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.
While driving at highway speed and pulling a trailer out of nowhere truck begins to shake violently and steering becomes extremely difficult, if not impossible. I quickly slammed on brakes to reduce speed to about 40mph to regain control and stop shaking. Luckily, I was traveling on a straight section of road. I can only imagine if this were to happen on a turn or slope. This has happened three times since owning the truck. Each time Ford dealership replaced same part for a steering damper does not seem to fix the problem. After researching my incidents I found similar stories referring to this as the death wobble.
Driving on the highway at highway speeds I went over a small crack in the road. Immediately the front end started to violently shake and I lost all steering control. The only corrective action was to slow down to around 40 mph on the highway. This has happened to me three times with three truck acting in the same manner as before; losing all steering control of the truck. I contacted my local Ford dealer for assistance. This incident could have ended badly, slowing down on the highway and losing all steering control.
When making a transition between road surfaces or irregularities in the road surfaces above 50mph the steering enters a high frequency oscillation that requires an abrupt slow down to regained control. This has also happened when hitting potholes below 50 mph. This is referred to ask the "death wobble" and can be seen on youtube. This has happened enough that it is not a one time incident or a flake. The vehicle has less than 50,000 miles and its going to the Ford dealer for repair.
At 55-65 mph, if I hit any kind of a bump in the road, the front end of the truck starts to violently shake to the point where it is hard to control the vehicle. I have to immediately bring the vehicle down to 30 mph to get the shaking under control. It is an extremely dangerous defect in the vehicle and someone is going to get hurt. Ford dealership will not fix without me paying for the repairs, and they have no certain fix, they plan on just replacing parts one thing at a time at my expense. This has been going on for approx 6 months.
When I operate my 2017 Ford F250 at speeds greater than 45 mph and encounter a pot hole or bump in the road the truck begins a terrible "death wobble". the steering wheel shakes violently and the entire truck shakes and rattles. The dealership replaced a steering damper as part of a Ford extended warranty program but now claim the problem will persist because I have worn ball joints and a drag link that needs replaced. I was told this would cost me over $1,100 and it is not covered by Ford although it is obviously a flaw and a result of the failed damper. I can't believe Ford is willing to ignore such an issue. My family won't ride on the highway in the truck as it is too frightening for them. The sad part is the truck has 25,000 miles and cost me $50,000 and I can't drive it or depend on it now.
- Bethlehem, PA, USA
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The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-250. The contact stated while driving 45 mph, the vehicle began to shake uncontrollably right to left. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the local dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.
While driving at around 45 - 65 mph the front end will shake violently after hitting a rough spot in the road. This would happen on both city streets and highways. It would happen on a straightaway and curves. This has happened on numerous occasions. It makes the vehicle extremely difficult to handle. The first time this happened was on or about Feb. 24, 2018 on I-80 between salt lake city and elko, nv. At that time the vehicle had approximately 7,500 miles on it. It has been getting progressively worse. It scares the holy crud out of all passengers. I understand this is a common problem that Ford is having.
Driving about 60 mph in the far right lane southbound on the Illinois toll road hit a pot hole and had to slow the truck to below 50 to stop the death wobble.
Traveling on interstate 80 westbound going onto the bridge in joliet truck started death wobble after crossing from the ramp to the deck. Oscilition did not stop till I dropped below 55 mph.
After hitting a bump on the highway the front end started shaking violently. Almost shook the steering wheel out of my hands. This happened twice in less than 2 miles at highway speed- 70 mph.
I was traveling down a highway at around 70 mph when I hit a small bump. That bump caused the steering wheel and front end suspension go into what has been described as a "death wobble." It shook uncontrollably and did not stop until I was able to slow down to around 25 mph. During that time the brakes did not work and I did not have the capability of turning to one side or the other. This is a very dangerous thing that could cause some major problems. It has happened multiple times since then. This is something that must be corrected and Ford must be held accountable.
