This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
Re: the death wobble we have a 2011 Ford F250 Super Duty diesel pick up with less than 20,000 miles. It is like new, but has developed a serious mechanical defect. Ford Motor Company has tried up to (11) eleven fixes for this life threatening problem with no success. None of these "fixes" apply on this pick up. Now since the pick up is older than 3 yrs. Even with such low mileage they want us to pay for "trying" out more possible fixes that have currently been unsuccessful for all these Ford 250 & 350 pick ups. This should be at the Ford Motor Company's expense. The bottom line, it should be bought back by Ford since it is not yet proven to be fixable. Problem: The "death wobble" as described on the internet. (see website below). This occurs anytime these Ford Super Duty 250 or 350 pickups reach 20K miles. This occurs when driving over 40 miles per hour if at anytime a bump, rough road, or pothole in the road is hit. The operator looses control of the vehicle. This vehicle is worse than the internet video as confirmed by the bend Oregon Ford dealership. Applying the brakes makes it worse. It has to be allowed to slow down on its own. The vibration is so violent it takes all ones strength to keep it on the road. It's one of the more frightening experiences you'll encounter behind the wheel. The vehicle is shaking so badly you think it'll fall apart and that you're going to die. That's why it's called death wobble. Https://www.youtube.com/watch"V=8euq6F8rgt4 https://www.youtube.com/watch"V=B_lmknw9nhq
The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-250. While driving at approximately 50 mph, the vehicle vibrated violently without warning. The failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the tire shocks, vibration dampener, drag link, tie rod, and all the tires were replaced; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-250. While driving 75 mph, the steering wheel was turned left and right, but the wheels turned to the opposite direction. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The technician diagnosed that the steering box failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 50,500....updated 06/03/15 updated 7/7/2015 updated 10/05/2017
After hitting a bump in the highway the front suspension on our 2011 Ford F250 4X4 pickup began to shake violently. I had to apply the brakes and slow down to about 40 miles per hour to get the shaking to stop. After this incident, the death wobble occurred again several times. I took the vehicle back to the Ford dealership and they replaced the track bar bushing and ball joints at a cost to me of about $400. Now 3,000 miles after the repair was done by Ford the death wobble has occurred again. The violent shaking of the front suspension and steering is a huge safety concern and could easily cause the driver to lose control of the vehicle. Also having to quickly slow the vehicle down 30 or 40 mph to get the front suspension to stop wobbling could easily cause an rear end accident leading to casualties.
- Willcox, AZ, USA
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Ford Super Duty F250 & F350 are well known to have the death wobble. This problem has been an issue for several years. Starting as early as 10000 miles. If the death wobble happens during a rain storm you are pretty certain to lose control of your vehicle. The front end will start shaking violently after hitting the smallest uneven surface in the road. I hear that the Dodge has a similar problem this can be googles and there will be thousands of people discussing this dangerous issue.
My husband was driving through a road construction work zone when suddenly the steering wheel started shaking violently and jumped out of his hands. He lost control of the truck. The other drivers were able to compensate for the out of control truck and an accident was avoided. I went on to research this issue. I found a forum with many others having the same issue. My husband took it to the local dealership where they say they have no knowledge of such issues. They told him it was poor tire pressure or out of alignment. My husband had both checked and there was no problem. I fear it is just a matter of time before there is a severe accident due to this issue. The others say the vehicle continues to do the" death wobble" as it has been coined online. Please have someone look into this problem. I have also emailed Ford Motor Company.
