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.
On multiple occasions we have hit a bump/pothole and it causes a severe death wobble. The last time it almost caused an accident. We have taken it in 3 times and they couldnt find anything wrong. After googling it, it is apparent that there is a issue.
I was driving approximately 70 mph when I crossed a set of rail road tracks and the vehicle shook violently enough to cause me to enter left ditch. After applying the breaks and slowing to 15 mph I regained control. I got out and check the tires and all seemed fine. Started to slowly drive and it was fine. A few miles later I began to smell diesel fuel. When I reached my destination the smell was very strong. Opened the hood and there was fuel leaking from the top of the engine and steaming from the inter cooler. Drive it to a Ford dealer and they replaced the fuel filter as the shaking had caused it to crack.
I own a 2017 F-350 Super Duty with 28,000 miles. Experiencing "death wobble" multiple times per week, typically at speeds between 50-70 mph and hitting even the slightest bump or uneven-ness in the road. The shaking in the front end is so violent that the vehicle is not controllable and is extremely dangerous to the point that my wife refuses to drive it. The only way to regain control is by slowing down to approx 30-40 mph until the shaking subsides. Yesterday, while driving on the highway, the wobble started and pulled me into the next lane, nearly causing an accident. Slowing down in order to regain control caused another near miss as cars were having to swerve to avoid me as I tried to regain control from the wobble. This was an expensive vehicle and it is practically new with very low miles - this should not be happening and in doing research its appears this is a very prevalent issue with these trucks and Ford is aware of the defect and is not doing much to address it. I need to be able to drive this vehicle and I need it to be safe and this defect does not allow that. There have been no modifications to this vehicle - it is 100% factory stock.
When hitting a bump between 50 to 60mph, the truck front end started bouncing wildly and became difficult to control on any type of road. This happened several times miles on the vehicle was between 27,000 and 30,000. Ford dealer described this as the "death wobble", literally. Was fixed by replacing steering damper. This event almost caused me to lose control of the vehicle at highway speeds. Very dangerous.
Vehicle developed knocking in front end at 5,000 miles. At around 10,000 miles began uncontrollable shaking in the steering when hitting a bump at 75 mph on highway. This would stop by slowing down to 40 mph. This continued until the front stabilizer was replaced by Ford at around 15,000. Vehicle now has 20,000 miles on it and has again started shaking uncontrollably as stated before. Fords fix is to replace it again with the same part that has already failed twice. I have heard of the same issues from other people is similar makes and models.
- Brush, CO, USA
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Death wobble symptoms at highway speeds, violent shaking in steering and suspension. Had to replace track bar, steering stabilizer, align front end to reduce/eliminate potential danger. Poor response by Ford on this one. Happened numerous times, difficult to duplicate, possible serious injury if an I experienced driver of this vehicle is behind the wheel.
Truck goes into death wobble. Was returned for repair under warranty at 35,091. The wobble came back and is a danger. We have 3 F350, 17 and 18 models and they are all having death wobble problems. These problems pose a danger and should be recalled, it is a design flaw. We have contacted Ford (ref# cas24123991) to make the aware of the issues and to get them to repair.
While traveling at 65 mph on I-80 transitioned from tar to concrete and experienced severe death wobble. Almost lost control of vehicle. Steering wheel was almost ripped from my hands. Was able to get onto shoulder of highway and stop vehicle. Resumed travel and went directly to Ford dealer in reno, nv. They were unable to immediately inspect vehicle so I traveled back to fallon, nv. To dealer. Ran 55mph 60 miles with no further incident. I do feel that if I had not been traveling in the inside lane on I-80 I would have been involved in a deadly accident. This is a safety issued that needs to be remedied immediately!
Death wobble from 50 to 70 mph if you hit a small bump in the road it will set the truck off in to an uncontrolable shake, it is considered very dangerous, Ford replaced the steering absorber but that made no difference, , I am now communicating with Ford corporate office as the dealership is unable to do any work without the coporate office permission
2017 F-350 encountered sustained steering wheel oscillation (death wobble) on three different occurrences two occurred in a three week period. Two occurred traveling on the highway at 65 mph and driving over an expansion joint. One occurred on a divided city road at the speed of 55 an running over a manhole cover that was not level with the roadway. Two of the events were in high traffic areas and ended in near collisions. Ford tsb # 18-2268 acknowledges the problem and provides corrective action; however, this situation is dangerous and should be addressed through a recall process. Vehicles must slow to approximately 25 mph to regain control, a difficult feat if the individual is driving on a multi-lane highway surrounded by traffic traveling at highway speeds. Problem is being correct by Ford; however this needs to be addressed prior to the condition presenting itself.
At 45-65 mph if the truck hits the slightest bump in the road the tires and steering wheel start shaking uncontrollably. You lose all control of the vehicle unless you can stop the vehicle before causing a crash. The first time this happened the truck drifted through 4 lanes before coming to a stop.
