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.
When driving at speeds above 55 miles per hour the pickup will develop a violent vibration commonly known as the death wobble most commonly happening when hitting a dip in the road or a bump. When this happens myself, passengers and other motorists are put at risk of a deadly accident. Most recently it happened doing 75 mph on the freeway, we were almost struck by others trying to stop the pickup and this happened three different times during a trip trying to make it home. I have taken the pickup to the Ford dealership with no solution or long-term fix to the problem for the last 4 years. I have been told that they see nothing wrong with it. I have also taken it too two different tire shops with no long-term solution. I have spent thousands of dollars to try and find a solution by replacing parts, tires twice and replacing the wheels and nothing has worked.
WE own a 2012 Ford F350 and have had two bad incidents with the dreaded -??death wobble-?? and are afraid to even drive it because the truck now seems unsafe as it feels unsturdy as if it is starting to wobble and I don't dare even taking it on the freeway. My daughter had told me that the truck began shaking violently on her while on the freeway and I didn't fully understand what she meant until it happened to me. I was traveling on the freeway in cruise control, going the speed limit of 80 mph. Suddenly the truck began to shake violently. The whole front end, the steering wheel, my arms, my body, etc. were all shaking violently. I hit the brakes. I screamed and was terrified. I thought a tire had blown out or something and was sure I was going to wreck. Upon stopping, I just sat there for a moment in disbelief, trying to catch my breath. I am fortunate that no one hit me as I was halfway in the right lane of traffic. I got out expecting to see some kind of damage but saw none. I slowly drove to the first off ramp and gingerly drove home. Holding onto the steering wheel had left my arms feeling bruised and my mental being shaken. I was telling someone about what happened and he said "Oh, that is called a "Death Wobble" and he told me that Ford Super Duty F250s and F350s were known to have this problem. I went home a went on Google to educate myself about this "Death Wobble" and was so angry that Ford has done nothing to correct this problem or have a recall. I feel very lucky to not have caused or been in a serious accident. I look at this truck and am afraid to even drive it. I read that numerous drivers have reported frightening incidents of losing control of their trucks and that there have been serious accidents with injuries, and even deaths due to this defect on these Ford trucks. They should pay to correct whatever the problem is.
July 10 2023, driving on highway in my 2012 Ford F-350 super duty going 50-55 mph front passenger tire hit small bump in road causing vehicle to -??death wobble-??. Vehicle violently pulled to the left. Luckily there was not a vehicle in that lane otherwise an accident would have ensued. Steering wheel was shaking uncontrollably and I had no control of vehicle until I slowed down to 25 mph. I delivered truck to the Ford dealer on July 11, 2023 explaining my experience. Technician was also able to reproduce the -??death wobble-?? problem and repairs were made at my expense. A year prior to this episode I had noticed a slight wobble in steering but not to this extent. I voiced my concern to the Ford dealer and they had replaced a few ball joints. There has not been any indication of steering issues up to my incident in July 2023. I would like this report to serve as a record as I feel this problem may arise again in the future. My understanding Ford has had issues with -??death wobble-??in their super duty trucks dating from 2005-2019. A recall should be issued from the manufacture regarding the unsafe and poorly engineered front end and steering components.
The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-350. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the steering wheel started vibrating violently, causing the entire vehicle to shake. Upon reducing the speed to 10 MPH, the vehicle returned to normal functionality; however, the failure recurred. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who was able to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 260,000.
Encountered violent shaking of whole truck traveling on I95. Transitioned from a bridge to road surface and the whole vehicle began to violently shake - Loosing all control of steering & braking. Released gas pedal and slowed to shoulder. Was informed later this is a known issue with all Ford Superduty trucks with solid front axle.
- Elkton, MD, USA
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While driving at highway speeds (over 55mph) if you hit a bump in the road, the truck shakes uncontrollably and will not stop until the vehicle is slowed down significantly. I have had the steering dampner replaced and replaced the tires and shocks and still hasn't fixed the problem. This has happened numerous times in the vehicle!!
I purchased my F350 new in 2012. Since that time I have experienced a severe wobble in the front end while I am driving. It starts vibrating at about 45mph and sometimes escalates to where I have to almost slam on the brakes to stop it. It has done this probably 12-15 times and since 2022 it is definitely getting worse and worse. Ford says its my motor mounts, but it has done this since it was new! I read about the "death wobble" on the internet and I definitely have a defective front end. I am concerned that it may cause me to be in a bad accident after having to hit the brakes so hard to stop it. Can you assist?
STERRING WHEEL STARTED SHAKING VIOLENTLY BACK AND FORTH, AS WHEEL AS THE ENTIRE VEHICLE SHAKING. AFTER CHECKING ON LINE FOEND THE TERM "DEATH WOBBLE" ASSOCIATED WITH THESE SYMPTOMS. i WAS TRAVELING AT ABOUT 40 MILES PER HOUR ON A PAVED HIGHWAY. THE ONLY WAY I WAS ABLE TO STOP VIOLENT SHAKING / WOBBLE WAS TO SLOW ALMOST TO A STOP. VEHICLE HAS ABOUT 77,000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. I IMMEDIATELY CONTACTED THE LOCAL DEALER AND MADE AN APPOINTMENT TO HAVE IT CHECKOUT AND REPAIRED. APPOINTMENT IS SCHEDULED FOR NOV. 22, 2022.
when the truck is traveling at highway speeds and goes over an imperfection in the road surface like a bump, bridge expansion joint etc... The truck will vibrate violently and will not stop until the speed is reduced often times under 50 mph which can be dangerous on a highway. This has been happening for the past year and a half. I have tried brining it to multiple mechanics and have replaced a number of parts.
