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.
Violent shaking of front wheels and steering wheel at highway speed 65-70mph after hitting bump in the road. I called the Ford service dept and they said they had never heard of this problem! however, there are so many occurrences that a name has been given to the issue, the death wobble. It seems Ford is in denial about this problem, they try to blame tire pressure according to online sources. There should be a safety recall forced by the NHTSA before someone gets killed, if they haven't already! I had just had the truck tires rotated balanced and air pressure checked before this trip!
My vehicle has a death wobble when hitting a bump at freeway speeds. I received a notice from Ford that this is an issue with these vehicles; special field action 09L02 dated January 2018. I wasn't aware that this was a common problem, but recently talked with someone who owns the same vehicle and he happened to ask if I had the same experience. Upon receiving the notice and recalling that conversation I thought I should file a formal complaint. In particular at highway speeds, a slight bump in the road can cause the vehicle to rattle and shake in a manner that makes the vehicle uncontrollable until you come to a virtual stop. I have had almost a dozen occurrences. My mechanic checked the vehicle and alignment and steering issues, tie rods and ball joint etc. Then after it happened again sent me to the tire shop. The tire shop checked the tires and sent me back to the mechanic. The mechanic checked the vehicle again, replaced some warn parts in the steering column (I believe it was a bushing somewhere, but can confirm if needed, I have records somewhere). That decreased the frequency, but I still have experienced it twice since then. It seems intermittent, and frankly almost random as I can not always recreate the conditions that cause the problem. I can travel along the same route, same speed, and not always experience the loss of control I call a death wobble. When it does happen, as described in the sfa you have to let off the gas, apply the brakes and hold the wheel straight. It's a serious safety issue, and scared the hell out of my father and daughter when they experienced it with me on a freeway overpass that curved and I had to brake hard and couldn't steer.
Have been experiencing the infamous "Super Duty death shake" for several years now....have had dealer inspect the vehicle numerous times to no avail....always told it is due to tire pressure or worn tires....I check pressures regularly and never have to add more than a # or two.....new tires mask the problem but it is still there......several encounters have nearly caused accidents....usually happens at highway speed but occasionally at speeds as low as 35 mph.....violent oscillation at times have been very dangerous situations....this problem needs to be rectified.....received a "recall notice related to this issue on 2/6/2018....was told by Ford on 2/7/2018 that they have no plans to fix this dangerous issue
Since owning my F250, it has randomly experienced a severe vibration "death wobble" after hitting bumps at highway speed. So bad, that I installed a steering stabilizer to help mitigate the issue (Ford didn't seem to have a better fix). I always keep my load "E "rated tires inflated per recommended pressures yet the problem persisted. On several occasions I thought that I was going to lose control of the vehicle when the vibrations happened. Ford has yet to address this issue other than to say slow down when the severe vibration occurs. For nearly 10 years this has been an accident waiting to happen for many F250 owners and Ford's answer is when it happens, " slow down"" this is not an isolated occurrence unique to my vehicle; there are literally thousands who have experienced the above issue. Numerous post, blogs and videos are available on line, yet Ford continues to blame the occurrence on low tire pressure and pass the responsibility for controlling a very hazardous "death wobble" to the vehicle owners. This is an issue they have known about for many years, yet have failed to take responsibility and correct the highly dangerous condition Ford created. Any data on how many accidents can be attributed to their poor engineering/design elements that obviously contribute to the unsafe handling of their 7000 lb pluss trucks"
Steering gets stiff and vehicle wanders from side to side, requiring a forceful tug in the opposite direction to correct steering. When attempting to drive in a straight line, it feels like a boat chine walking, except is much harder to correct. This has happened at all speeds and on all road surfaces. Began in the last 250 miles with about 143,000 miles on vehicle.
- Sandstone, MN, USA
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While driving on the highway at about 50 mph, truck seemed to want to wander due to excessive play in the steering box. Steering wheel would turn about 1/4 to 1/2 way before it would react. I took it to my local mechanic and he told me it could possibly be adjusted. He checked all the linkage and steering box bolts for looseness. He tried to adjust the box but there was a flat spot on the steering gear that had worn and could not adjust because it would cause the steering to bind up and not return correctly. He told me this was very unusual for a steering box to be worn out with only 47,000 mile on the truck and that it should be replaced because it would be very unsafe to drive. After returning it to me I drove it for a few days and decided it was best to have the steering box replaced. My cost was over $700. I feel this is really a very unsafe situation for drivers to be in and have no alternative but to have it repaired. I hope Ford realizes that I am not the only one that has experienced this problem and cares enough about there customers to fix this problem before it kills someone. I have owned many vehicles in my life and never experienced a problem like this with such low milage.
