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.
I was driving along the freeway at 65 miles as an hour when my car went into a violent death wobble. I thought I might-??ve blown a tire or something. I honestly can-??t believe I didn-??t hit any cars on the freeway while I was pulling off when I slowed down to about 30 miles an hour it stopped, I immediately went to the gas station and could not find anything wrong. I started driving down the side street and it started doing it again at about 50 miles an hour. It was extremely violent and dangerous. There were no warning lights or anything. I-??ve looked online and this has been an ongoing problem for Ford trucks. I called the dealer and I-??m bringing it in to them tomorrow. They are aware of the problem. How this is not a recall is beyond my imagination. It-??s extremely dangerous.
My truck has developed the death wobble and I have down everything to remedy this situation and no one has been able to get this very scary problem fixed.
Starts shaking violently when I reach speeds of around 50 mph. This has been happening since sometime in 2019 but I didn-??t know how to report it until today.
-??Between my wife and I driving approximately 65-75 mph on 5-6 different occasions, with an initial complaint to Ford on [XXX], on I-17 in AZ and other AZ highways the steering wheel and the whole truck shook violently during a stretch of bumpy road or after hitting a pothole. Slowing down has been the only way to stop the wobbling and shaking which creates a precarious situation with semi-trucks behind as my wife has experienced. -??Today [XXX], I experienced this wobble and noticed some of the vehicles behind me thankfully had slowed down. I felt I was going to lose control of the truck and possibly crash as a result. As I was about to exit the [XXX], I slowed down to approximately 50 mph and the shaking stopped so I continued to proceed north. There is a long strip of bumpy pavement south of [XXX] and the shaking occurred that lasted approximately 10 seconds as I was passing the [XXX] exit. -??The problem has been addressed on multiple occasions: Sanderson Ford on 8/13/2020 (vibration felt in steering wheel when going over bumps). Sanderson Ford on 10/28/2020 (rattle noise from right front wheel when pulling trailer). Diesel Doctors on 11/11/2021 (for independent suspension check Sanderson Ford on 12/06/2021 (severe vibration felt when going over a bump at 65-75 mph from front of vehicle). *Sanderson Ford on 1/4/2021 (front sway bar came loose from brackets while driving). Sanderson Ford on 3/4/2021 (vehicle pulls right). 2021 my family and I were driving from Colorado back to Phoenix and as we were south on [XXX] from the [XXX] exit I heard a loud metal clanging sound. There were no mechanical issues experienced thank God but we took it in to Sanderson Ford very soon afterwards. Within the past 1-1/2 weeks, the Advance Trac (downhill) light illuminated and we made an appointment with a diesel mechanic. After today's episode, I called Sanderson for and am waiting on a call back from them. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Vehicle evidenced Death Wobble on October 5,2023. No reoccurrence since. No warning from vehicle before this happened. Vehicle received regular insoections by Ford Dealerships at oil changes. Discussed with Lithia Ford, Casper Wyoming-and vehicle to be inspected on October 12, 2023.and hopefully repaired. Vehicle has 100000 miles on it with extended warranty. No injuries or death
- Evansville, WY, USA
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The contact owns a 2014 Ford F-350. The contact stated while driving at approximately 55 MPH, she rolled over a road deformation and the front tires began to function abnormally and had begun to "wobble." The contact stated that she took her foot off of the accelerator, the contact stated that the vehicle could not maintain her lane and was jerking from the center lane to the right and left lanes. The contact stated that she pulled off the roadway and turned the vehicle off. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had reoccurred several more times since the first incident. The contact had driven the vehicle to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the vehicle's front shocks and steering arms needed to be replaced. The vehicle had been repaired. The contact stated that on subsequent failures she had replaced all four tires. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 184,000.
On 7/23/23 I experienced the death wobble in my 2014 F350 for at least the fifth time since purchasing the truck 4 years ago. This time was the most violent, scary and dangerous time of all. I was on an interstate, in heavy traffic, traveling at 65 miles per hour. Previous incidents have resulted in repairs to the suspension. Everything from tie rod ends, stabilizers and shocks. This most recent incident required that the steering damper to be replaced. All total, I have spent at least $3,000 in repairs in the last 4 years for this problem alone. Not to mention that I fear for me and my wife-??s safety.
I have experienced three occurrences now where the vehicle suddenly begins to violently shake while driving between 50-70 MPH. All three times I was able to pull off the highway and stopped to inspect. Tires, lug nuts, brakes, and steering all appeared fine, so I cautiously resumed my trips without further incident. I have done some research and it appears that this is a well known issue, and is known as -??Ford death wobble-??. While I was able to safely move to the shoulder, I would be concerned if this occurred in heavy traffic, or if it occurred to an inexperienced driver. I am submitting this report to document these occurrences. During the last incident, I did get a traction control and hill descent malfunction indicator, but both of those cleared by themselves soon after resuming my trip. I am currently in the process of upgrading the steering stabilizer system, and replacing drag link, tie rods, ball joints to prevent any reoccurrences. While I understand these items are considered -??wear-?? items, they should not be causing this severe of a problem at only 60k miles. (And I have no guarantee these will resolve my issue - I am replacing them as preventative measures)
I have experienced the "Death Wobble" numerous times. I have spent thousands of dollars since owning the truck chasing whatever we thought might be the issue. Ball joints, steering damper, tie rods/end, track bar, stabilizer bar, tires, the list is long. Stops for a time then starts up again. Death wobble consists of speeds over 60 mph and hitting bump and wheels wobble uncontrollably. This causes immediately slowing down until the wobble stops, however it is a violent shake and can pull the truck. Vehicles behind have no notice at immediate deceleration. Has not happen in the rain thank goodness.