When traveling at highway speeds, if my truck hits a ridge or bump in road, it starts shaking violently up and down. I slow down and fight the wheel to get the truck to the side of the road. So far, this has happened approximately 18 times. Most of the time, it stops shaking as I slow down. Twice it stopped shaking after I crossed traffic to get to edge of road to stop. Very scary! the first time it happened, it bounced up & down so hard, it pulled the wheel out of my hands. As I gently braked to slow down, it stopped bouncing up and down, but then started up again when I hit the next expansion seam on the road. This happened about 6 times on my way to work that day. I was driving approximately 30 mph in the right lane to get to work in a 65 mph zone because I was scared to go faster. Traffic was zooming around me and honking. The vertical shaking didn't happen again for about 3 months although I traveled the same highway with the same bumps and the same speed (gritting my teeth). My mechanic examined the truck 2 days after the first round of incidents and found no problems with the front end, steering, or shocks. Nothing was loose, broken, or out of specs. I informed Ford.com about the problem and was told to take the vehicle to the dealer. All of the discussion groups said that the dealers could not fix the problem. There seems to be no recall for this incredibly frightening problem. I have always owned Ford trucks (last truck is a 1996 F250 that was a wonderful truck - still have it). As background, there are several videos of this happening on youtube with several discussion groups talking about this problem. The "death wobble" shown in the videos is the same thing I experienced.
While towing my 8000lb trailer, I went over some uneven highway pavement and the entire truck started shaking to the point I was no longer able to control where the truck went I had to left off the gas until it coasted to a top. 50 miles later, I entered a suspension bridge over a 500 foot drop with a tractor trailer coming in the opposite direction. As I crossed over the bridge/road seam the truck started shaking again this time it went in to the lane of the semi truck after leaving a considerable amount of rubber he and I avoided a deadly accident. I googled these symptoms and it appears you have known about this issue for some time, please I beg you for the safety of my family make Ford corporation fix this issue with these trucks.
The front started vibrating violently, only stopped after slowing significantly. The problem was finally diagnosed as steering dampener. The service department was familiar with this problem as the "death wobble". this has been "repaired" three times and is now recurring.
My truck starts shaking violently at 40-60 mph. Steering control is lost and can only be regained by coming to a complete stop. Truck will not switch lanes and pulling over to the shoulder is impossible due to loss of steering. Shaking is violent to the point of loosening bolts. Taken to dealer to be checked under warranty. They claimed it was air pressure or the need for new tires. The vehicles tires are in good condition and air pressure is set at factory recommended levels. Ford says this behavior is normal. A serious accident extremely possible. An independent suspension shop claims issue is due to defective ball joints, lack of steering damper, and defective control arms.
When hitting a bump or pot hole at highway speed the front tires wobble uncontrollably until you all but stop. This could catch someone off guard to crash into someone on the highway.
Truck developed a violent shake in the front end and became uncontrollable. Have to stop immediately before vehicle will stop shaking. The issue is referred to the "Ford death wobble" with many recorded instances of this on the web and youtube. Issue has gotten worse and is unsafe to drive. Has been in the Ford dealer and many new parts replaced but problem persist. Ford dealer cannot seem to correct so it has been in two other garages for second opinions. Contacted Ford Motor Company and they have no recalls or any knowledge of this problem. Vehicle is a danger to the highway.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-250. The contact stated that while driving 60 mph, the vehicle began shaking abnormally. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer, who stated that they would balance all for tires and performed and alignment check. The vehicle was repaired however, the problem persisted. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 22,500.
Driving East bound on the 91 freeway in the diamond lane I drove over a roadway imperfection. As soon as I hit it with my left front tire the vehicle made a violent motion to the left almost causing me to strike the center divider. This happened several other times before I returned the vehicle to the dealer to have it checked (12/16/2010). By this time, striking an imperfection with either front tire caused the vehicle to move laterally, left or right. After several visits to the Ford dealer without remedy, a Ford engineer was summoned for a test drive. We drove the vehicle to a spot I consistently have the problem and it violently pulled to the left when the front left tire hit the spot (transition road: 405 freeway to the northbound 710 freeway). Both the engineer and the service manager were in the vehicle at that time and both felt what I was complaining about. Later that same day I was looking at a Ford Fusion with my son and the Ford engineer drove into the lot in a new Ford Super Duty 4X4 that he had driven to that same location. He told me and my son that the new vehicle did the same thing and he would report back to Ford so that they could do something about it. I was later contacted by the Ford manager and told that my problem was within Ford tolerance for the vehicle. He also told me I could probably go over to the four wheel drive parts store and purchase something that might help with the problem. I continue to have this problem but it appears to be getting worse. Even my friends who drive with me complain about this issue telling me I need to do something about it. This past week I contacted Ford again via their fix-it hot line and spoke with one of their representatives who looked into my complaint (he spoke with the Ford manager and Ford engineer). Today he advised me the problem was normal for the vehicle. Anyone else complaining?
