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.
Vehicle has experienced "death wobble, " a common and well documented occurrence in Ford F250 and F350 model trucks. This has occurred on multiple occasions since 2006, and most recently on 4/26/2022. The incident occurred while traveling approximately 45 MPH, and hitting a small bump in the road. When the "death wobble" occurs, the vehicle shakes violently and is difficult to control. This creates a hazardous situation for the occupants of the vehicle and other vehicles/pedestrians in the vicinity of the vehicle. Prior and current attempts to contact Ford service departments, typically involves Ford stating there is not a recall and any repair outside of warranty are the responsibility of owner. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. There is no warning prior to the "death wobble, " and occurs when the vehicle is travelling at speed more than 45 MPH.
My truck experiences what I have learned is called the death wobble. The condition occurs intermittently but usually at speeds above 50mph and seems to be initiated by hitting any small bump. The whole front end shakes violently like the tires have been half filled with lead causing them to rotate wildly out of round. The truck actually bounces up and down rapidly and the steering wheel shakes violently creating a very unsafe driving circumstance. My research into this issue uncovered that this is a well-known condition that has been reported multiple times by many different Ford truck owners and that it occurs on Ford trucks of various year make and model. I also am aware of Fords service letter 09L02 advising owners to maintain proper air pressure to combat the issue. It is my opinion that Fords efforts to address this issue are woefully inadequate and the NHTSA has allowed this manufacturer to produce and provide an unsafe vehicle to the public for way to long. This is a hazardous condition that needs to be properly addressed.
Driving East on interstate I10 East of benson, AZ at around 75mph, hit a rough patch of road and the vehicle went wild, shaking, vibrating, loss of control. I hit the brakes and went across 3 lanes of traffic into the medium, where I skidded to a stop. I see from the internet this is called the F350 death wobble! the Ford F350 and all related vehicles need to be taken off the roads, they are a potential death trap. I could have been killed or seriously injured in this accident or even worse some innocent family could have been killed in a head on accident! my Ford F350 vehicle has around 60,000 miles, superduty, 4X4. It is in excellent condition with a cab over camper.
I was riding down hwy55 at about 65 to 70 mph and truck starts to wobble and bounce uncontrollably. The truck bounced to the other side of the road. I thought I had a flat. After gathering myself I got out to check truck and there was no flats and all lugs was there. I thought maybe I ran over something but about 12 miles down the trucks does it again. But there are many cars behind and on the side of me. Cars and trucks are going down the of road to get out of way. This is so a very frighten and horrible experience when you are not prepared or aware of about this truck. Ford to be on of the top truck manufacture it greatly sadden me to know that you are visually aware of the trucks deathly defect for over 15 years. You have not made an effort to provide a safe durable product to protect your royal customers or yourselves. Technology has afforded many seen application to do so. Yet you have ignore what is your company future.
Death wobble, the truck shakes violently when I drive on the freeway since day one when I bought it. The dealer won't fix it that, there's nothing wrong with it.and the dealer says to remove air from the tires and it should stop the shaking.
- San Jose, CA, USA
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Truck has a steering problem.most of the time truck travels strait.some times after making a turn right or left the truck continues travel in that direction! I have to yang hard on the steering wheel back in opposite dirrection to get truck back in its lane!also sometimes the truck out of the clear blue truck take off to the right or left an I have T pull the wheel in opposite direction to get truck back in it's lane!other times going than the road the truck hits a bump in the road an truck will either go right or left an steering wheel has to be pull the opposite direction to get it back in it's lane! I notice this same problem has been reported before an no one has been able to fix it! mechanics say it's the steering pump or steering box which has not corrected any body's truck that that has both these parts replace! this can cause a major accident Ford should fix this problem
Driving on interstate at approx 60 mph, hit patch in road, lost control of vehicle, death wobble, almost caused crash with 6 other vehicles. Went straight to dealership told it was steering shimmy shock failure. Alignment. Pay for out of pocket, although had same truck in shop for front end repairs in January 2019.
