Ford 'death wobble' lawsuit says trucks have have defective suspension and steering linkage systems.

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Ford Truck 'Death Wobble' Lawsuit Includes F-250 and F-350
Ford 'death wobble' lawsuit says trucks have have defective suspension and steering linkage systems.

— A Ford truck "death wobble" lawsuit alleges F-250 and F-350 trucks have problems with the steering linkage and suspension systems.

The proposed class action lawsuit includes current and former owners and lessees of 2005-2019 Ford F-250 and F-350 trucks.

California plaintiff William Lessin purchased a 2011 Ford F-250 in July 2010 and relied on the window sticker which didn't mention the truck had alleged defects.

Lessin says he still owns the F-250 but twice in less than three months the truck has been to a Ford dealer for repairs related to the alleged death wobble.

However, the plaintiff says the Ford dealership denied the wobble problem and refused to repair the truck under warranty.

According to the lawsuit:

"Plaintiff Lessin has suffered an ascertainable loss as a result of Defendant’s omissions and/or misrepresentations associated with the Defect, including, but not limited to, out of pocket losses for repairs (approximately $1,231.00), out of pocket losses for replacement parts (approximately $375.75), diminished value of his vehicle, and other consequential damages."

The Ford F-250 and F-350 trucks allegedly suffer from abnormal wearing or loosening of the damper brackets, ball joints, control arms, shocks and struts. The plaintiff also claims there are problems with the track bar bushings (pitman arms) that cause the violent shaking customers call the death wobble.

Truck owners claim steering control can easily be lost when the wobble occurs while driving highway speeds.

A Ford truck typically experiences the death wobble when traveling more than 50 mph and at least one of the tires hits a groove or bump in the road. Allegedly the only way to control the violent shaking is by quickly reducing speed, a dangerous move when driving in traffic.

The lawsuit references 1,265 death wobble complaints that were submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) between March 10, 2005, and February 6, 2019. According to data from the lawsuit, 12 reports involved crashes and injuries and 82 complaints indicated a loss of control of the trucks.

Additionally, 148 complaints were filed by customers who said they were afraid the death wobble would kill them.

Many customers complained the wobble occurred before the trucks had 36,000 miles on them, and 30 complaints claim the alleged problems started before 5,000 miles.

The plaintiff says Ford routinely tells truck owners the wobble is related to improper maintenance even when the warranties are still good so the automaker doesn't have to pay for repairs.

According to the proposed class action, Ford knows the suspensions and steering linkage systems are defective but continues to conceal the facts. The plaintiff says he wouldn't have purchased the truck, or would have paid less for it, if Ford hadn't concealed the death wobble.

The Ford truck death wobble lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California - William Lessin, et al., v. Ford Motor Company, et al.

The plaintiff is represented by McCune Wright Arevalo, and Sohn & Associates.

CarComplaints.com has owner-reported complaints about the trucks named in the death wobble lawsuit.

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