensioners. It came from factory with the cover basically touching my back glass which I feel is too close to the window, it was barely sealing at the tailgate. I moved it back just enough to make it look correct at the tailgate while still completely sealing at the front. No change at all. It has to be sucking air in from somewhere. Has anyone experienced this to this level? On my previous trucks I have ordered covers and sent them back for another brand because of this. Some are much better than others. Not sure what brand Ford is using? I am not impressed with the strength of the rail system. When snugging down it basically just starts bending the thin metal strip inward so I stopped tightening at that point. Thanks for any suggestions.

I have the same one and have all the same complaints. We get some serious wind speeds where I live and I can actually hear the cover puffing up and and deflating rapidly.

 

[HoiToid]

I had an aftermarket soft tri-fold, it billowed so much it looked like a circus tent flopping; it looked like it was going to fly off at highway speeds ( if it had, then serious situation for anyone behind me), plus I didn't see how it could last 6 months with all that stress on the stitching and frame. I took it off. I was behind a Maverick today and the soft cover was flopping, but not as bad as mine was.
Also, I put tailgate weatherstripping on to help block air input, that helped some but not enough for me to feel confident that I was driving a safe vehicle

 

[CurtisB]

It's a personal choice. I had soft covers in the past. Regretted it for the reasons you noted. Tri-fold Hard cover is arriving (hopefully) this weekend. About $360 including shipping. Probably not as good as the ones for $1,000, but I'm ok with that. Just didn't want another soft cover.

 

[Jman79]

I got a hybrid soft / hard cover. It's basically a soft cover but with 1/8 thick PVC sheets under the fabric. It billows a bit just behind the rear window.

I believe the fast air moving over the cover with stagnant air inside create a vacuum effect where ever the bed/box isn't sealed. I noticed water being sucked in feet from the tailgate after my first trip in the rain. I sealed the tailgate with weather stripping and it lessoned the effect. I plan to better seal up any points left for water/air infiltration.

 

[MYMAVXL]

I had the same issue on mine... I bought some stick-on velcro strips and installed them on the cover and crossbars. That helped a lot, but there's still some bouncing due to the air coming in. So far, adjusting the cover fit doesn't change anything...way too many ways for air to get in I think...

 

[Maxximus]

It's usually just the quality and fit of the cover. I have an Existing Trifecta Tai-Fold on my RAM and it's perfect, no filling with air at all. I thought about the velcro on the rail but I don't think the adhesive will hold to the canvas for long as much air force is pulling on it. It's 2024...manufacturers can do better testing before they sell their product to us. Just like selling hood deflectors that don't attach properly yet advertised that they do.

 

[MavChris]

I've had a soft tri fold from Rough Country for a little over a year. It does shudder some at highway speeds. I found what worked best for me is to NOT have the front edge of the cover right up against the back window. With the gap in the front the back of the cover goes exactly to the line in the top plastic of the tail gate. This position has the least amount of shuddering. I've also been happy with how dry the bed stays. Usually have some water that gets in on sides of bed or the front, but minimal.

 

[RickyD]

I ordered the soft tri-fold tonneau from Ford for my 2024 Lariat hybrid. Mine also fluttered. I added a 1" foam pipe insulation to the middle brace. It makes it tight and does not flutter anymore. I also loosened the tonneau and made sure it was tight against the front of the bed.
I'm happy with it, no leaks using a high pressure car wash wand.
Good luck!

 

[Maxximus]

Excellent thought thank you! That is an inexpensive try. I'll report back on this.

 

[Bilbo_B]

I ordered the soft tri-fold tonneau from Ford for my 2024 Lariat hybrid. Mine also fluttered. I added a 1" foam pipe insulation to the middle brace. It makes it tight and does not flutter anymore. I also loosened the tonneau and made sure it was tight against the front of the bed.
I'm happy with it, no leaks using a high pressure car wash wand.
Good luck!

Man, you beat me to this try suggestion. I was thinking that a pool noodle would do the same thing. Does the velcro on the sides come loose in time? My soft cvoer looks very similar but the cross bars are round tubes. Anther way might be to change out the cross bars for something that's slightly arched.

 

[RickyD]

I looked at pool noodles but they seemed to big. The one inch pipe insulation worked well in my situation. My tonneau cover doesn't have velcro on the sides. It folds up in thirds rather than rolling up.
Good luck!

 

[BILLNOROVILLE]

I have had the Gator SFX tri-fold on since end of December 2021. I called the company and they said flapping was normal. Now have 16k miles on it. I stopped worrying worry about it long ago. Cover has a 10yr warranty on the fabric. Got it from RealTruck, first ever cover I bought. Under 280.00 with tax and shipping. I like that I can take if all the way off in 5 minutes and put it back on in 5 minutes if I haul a motorcycle.

 

[Bilbo_B]

I looked at pool noodles but they seemed to big. The one inch pipe insulation worked well in my situation. My tonneau cover doesn't have velcro on the sides. It folds up in thirds rather than rolling up.
Good luck!

I got my 22 Mav. used and I believe that the Tonneau ( Truxedo TruXport ) came from Ford accessories. It's not on my window sticker. https://accessories.ford.com/advantage-soft-folding-over-the-rails-tonneau-cover-for-4-5-bed
I have been meaning to try the pool noodle idea with some trimming on the sides to get rid of the hard edge. If it doesn't work, there's always a bit more insulation for the copper pipes in the basement. I'll post something as I experiment. I don't think that the flapping is good for the durability of the fabric.

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