On a Clear day, no rain while traveling on an interstate hwy at approx 70mph, I drove onto a bridge and my truck starting violently shaking, the complete front end was causing the truck to move from side to side and I could hardly hold onto the steering wheel! My wife was was so afraid we were going to roll over, as was I! Finally after taking my foot off of the gas, at about 30 or 40 mph it stopped! I'm taking it to my dealership first thing in the morning! Its not safe to drive, as I might not be so lucky next time it happens. I'm finished with ford trucks that's for sure!!!!
While traveling on the highway at 70~75 mph the vehicle went over a small highway joint. This caused the truck to shake violently with little to no control. Only after dropping speeds less than 45mph did the violent shaking stop. The sudden slow down in the middle of the highway, the violent shaking and the lack of steering control was extremely dangerous and caused an immediate life safety issue to myself, my family and other vehicles and motorists near mine. The vehicle was inspected by a mechanic. The tires have been balanced and rotated are not worn. The shocks on all four tires were replaced. The steering stabilizer shock was replaced and joints inspected. The problem persists and only is replicable during highway speeds. The event comes without any warning and the vehicle is uncontrollable.
The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-350. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH on the expressway, the vehicle drove over a bump on the roadway and the vehicle and the steering wheel started shaking violently. The contact depressed the brake pedal and veered to the side of the road. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred three times while driving over bumps on the roadway the same day. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and test driven. The dealer inspected the suspension and diagnosed that no issues were found. However, the dealer advised the contact that the tires needed to be replaced as they were worn on the inside. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 135,000.
-??Death Wobble-?? vehicle shakes uncontrollably when hitting bumps/grooves in pavement or going at speeds above 50 mph putting driver at extreme risks. Repaired steering dampener, shocks, and tires, but nothing has offered a solution to the issue.
My truck shakes violently at 40-45 mph. It has difficult to diagnose the exact component to replace. I took the truck to a independent repair service and they told me it was the death wobble. They did drive the vehicle and confirmed the shaking. It will cause me to pay over $1000 dollars to fix. Not to mention the tires that have been ruined because of it. No police or anyone else has inspeced it. No warniing lamps or messages present.
The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-350. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the contact experienced the death wobble after driving over a bump on a bridge. The contact pulled the vehicle off to the shoulder and coasted the vehicle until the rattling stopped and the vehicle resumed normal operation. The dealer and the manufacturer were both notified of the failure and neither offered any assistance. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 223,000
I believe this is now the 3rd occurrence for me within the last two weeks of what has been termed by other owners as the "death wobble". Two incidents have occurred on "bumpy" roads, though one was just a bumpy interstate. The interstate, while a bumpy, I wouldn't imagine would have been bumpy enough to constitute a poor road condition, travel conditions were pulling about 12,000 lb 5th wheel camper and I was going probably between 55-60mph. The next two occurrences happened truck only. The second occurrence, was a back road and probably the "bumpiest" road of them all, probably going 45-50 mph, so not so bumpy that I had to be going super slow. The third occurrence was on a smooth road and I did hit a "bump" which probably wasn't much more than a crack in the road traveling at probably 50-60 mph. I experienced the wobble. Each time, it has been scarier than the last and it required me to slow down significantly, while I dont know the exact amount, many people describing under 20 mph feels about right, however, the 3rd occurrence required a complete stop before the shaking int he steering wheel was gone. I have completed a number of checks, tire tread is still good, the balance feels appropriate at highway speeds. I think my biggest concern here, is that this is a common issue and there appears to be no common reasons or even a short list of probably causes based on my doling around the internet. I am sure I am about to spend several thousand for mechanics to attempt solutions, but I believe it's worth adding my name to the list of this issue.
While traveling down the road at approximately 72 mph my vehicle front end began to shake unbelievably. It felt like all four tires had gone flat. I could not control the vehicle until the speed got down to around 40 mph.
Driving on highway at 60 M/H violent shaking of the front end and steering occurs when there is a change in pavement, also known as the "death wobble" replacing suspension, ty-rods and sway bar, etc. Did not fix the problem
Driving at higher speeds in my 2012 F350 lariat, the truck gets to 60 fine but any faster then that and it begins to get a speed wobble that causes the entire truck to vibrate at a uncontrollable shake that throws the steering and I found it unsafe to hit the brakes, which forces you to just coast while the trucks shakes violently. For a truck that people pay up to $40,000 ot should be able to cruise at speeds above 60-70 mph with no problem. It seems to be thrown off by the smallest divit or bump in the roads but only at highway speeds. Which makes it that much more dangerous. I have a 6 year old that was in the truck many times as this happens and it's a scary thing it feels like the wheels are going toncome off. Only had this truck for about 6 months now also. It seems in mint condition except for the speed wobble.
Truck started to wobble violently that it was extremely difficult to maintain control of vehicle and get the truck to the side of the interstate. I drove over a small bump in the road before the incident.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Bonners Ferry, ID, USA