When driving the vehicle down the road between 60mph and 75 mph, the front end of the truck begins to extremely violently shake; almost feeling like the wheels are quickly jumping off the ground back and forth. The vehicle becomes uncontrollable when this happens and you have to slow down to approx 30 mph to get it to stop shaking. The vehicle has only 48,500 miles on it. It was bought to Ford explaining the problem, the replaced the steering stabilizer. I drove 1 mild down the road and brought it right back telling them that did not fix the issue. They told me 3 more parts that they would replace, basically telling me they didn't know but were going to do some exploring just replacing parts at my expense. This is a very common problem with this model of truck known as the "death wobble" and Ford is doing nothing to fix it. It is an extremely dangerous issue that poses a threat to my family and everyone else around me on the road. Please help, this has been going on for months and gets worse the more time that goes by!!
I ran over a pot hole on the highway. The entire truck started to shake vigorously. I lost control of the steering because of the shaking. This is a know problem in Ford trucks called the 'death wobble'. the only thing I could do was slow down until the shaking stopped.
I had vigorous shaking in the steering wheel at 80 mph in Dec 2020. Called dealer and they explained that it is the "death wobble" that is a recall. I got the vehicle in a few days later where they changed the steering dampener. In January, I drove to Texas and back and had the same thing happen 3 times. After slowing to 50 mph, it would stop. Dealer says that it could be a number of issues on the front end that would be outside my warranty coverage, since I am past the 3 years. This is a known issue all over the internet, where after market accessory dealers are making a ton of money to sell us stuff to fix what Ford will not fix. It's dangerous, as seen and as the dealership explained. I don't understand how Ford is not mandated to fix this safety issue.
Death wobble. At highway speeds, 55-75mph, the front end of the truck starts shaking so bad the only control you have is brakes. It does not stop until almost completely stopped. It can happen with any small bump or "rub board" situation, curve or no curve. Ford is aware of, they replaced steering stabilizer early 2019, and happened again just this past weekend. Called the dealer, they are willing to replace stabilizer again, but recommended I consider aftermarket. The truck has only 32,000 miles on it, and this has been happening since it was 9 months old. This problem is all over the internet (including much earlier year models and later) and I understand there is a lawsuit. I driven pickups (work related) for over a million miles (most of them had 200,000 plus miles when traded in) and never had this issue until I purchased this vehicle. It is dangerous, and, ridiculous, that I need to go spend $3000 ish dollars to hopefully fix a $50,000 + truck with 32,000 miles on it to fix a known design issue that I was certainly not informed of when I purchased the vehicle. The last incident this past week happened in heavy traffic, on top of an interstate overpass that was cut down to one lane for construction at 65mph - it had not occurred for 8-9 moths (since stabilizer replacement) and was totally unexpected. It came about 6 inches short of causing a major incident. Also, due to the extremely violent shaking, there is no telling what other damage is being done to the vehicle when this occurs.
While traveling at 70 mph on the highway, hitting a small pothole caused the steering wheel in the truck to violently shake until I slowed down to around 40 mph. Very scary and unsafe. Luckily there were no vehicles on either side.
Driving at a steady speed of near 65 mph the vehicle started shaking violently. It was frightening and only stopped once my speed went below 40 mph. It happened 3X on one 500 mile trip and had happened 1X a month previously. I checked tires, wheels, and pressures and could not find anything wrong.
I've had my 2017 Ford 250 at the local Ford dealer 3 times in the last 2 weeks. I have the death wobble in the steering, they have replaced the steering linkage twice, but never resolved the problem. The dealer sent me home with no solutions to fixing the issue
2017 Ford F-250 death wobble occurrences on highway at highway speeds. Two occurrences after going over uneven pavement. Once while traveling on smooth pavement. Vehicle initially shook and increased in intensity until vehicle was slowed. Vehicle has had regular maintenance and has not been in any accidents
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Colfax, IL, USA