  We analyse theoretically a relation between the vibrational generation rate
of a single adsorbate by tunneling electrons and the inelastic tunneling (IET)
current in scanning tunneling microscope, and the influence of the vibrational
excitations on the rate of adsorbate motions. Special attention is paid to the
effects of finite lifetime of the vibrational excitations. We show that in the
vicinity and below the IET threshold the rate of adsorbate motion deviates from
a simple power-law dependence on the bias voltage due to the effects of bath
temperature and adsorbate vibrational lifetime broadenings. The temperature
broadening appears to be confined near the threshold voltage within a narrow
region of several $k_B T$, whereas the lifetime broadening manifests itself in
a much wider region of applied voltages below the IET threshold.