2014 Ford F350 Super Duty Platinum 4x4 Diesel: Steering wheel started with small vibrations (90,000 miles), had Ford tell us that we needed a new track bar and bushing, so replaced it. Still having small vibrations in the 45-60 mph range. Then Ford said tie rod ends could be causing the problem did have some movement in the drag link, so replaced those, still having vibration. Had sound and clunking coming from steering box, so installed new steering box and pitman arm, and the small vibration has morphed into serious death wobble, and the pickup becomes almost uncontrollable until slowing down to under 45mph. Replaced all 4 shocks and the steering stabilizer. Sadly, the Ford dealership doesn't really seem to want to acknowledge there is a problem and work to fix it, and yet a quick internet search becomes extremely distressing quickly. To think, that you (NTSB) and Ford is likely going to wait until there is an accident before owning up to the fact that this is problematic and should be dealt with appropriately. They have offered to replace the steering stabilizer for 2017 or newer, even though they know it affects models as early as 2005. Clearly, neither you (NTSB) or Ford care about the people, it's just all about the dollar and CYA (Cover your [XXX]). INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Death wobble!! violent shaking of front suspension. When traveling highway speeds 50- 65 hit very slight bump and starts slight wobble which then increases to uncontrollable violent shaking of front end. Only way to stop it is immediate hard braking to slow to 45 mph or less. Very dangerous when in heavy traffic with heavy trucks behind and beside. I am shocked that nobody is dead! most recent was yesterday northbound I-5 North of seattle. Happened so many times I lost count. Eventually gave up and set cruise control to 45 mph in 56-70 mph traffic. This is a known issue that presents a very real threat to life and safety. Please help!
The contact owns a 2014 Ford F-350. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a death wobble. The contact related the failure to the steering; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.
I have experienced an extremely violent vibration/wobbling of the vehicle at freeway speeds on several occasions. During these times, it is very difficult to control breaking, steering the vehicle, making it nearly impossible. I felt very unsafe not only for myself, but also other vehicles around me as I was driving a heavy-duty vehicle on the freeway at a high speed with essentially no control. Although I was shaken up, I was able to regain control of the vehicle and continue on my way. There have been no reports or inspections at this time. Prior to this happening, there were no warnings or messages. This happens twice in 2 days while driving on a long trip. Both times this occurred while driving at 65-70 mph and driving over a small bump in road.
We have experienced 6 episodes of severe -??death wobble-?? in our 2014 350 diesel between mid Sept. and Nov 21, 2022. The truck shakes violently, 4 times while driving by around 60 mph on highways and twice while going slower on other roads. We have taken it into Ford Paso Robles twice: first time they could not identify the problem. The second time they said it was a -??death wobble-Ford hates it when we call it that-??; they charged us over $1200 to replace front shock absorbers and insulators, rear shock absorbers and steering stabilizer. The next time we put it on the highway, we had another severe death wobble as strong if not stronger than before. We limped home on HW 101 and HW 1 (with cliffs over the ocean), took it to James Ford Half Moon Bay who reproduced and confirmed the death wobble and said the entire front end needs replacement (parts alone, excluding new parts just put in by [XXX]) is $2962. I know Ford is aware of the death wobble problem and aware of strict product liability even for unknown defects. Our friend who bought a 2019 350 Ford received a recall notice for this issue but we haven-??t. Ford needs to stand behind its product. We cannot drive this truck safely particularly since the only way to get to our home is off HW1 by steep cliffs. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
This truck has exhibited the signs of ford's death wobble for the past 140,000 miles. The truck has been under fleet maintenance program since new from my employer and we have replaced all steer linkages, stabilizers, tires, and shocks multiple times over the past 140,000 miles and no improvements. Now when the truck hits a bump in the road, an expansion joint, or an overpass transition the front end will shake so violently that it has become uncontrollable. My girlfriend had this happen to her and it sprained her wrists trying to control the truck while coming to a stop. A few months back it happened to me the truck was bouncing so badly that it started to rotate around the vertical axis, and I feared that the truck would roll over as I had to bring it to a complete stop in the middle of the road. The truck had to be driven in the far-right lane so when you must make an emergency stop there is a shoulder to move on to and avoid being rear-ended. With the amount of Ford super-duty trucks o the road today and the number of them that are experiencing this issue, I am confused why Ford is not having to stand behind this product?
Vehicle has a sudden violent shimmy, vibration ("death wobble") at highway speeds, requiring the vehicle to be slowed or stopped immediately to stop the vibrations. So far no complete loss of control. The track bar ball joint was identified as the issue and has been replaced 3 times in the last 2 1/2 years. The most recent replacement include a new track bar and lasted 17 months.
My Pickup has a very unsafe -??Death wobble-?? that I have found has been a problem for many others. It is unknown what part or parts are failing as I can-??t get a straight answer, I have been recommended to replace the shocks and tires as well as add an aftermarket steering stabilizer. My individual safety is put at risk every time I hit a minor bump or line in the pavement, it causes the front end to shake so bad that I could easily lose control and if there was someone in the lane next to me it could cause an accident!the problem has been reported to dealers from countless others I have spoken to and Ford tells them it-??s normal! How is it normal for a vehicle to react in such a way" A minor line in the pavement or even a rumble strip can cause loss of control" Ford needs to fix this! The worst part of this is, I just bought this truck, found out about all this when I was driving out of state the day after I bought it 5/10/22! I would love for a NHTSA inspector to come for a ride-a-long so they can witness it first hand!
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Palm Desert, CA, USA