While towing my large camper, on the freeway, I hit a bump. The front end of the truck started shaking violently. It was all I could do to stop the truck without wrecking. I had to stop in the traffic lane. This was an extremely dangerous situation. After resuming travel, the front end would shimmy at about 45 mph. I had to drive home at 40 mph...roughly another 75 miles. I think I have seen an advisory letter from Ford, to owners, concerning this. There are many, many instances of this happening. One can find dozens of examples of this happening if one looks on line. Neither Ford nor the local Ford dealer seems to be aware of the problem. We were traveling at about 60 mph at the time of the incident.
Ford F-350 2006 oscillation I have filed a previous complaint before re the violent oscillation that happens with our Ford F-350 truck. We have had more events at slower speeds and the shaking is almost unmanageable now. Wednesday May 11 approx 1pm exiting the bourne bridge MA. I was driving at approx 40mph and exiting the bridge. There was a rough construction patch on the road right where the road connects to the bridge. As I hit the rough patch, the oscillation began and the truck shook uncontrollably approaching the rotary. There was a lot of traffic and cars in the lane beside me that could have been damaged. May 20, 2016 at approx 5pm. My husband was driving West on highway route 6, cape cod MA at approx 55mph. As he passed exit 6, he hit a rough patch and the truck began oscillating violently. He was unable to control it and swerved in both lanes of the westerly 2-lane highway also rubbing against the curb. Luckily the traffic stopped when seeing his truck out of control and no one was hurt other than my husband being totally shaken. The tires have been inflated as recommended by Ford when the sent a letter re this defect. This truck is dangerous, not only to us but others who are on the road. I have contacted the Plymouth Ford dealer where the truck was purchased, Ford customer service and Ford head office. Even though they acknowledge the trucks are defective, they say they are not responsible for repairing them. Our truck is oscillating really badly and is dangerous to drive. This should be a recall, not only for those of us driving these defective Ford F-350 2006 trucks, but for the other innocent lives on the road.
The contact owns a 2006 Ford F-350. While driving over a bump at 35 mph, the vehicle vibrated violently. In addition, the steering wheel also vibrated. The failure recurred on numerous occasions. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, but the contact was unsure as to what repair was performed on the front suspension of the vehicle. The failure persisted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 120.
Ford F-350 2006 complaint. We have experienced violent shaking (shimmying) when the truck hits a bump on the highway and as a result, extreme difficulty maintaining the vehicle on the road. Our first experience was in August 2015, on the interstate highway while travelling at 75mp. We hit a bump and the truck / steering wheel shook violently for about 10 seconds causing us to swerve across lanes and struggle to keep the truck in the lane and out of traffic's way. We have since experienced this problem four more times hitting bumpy highways at speeds as low as 50mmp and as recent as 2 weeks ago. We have checked it out and our mechanic advised that he could not find anything wrong. It has been a great concern of ours as it puts our lives (and those on the road with us) at danger when this issue occurs. Additionally, every time the violent shaking occurs, it throws off the alignment and balancing for the truck. We have just received a letter from Ford advising of this problem and I have called the service center from the Ford dealer we bought the vehicle from. Ford is not assuming responsibility for any diagnosis or repairs to these defects at this time. Our tire pressure is in keeping with Ford's recommendations as they suggest in their letter. Ford F-350 trucks should not be approved for use on highways as this defect could result in fatal accidents if the shaking cannot be controlled. Also, Ford should be responsible for repairing the faulty trucks.
Shimmy in front end forces loss of steering control. Shimmy occurs at speeds over 50 mph. Has nothing to do with tire pressure, contrary to Ford Motor Company claims. This is a problem with the front end steering design and should be reviewed in greater detail by the NHTSA and fixed with more than a letter from Ford telling me to check the air pressure in my tires. Air pressure is perfect and the problem still exists.
Steering wobble and shakes. This has been getting worse as time goes on. Anytime I hit a bump on the freeway my truck starts to violently shake and wobble. It is even worse on a road curve. It is very dangerous to driving on the freeway in the mountains. I few times I almost lost control. The shake does not go away until I slow down below 40mph which causes another dangerous situation while on the freeway. I have changed tires, checked pressure and rotated tires. Also, I replaced steering dampener. Nothing has worked to diminish the shake. I also had the 4 wheel alignment checked and the shop showed me that it was correct. They checked everything and could not find anything that was worn out and needed changing. I was told no repairs needed. This is a very dangerous situation and needs to be corrected before bodies start piling up.