Steering box worn out after 47000 miles. Excessive play that cannot be adjusted out by any ase certified mechanic. Causes me to over steer the vehicle to keep control.
Making a left hand turn in my F250 sd, the steering locked and would not straighten out quickly as normal. I had to quickly animal steering back to neutral position barley missing opposite lane traffic. As I straightened the truck out I felt the wheel being pulled to the left and right by itself. I decided to take my hands off the wheel and it darted to the left. I straightened it out and held the wheel fighting the jerking of the wheel. After a couple of miles it seemed to stop. I brought it to my mechanic. He said my front left caliber is sticking. I decided to do a complete brake job. 4 new calibers, rotors, brake hoses etc. Also he aligned the front and checked all steering components. He could not find anything wrong with the steering. I got the truck back and it stopped really good. Unfortunately the following day the steering acted up. My mechanic could not duplicate what I experienced. Knowing that he checked everything, there could only be two items left. Steering pump or steering box. I had the mechanic change the steering pump and flush the steering system. Now after spending a ton of money on all of this I was hoping it would be solved. After the steering pump had been replaced it seemed to drive like new. The next day im driving the truck feeling that the problem is solved when I made a left hand turn, I heard a loud popping noise and felt my steering wheel and column shake. Steering locked again and I had to nail the brakes so I would not collide with the median. I barely got the wheel to straighten out. This time the truck was pulling left to right more defined. I did all I could to keep it straight. Luckily I was only a couple of miles from my house. I could not go over 20mph or I would have lost total control of the truck. I later had the truck towed to my mechanic and he is going to replace the steering box. Lives are at risk.
The contact owns a 2008 Ford F-250. While driving approximately 10 mph, a popping noise came from the steering column and the steering wheel malfunctioned. The contact was unable to steer the vehicle in either direction and crashed into a parked vehicle. There were no injuries and a police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering shaft was fractured and detached. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 93,000.
We have no problem with our truck until a couple of days the power steering gearbox stop working while driving. It barley works if the truck is at a stand still it will not turn at all. Their is nothing wrong with my power steering pump. I look at the top of the gear-box and notice a leak coming around the set screw that holds the bearings.
I have had nothing but problems with the steering and front end of this truck. The dealership has replaced everything they can and now they tell me it is the steering gear box that needs replacing but that part is on back order indefinitely. I see now that the nhsta has an open investigation regarding this matter and I am waiting for a recall to be issued. It is very dangerous and wanders all over the road.
While driving at speeds 55 mph or more when driving on to a bridge or change in highway, or hitting a pothole in the road the front end of my truck starts shaking violently it only stop this by slowing down to about 20 mph.the shaking is so violent you almost lose control.it happens whenever I hit a rough spot in the road.
Several times while driving down the road and after making either left or right turns I feel the vehicle seeming to keep making the turn and I have to jerk the steering wheel to correct. Also the steering wheel today was approximately turned to two oclock while going straight.
The contact owns a 2008 Ford F-250. While driving approximately 60 mph, the steering wheel shook violently and wobbled out of control. The contact had to depress the brake pedal harshly in order for the failure to seize. The contact stated that the wobbling of the front end caused the radiator to eventually burst. The failure recurred multiple times. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who replaced the tires and performed an all wheel alignment; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer informed the contact that the VIN was not included in any recalls. The approximate failure mileage was 123,000.
While driving down the road at 20-40mph vehicles power steering was lost and truck began to pull to the right veh was difficult to keep on the road..after making turn onto another street veh started pulling left..after moving steering wheel left and right from center a few times..power steering was corrected for the time of driving..this instance has occurred several times since and is usually at low speeds.I took veh to shop and was told that veh needs steering gear.
When I turned off the highway the steering was almost stuck- as if the truck had been turned off. I made it to the side of the road, turned it off and back on and then it steered ok. This has happened twice before.
Slowing down exiting to the left off hi-way after about a half an hour at 70mph. Brake pedal felt like it kicked back, both brakes and steering locked up, slid unto shoulder, then everything released like normal. Brought to dealer, they replaced hyro-booster system and fluids. Issue seemed corrected, exiting right on hwy no issue, however everything locked up again first time exiting left. After 10 days researching issue, dealer assured replacing damper assembly(?) and all four tires would resolve. Issue happened again same day as pickup. Being towed back to dealer for third attempt to correct.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Tyler, TX, USA