Continue to experience the "Ford death wobble" steering oscillation. I have been to the dealership 4 times and the problem continues. The incident usually occurs while traveling highway speeds and started at approximately 15,000 miles. Whin this occurs, it is usually when crossing a seam on the road from a bridge or hitting a rough patch in the highway. The steering wheel begins shaking violently causing you to fight keeping the vehicle under control. I have to slow down to about 30 mph in order to get it to stop, which is quite dangerous while on the interstate. My current mileage is 20,400. I have been told by the dthat they have been working closely with engineers at Ford hq in an attempt to resolve the problem and have made the following modifications to my vehicle without any success in correcting the issue: Adjusting the camber on every visit, added 2 different size of shims, replaced both steering dampers, and most recently add a 1 1/2" leveling kit. Unfortunately the issue still is not resolved, the vehicle is unsafe to drive and impacting my ability to use the vehicle for the purpose it was purchased for.
I was pulling a 12,000 lbs 5th wheel trailer on a highway mountain pass when I went over an expansion joint at about 55 mph and the vehicle started a death wobble. The vehicle violently started shaking and I struggled to maintain control of the truck and trailer barely being able to stop the vehicle on the shoulder before going over a cliff with my family in the vehicle. There were vehicles behind me that had to slam on their brakes to keep from hitting us.
I've experienced 5 "death wobble" incidents on my F350 with less than 10K mileage. This problem always happens at highway speeds crossing over uneven bridge expansion strips on a diagonal. The last time this happened, I was in the number two lane driving at freeway speed in busy traffic. I had to slow down below 30 miles an hour to regain control of the truck. This is a very dangerous issue that seems to be a common problem with Ford superduty 4X4 trucks. It's the second time I've taken it to the dealership for repair. First time, Ford replaced the steering dampener. Now they are changing tie-rod ends. Ntsb really needs to look at this dangerous situation and force Ford to stop nickel diming repairs and fix this problem once and for all.
My truck has the so called "death wobble" whereas hitting certain bumps the truck's steering is uncontrollable. It has happened several times with mine. I almost hit the car next to me the last time it happened, going 70 mph down the highway. It will not stop until I slam on the brakes. This seems to be a huge problem with Ford, but they will just tell you it's the tires being out of balance. I know that this isn't the case, however, I replaced all six tires at the Ford dealership, but it has happened again. I cannot understand why a safety recall has not been issued.
I was driving my Ford F-350 pickup on the highway and hit a pothole. The whole front of the truck started wobbling and shaking to the point that I could barely control it. At first I thought I might have blown a tire or tow but that wasn't the case. I had to reduce speed since I wasn't in a position to pull over safely. I called Ford and all they said was to make sure the tires were at the right tire pressure. Luck for me I was able to make it home in one piece.
I had several incidents with the infamous "death wobble" when the front suspension vibrates excessively resulting in loss of steering control and overall vehicle control. After the first three incidents I researched and found the death wobble thread on the internet. I took vehicle to dealer and they replaced a drag link and ball joint. The vehicle drove mostly normal for the next several months with only occasional front steering vibration after driving over a bump in the road. Then on June 10, 2019 I ran over an expansion joint in a bridge on a corner going 45-50 mph and the steering wheel and entire truck vibrated to the point of losing control and going off road nearly into the ditch before I got the vehicle under control at approximately 15 mph. The vibration and oscillation was extremely severe with everyone in vehicle being tossed about violently. I immediately made an appointment to have vehicle inspected and dealership stated they knew of problem and referenced tsb 18-2268. They shimmed the suspension, adjusted the castor, and replaced the steering dampener to the tune of $624. I talked to three different Ford customer service representatives and got nothing but a run-around. After truck was repaired, I was notified that Ford would pay $335 for repairs since vehicle was out of warranty. Ford customer service is horrible and I am very disappointed since this is a known problem and was not repaired correctly the first time. We could have been seriously injured or killed due to the violent nature of the vibration and loss of control. Kendall Ford in kenai was very accommodating and helpful in getting my problem solved but Ford needs to take care of their customers and get these vehicles repaired before someone dies. There are many reports of this happening now with this vehicle. Vehicle has 45,332 miles.
Multiple instances ~15 of 'death wobble' where the truck and steering wheel shake violently. Normally at speeds above 55 mph when hitting a bump or rough road. Started occurring only when turning and hitting a bump, but now happening when driving straight. Requires slowing quickly to below 30 mph to stop shaking, making it very dangerous for myself and other drivers on the highway. Stock F350 drw with 32K miles
Truck has death wobble. After hitting a bump on the freeway steering wheel and front end starts to shake violently. Requires slowing down to under 40 mph to stop shaking. Very dangerous situation. This has happened numerous times. Ford has inspected the front end and said everything looks fine. Another Ford dealer replace the steering stabilizer shock at my cost. Problem still exists.
Was traveling on a 2 lane highway in a corner around 60-65 mph when I hit a small hole in the road and the steering wheel began shaking back and forth in a very unsafe fashion. Truck only has 33K miles on it. I notice prior to the incident that in similar situations the steering became very "loose", but this last time it shook much more.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Hermiston, OR, USA