While driving at freeway speed hit pothole and truck began to shake violently. Pulled of the freeway to inspect and everything looked ok. Got back onto freeway and crossed over a bridge and the same violent shake happened until I slowed down to about 40 mph. Dropped truck off at dealer on way home from work.
While driving on straight roads, if you encounter rough road surface (construction, pothole, etc) steering and front end of the vehicle begins to oscillate violently. It is almost like the oscillation creates a harmonic frequency that increases the intensity to a degree that the vehicle must be slowed or stopped to recover.
I was traveling South on highway 99 in the central valley of California North of visalia, ca. I was maintaining my speed in the fast (second lane) lane between 65 and 70 mph on a portion of the highway that was recently laid with fresh asphalt. This of course, made the road surface very smooth although there was some transition portions of the road surface with a few rougher sections. Going over one of the transitions the front end of the truck began to shake violently. I immediately attempted to slow down which was very dangerous due to the amount of traffic both behind me and to the slow lane to my right. I believe the other drives saw my situation and allowed me to pull to the slow lane to get control of the truck. Once my speed was reduced to around 35 to 40 mph, the shaking stopped. The passenger who was with me was undoubtedly shaken up - no bun intended. Unfortunately, this was the second time I experienced the "death wobble" that so many other Ford truck owners have experienced. The first occurrence was about three months earlier while traveling on the golden state highway in bakersfield, ca. My speed at that time was 60 mph and began to shake uncontrollably after passing over a concrete to concrete transition in the road. Following both events I took my truck to the local Ford dealer for diagnosis. My dealer is jim burke Ford, bakersfield, ca. The first time into service the dealer changed out the steering stabilize and said all other front end and steering components checked out fine. The steering stabilizer change out was funny because I had replaced the original one and installed a new bilstein brand steering stabilizer on the truck a few months prior. I have enjoyed this truck but it is beginning to scare my as I'm concerned another event could result in a serious accident. Please help us Ford truck owners. Thank you.
I have an F-250 Super Duty FX4. The truck only has 15,000 miles and last year in Oct, 2012 the truck had a violent shimmy in the front end at 9,000 miles. This occurred on two different occasions and I took the truck to the dealer and they replaced the steering stabilizer and the problem was fixed for about a year. The truck has started this shaking again. This has occurred three different times in the last month. This happens if I change lanes that are uneven at about 35-40 mph and will also happen at speeds greater than 60 mph if the road is a bit bumpy. It is very scary and the truck is uncontrollable until the shaking stops.
App. One year ago, I started having trouble with my truck. It would shake if I hit a rough spot or bridge approach at 60 to 70 miles an hour, causing the steering wheel and the whole truck to shake. I've had it to the dealer a number of times and have spent about $2100 and it's still doing it. At times it shakes really hard and to get it to quit I have to bring my speed down to 30 miles an hour. That is very dangerous on the interstate with all the traffic. Ford says it does that sometimes, I've had 6 F250's from 1999 to present and none of them have ever done this, except this truck. Have you ever had any more complaints of this nature? please contact me on what to do. The dealer has contacted Ford Motor Com. They are the ones that says it suppose to do it sometimes. It done that 6 times in a 10 hour drive 2 weeks ago.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Christmas Valley, OR, USA