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.
Experienced the Ford Death Wobble approximately July 1, 2022. After going over a small pothole at 65 mph, vehicle experienced severe wobble and pulled from far right lane to shoulder and veered toward cement wall at 65mph! Braking caused increase in wobble. Was finally able to slow vehicle to exit highway. No prior issues with wobble nor any warning. Shaking and nearly crying, I slowly drove to Big O shop who confirmed wobble and recommended Dealer address problem. Slowly drove to Ford dealer which took two days to confirm issue and inform me that parts were backordered and would call when available. (As of 3/23/23 no call.) Ford told me to not drive over 45mph, essentially making my truck useless. Slowly drove back to Big O and had them repair at my cost ~$1600, Ford reimbursed ~$250. On 3/21/23, driving 65mph over small bump in road, experienced Death Wobble again and pulled to side of highway. Slowly drove to Big O and had additional parts installed ~$330. Scared to drive my truck over 45mph!
I was accelerating to get on the freeway and there was a slight bump or crease in the pavement and my front end started to bounce and warble uncontrollably, fortunately I was able to pull off of the on-ramp and come to a stop with out incident. This was not the first time I noticed this, but it was definitely the worst.
Death Wobble, the steering wheel shook violently. I could not control the vehicle and had to stop in the middle of the road to make it quit. This has happened before. It was serviced for this problem once.
3 different occasions where my trucks front wheels and steering wheel shakes uncontrollably after hitting a pothole or bridge transition. Twice pulling a fifth wheel camper and once by itself. Very scary. Twice I had to come to a near stop before I could continue. Death wobble they call it. Took to Ford dealership who said the fix is a steering damper which is on national back order with no release date. It has happened once again since then for a total of 4 times. Never know when it will happen. Just depends on the bridge transition or pothole. Ford needs to correct this steering problem
When I hit a bump with this truck the steering shakes violently. I brought to ford and they said it is a steering dampner and it is a recalled part and they would fix it as a recall however they said they dont have the part and they dont know when the part will be available. I am now left with an undriveable truck and no one can tell me when it can be fixed.
- Wading River, NY, USA
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My 2019 F-350 lariat power stroke 23,500 miles has experienced a shaking in the steering on the freeway multiple times previously, it seemed to happen when a bump or uneven part of the road was felt. The last time 1/11/23 it shook uncontrollably on the freeway until the truck was slowed to 20MPH. I had both hands tightly gripped on the steering wheel and could not control it- until the speed was reduced to 20 MPH. Other vehicles on the freeway had to avoid my truck as I had to lower the speed well below the minimum speed limit on the freeway which could have caused a crash. After consulting the dealer and another mechanic the term used for this condition is the death wobble. The truck is unsafe. It was brought in to the authorized Ford dealer in Wisconsin. They said there is a fix for this issue but it-??s backordered and has been backordered for sometime. I asked the dealer for a date when I might see this part and was told it-??s backordered with no expectation of a date for the part. The truck is not safe to drive. Now I have to pick it up from the dealer without a resolution- basically drive the unsafe truck home and park it until Ford can get me the part.
Vehicle front end started to violently shake when hitting small bumps while driving over 55 mph. When this happens, I have to slam on the brakes to get the vehicle back below 40 mph to stop the shaking, then can accelerate back to speed.....only to happen again when hitting a bump. The dealer states that it is worn parts on a vehicle with less than 20,000 miles on it. The vehicle has been at the dealer waiting on backordered parts for over 3 months. Ford is not taking responsibility for the issue. The vehicle is unsafe to drive in it's current condition.
My 2019 F350 has the proverbial -??Death Wobble; which Ford knows about and has admitted to. They have stated the steering damper is the fix, which is not a recall but a CSP, and cannot be sourced for an ETA. When I was driving over approximately 50 mph and ran over the change between the road and the bridge the steering wheel began to shake violently, along with the front end of the truck. This has happened multiple times and has gotten progressively worse. Ford Motor Company and my local dealership have offered no solutions. I feel this needs to be upgraded to a recall and Ford needs to requisition the parts immediately before something detrimental happens to someone due to an accident. Also, according to multiple reports online, there have been numerous components that have prematurely worn out on the front end of the Super Duty-??s significantly contributing to the horrible steering oscillation--??Death Wobble.-?? My most current incident was 19 December 2022.
Truck violently shakes when vehicle traverses over pothole while traveling over 55 mph. Commonly called the -??ford death wobble-??. Taken to Ford dealership twice, each time told they can-??t replicate the issue.
While operating my 2019 F350 on 12/3/2022 at approximately 65 MPH on an interstate the steering wheel began to shake/pulse violently from left to right for approximately 40 seconds. I was unable to control the vehicle during this time. About 2 minutes later the exact same symptoms appeared again, even more violently. I had a passenger in the vehicle record the second incident. During these incidents it is next to impossible to control the vehicle. This is an ongoing issue which Ford is aware of...a quick search online and you'll see this is referred to as the "Super Duty Death Wobble". My vehicle was repaired 3 times for this same issue prior to the incident which is mentioned above. The dealer installed an aftermarket part, which was authorized by Ford at the time. However, Ford now no longer authorizes the use of this part. The correct part has been on backorder forever and many doubt that it will ever be shipped for installation into vehicles. Both Ford and the NHTSA have failed consumers by never mandating recall for this steering issue in Ford Super Duty trucks. I am now forced to try and drive a truck with serous safety issue because both the OEM and federal government have failed to ensure that safety standards were met. The dealer has informed me that they can make no further repairs for this issue and that Ford has directed them to await the replacement parts.