The contact owns a 2006 Ford F-350. The contact stated that the suspension was unstable and would shake while the vehicle was being driven around a curve or at various speeds sporadically. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer for diagnostic testing where the dealer replaced the power steering hoses and the steering stabilizer however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic, who stated that a caster adjustment would need to be performed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but declined to provide the contact a remedy to repair the vehicle. The failure mileage was 20,000.
The contact owns a 2006 Ford F-350. The contact stated that the while driving approximately 35 mph, the front end of the vehicle and the steering wheel experienced severe vibration after the contact drove over a road dip. The contact stated that the defect would recur when driving at any speed and anytime the vehicle was driven over a dip or road wine. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified and no solution was offered. The failure mileage was 60,000.
Driving vehicle with fifth wheel 31 ft camper in tow vehicle lurched to the left and attempts to correct found great resistance in steering response. On several occasions since and at no specific speed the vehicle will lurch to the left or right or shimmy to the point that steering becomes almost unresponsive. I had the vehicle checked and was advised nothing was in need of replacement. Then I received a letter from Ford Motor Co describing the exact steering situation that I am experiencing along with recommendations to keep tires inflated properly, which I have and continue to have correct. I contacted Ford to voice my concern and was advised this is "just a normal quality of a solid front axel 4 wheel drive truck". I use this vehicle to pull a camper and when this "severe vibration and oscillation" occurs it causes the truck/trailer to lurch so far as to cause it to shift lanes. This problem occurs at all speeds, even highway speeds of 70mph. I was also told that the letter was only a "notification of the situation and how to avoid" and not a recall. Furthermore, Ford advised that I take the vehicle in to a Ford dealer at my cost to ensure that this was the cause of the problem. This situation is severe enough that it could and perhaps has been the cause of traffic accidents. How long will this be allowed to go on before a recall is issued? having identified a vehicle steering problem, that in my opinion could be life threatening, should be sufficient cause for a recall to be issued.
Our truck experienced a severe, violent wobble that started after traveling over a uneven spot on the road. We feared for our lives as this occurred while passing another truck on a bridge with heavy traffic behind us. The shaking and wobble continued for about 20 seconds, and did not stop until the truck slowed down to about 40 miles an hour. All our tires have been recommended and installed at the Ford dealership. I maintain tire pressures as indicated on door jam. 75 lb on front and 60 lb on rear tires. There are no aftermarket modifications on our truck. I consider this issue very dangerous, and wonder how many folks may have been injured or killed as a result of their truck suddenly becoming uncontrollable, as ours did.
Bought truck used with approximately 35,000 miles. Driving down the road from 45 to 55 the front suspension gets a terrible shimmy. When this occurs, its hard to handle the truck. The front end shakes violantly. A dangerous situation since I am normally pulling a race car with this truck. Truck is not a daily driver. It's average use is 4 to 6 times per month. In order to get the shimmy to stop, sometimes I can slow down below 40 mph. Otherwise, I have to stop. It may or may not go away. The strange thing is that it does not always do this. The truck has new shocks, new tires, balanced, and aligned. Tires are approved for the truck. The shimmy has become more frequent and is prematurly wearing the tires. Tires are inflated properly for use of the vehicle. Problem has recently started within the last 6 to 7 months. Mileage is currently 78,490. Therefore shimmy started at approximately 75, 000 miles.
Upon driving at highway posted speed, I encountered a bump in the road while in a turn. Upon hitting the bump, it sent my front-end into a violent speed-wobble which almost put my family and I into the retaining wall. Being that I'm a former state police officer, I may have "saved" us only by being highly trained within driving and vehicle control. I have read forums with many stating that they have experienced the same flaw, some with not very god endings.
Stopped at a traffic light at a three way intersection. When light changed proceeded through the intersection to the left speed was between 10-15 mph half way through the intersection when the steering box failed. Lost all steering and collided with telephone pole opposite the intersection.there was no prior warning or preemptive signs of equipped failure. The vehicle was in perfect working order at the time of failure. The collision center who did the estimate on the truck stated he had never seen a steering box fail the way this one did the pinion gear in side exploded!
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Gurley, AL, USA