The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-350. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH and driving over a rough patch of roadway, the steering wheel started jerking to the left and the right. The vehicle had experienced the death wobble. The contact slowed down to 30 MPH and the vehicle started driving properly. The contact resumed driving 55 MPH and the vehicle drove normally. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who diagnosed that the sway bar needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 12,000.
The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-350. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH on a busy highway and hauling an RV, the vehicle and steering wheel suddenly began to violently shake and vibrate causing the contact to nearly lose control of the vehicle. During the trip, the failure had occurred on three separate occasions after driving over changes to the pavement of the road and driving onto a bridge. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the steering dampener was faulty and needed to be replaced. The contact was informed that the part was on back order and the vehicle could not be repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 21,000.
The steering became totally unresponsive and unstable resulting in a very severe front end wobble that did not diminish until the speed of the vehicle was reduced. This caused for some very anxious times as I was afraid I might lose control of the vehicle. This was reported to two Ford dealerships in the area without any assistance with the problem. As I was 500 miles from home and needed to get back home. I researched this condition on the internet as found was was referred to as the Ford Death Wobble. I took it upon myself to have the steering linkage damper replaced at my on expense.
The problem I have had is when driving above 45 to 55 mph when you go across the bridge control joints or hit a pothole the steering wheel will begin shaking and you have to slow down to get it to stop. When this has happened I have been pulling a 45' fifth wheel trailer and it's hard to control the vehicle, so myself and passengers along with traffic around me are at risk of weather or not I can safely get slowed down to control the vehicle. It has happened without the trailer but it is much easier to control when it happens. I have had it looked at by the dealership where I purchased it and I'm currently waiting for what they say will fix it. When this occurs the there are no warning lights or sensors to let you know anything is wrong nor is there anything afterward. It has been 2 months since the dealership inspected it and was ordering repair part, but still the part isn't in and my vehicle is not fixed. Also the vehicle only has 14,000 miles on it.
Upon crossing a bridge expansion joint at around 65 -70 mph, the vehicle steering began to shake violently side to side. I was able to quickly reduce my speed and the shaking subsided once I was able to slow to around 40 mph. I have not contacted the ford dealer yet, but do recall seeing mention of this specific problem before. I started searching the internet for answers where I came upon the recommendation to report this dangerous incident to your agency.
While driving on the two lane freeway at approximately 65mph in the right lane, a lane change to the left lane was initiated as a slower moving truck was in the right lane. Following the lane change to the left lane, the front left tire hit the pavement recess accommodating the yellow reflector embedded in the pavement, which was on the inside of the fog line. Upon impact with the reflector recess the vehicle front end and steering wheel began to shake violently. The steering wheel shook side-to-side so violently that it shook the drivers hands, arms, shoulders and head back and forth so quickly and violently that the drivers vision was impaired; the driver could see but all objects were blurred due to the shaking. Fortunately the left shoulder was paved and an area to the left of the shoulder was also paved (but not maintained perhaps a construction related turn around or cross over). Steering was severely impaired. With great difficulty the vehicle was steered off of the left lane onto the shoulder and then stopped on the additional paved area to the left of the paved shoulder. The violent vehicle and steering shaking subsided ONLY following stopping the vehicle. Had this incident occurred in heavy traffic, on a two lane road or a road without shoulders the outcome may well have ended in loss of control of the vehicle. Ford acknowledges that its Super Duty 4x4 vehicle experience "Death Wobble"; a violent shaking of the front end and steering. This incident was a "Death Wobble" incident: initiated by a bump encountered by one front wheel, violent shaking of the steering and front end, loss of steering control, continued shaking until stopped. Ford has offered to repair, but there are no parts available. This vehicle defect must be considered for recall and immediate long term repair. The vehicle in this incident was a 2019 Ford F350 Super Duty with approximately 38,000 miles. Part wear is unlikely with such a low-mileage vehicle, as acknowledged by Ford.
I was crossing a railroad at 50-55 miles per hour and the front end started shaking violently and was barely able to control it. almost had to stop to get the shaking to stop.
Ford has issued a recall on the steering dampener. The ford brand part is on back order. There are several aftermarket options available however ford refuses to cover the costs of these parts. They are also refusing to cover the cost of a rental vehicle similar to what I a currently driving. Basically forcing me to drive a vehicle with a serious steering defect.
My 2019 F350 is having the death wobble again. First occurred in 2021. Speeds 35-50 shakes truck like it will fall apart. Have to stop vehicle to resume normal driving. Ford fixed once in august 2021. Retuned again in summer/fall 2022. Ford said they wont cover second repair to replace the know left dampener.
The steering stabilizer malfunction. We were traveling on the Highway with a six horse trailer when after hitting a bump the truck started the death wobble. Had to slow down to less then 45 before leveling out. It caused swerving into other lanes causing near collision. We had replaced the stabilizer less then 5 000 miles ago when we had the same issue. The dealerships don-??t have the part available and we had to replace it again on the side of the road. This is a reoccurring problem with this make of truck. Everyone I know has had this issue. We have the broken part. There was no warnings. It-??s ridiculous that Ford is not being held responsible for this issue. It-??s dangerous and will eventually end with loss of life for someone. I reported the original incident to you.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Montrose, CO, USA