We have had about four occasions where our truck suddenly begins to shake and vibrate, cannot control the shimmy until you can slow it down under 30 MPH. It happened three times at about 33,000 miles. Two times it was coming off bridge, hitting a steel channel at the junction and one time a large hole. All three times it was one wheel hitting the hole or depression before the other wheel hit. We took it to ford dealership.....no ideas there. They rebalanced the left tire and no more problems until today when it happened again when coming off a bridge. About 38,000 miles and it was the same thing. Cannot control the shimmy until the vehicle has slowed to about 30 miles per hour. Most frightening! I refuse to drive it again until this is figured out! Big, out-of-control truck is not my cup of tea.
2011 Ford F-250 SD steering complaints
Page 2 of 3: complaints 11 to 40 of 47, newest first, as owners wrote them.
While driving at around 60 MPH the dash starting chiming and gave me a stop safely now message. I slowed down and pulled over to the side of the road. At about 5 MPH the truck shut off, power steering and brakes faded. I was barely out of the lane of traffic and my attempts to restart the truck and get it further off the road to a safer spot were not allowed by the computer system. I had the truck hauled to a nearby ford dealer and after cooling off all night the truck would restart. The local dealer could not fix the problem due to trouble with his diagnostic computer so he suggested I travel to another dealer. He felt I could make it there with the truck. I went to the motel where my wife and I had to spend the night to pick her up, a distance of about 1-2 miles. We loaded our belongs up into the truck, I restarted it and started to back out of the parking space and it repeated the stop safely now warning and shut the truck off immediately seeing my speed was under 5 MPH. I was halfway out of the space and was stuck there. I was very fortunate it helped in the motel parking lot as opposed to just as I pulled out into traffic.. At the next dealership the problem was diagnosed as a bad egt temperature sensor in the exhaust system.
While driving at speeds over 40 MPH truck started to shake violently and you start to loss control .you have to slow down until shaking stops.people in the cars next to me pulled over you can see the truck shake from other cars. Nothing seem wrong with front end but there is .safety is an issue here.it doesn't always shake and then bang shake city look in to it.
While driving down the highway at speeds in excess of 60 MPH, the car will start to shake violently! It is forceful enough that you loose complete control of steering and loose the ability to maintain your same lane. The shaking is so violent that I am afraid to put my daughter in the car. I can't imagine if this happened in a construction zone or traffic. I am thankful no one else was on the road. The only way to stop this violent shaking is to slam on the brakes and slow down. This affected the traffic behind me as I was in the left lane. The person behind me almost ran into the back of me because we were going from 65 MPH to about 30 MPH within a couple of seconds. This happened to my truck about a year ago when it had 35,000 miles on it. Ford recognized the problem and they replaced the entire steering wheel column and tires. That was just a temporary fix. I traded my first 2008 f-250 sd in for a new truck for having the same issues. I am to the point where this is getting way to dangerous to be on the roads not only for my safety, but my families and other drivers safety as well. It is a known issue and something needs to be done. There have been over 75 formal complaints on this issue thus far with this make model and year. Does it take causing an accident for it to be investigated?
While entering I-40 at ~55 MPH after hitting a small bump the front end and steering violently began shaking. Steering control was near zero. Shaking continued while braking to ~ 10 MPH then stopped. Truck inspection found no problem.
Death rumble: after any new set of tires gets about 15,000 -20,000 miles on them, the infamous "death rumble" occurs on this model truck. When traveling at speeds of 60 or more and you turn or hit a bump, the front end of the vehicle starts shaking and vibrating violently. You have to come to an almost immediate stop in order to get the vehicle to stop the shaking. It is so bad that you cannot control steering at times and is even visible to others not in the vehicle. All ford dealers that I have spoken with about this are aware of the issue but blame it on tires or tire pressure. I have tried several types of tires (as I know have over 125,000 miles on my truck) and always inflate them as per my owner's manual...this does not help...nor does rotating, balancing, checking brakes, ball joints, suspension, etc. You can watch many many videos of this problem of youtube and other locations, see write-ups in magazines, and as I said, dealers even know about this issue...so why is it not getting corrected???
Hit rough patch on highway and truck started shaking violently. Had to slow to about 25 MPH before it stopped. This has happened twice in the last 6 months. The ford service department said they could find no issues with the truck. No parts were replaced or adjusted.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 ford f-250 sd. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH on uneven road pavement, the vehicle started to vibrate. The contact also stated that he reduced the speed to 10 MPH, the vibration stopped. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that all four tires needed to be replaced and balanced. The technician also aligned both front drivers and passengers side tires. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer again but the failure was unable to be duplicated. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 30,000.
This started in march 2014. Terrible steering wobble (death wobble) at highway speed. Last night it was horrible as I was passing a car on I-29 on a bridge and we got the wobble after going over a bridge joint. I had to stab the brakes to slow down as the truck steering was out of my control. Several vehicles behind me also had to navigate around me as I tried to turn the vehicle to the shoulder. This truck is dangerous at highway speed! This has happened several times while going down the interstate. I'm scared to drive the truck anywhere but around city streets. To my knowledge this is a very common problem with all super duty trucks with a straight front axle and coil springs. I want ford to admit there is a problem and fix these issues. It's a fixable issue that they won't address. For $50,000 I don't think I should have to pay for their engineering geometry blunder.
While driving around 50-60 MPH and going over a couple of small bumps the truck started shaking violently. I had to slow down on the freeway to about 35 for the shaking to stop. It has happened twice in a week. After reading all the complaints on several websites and seeing the youtube video I decided to file the complaint. I will be going to the dealership next week.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 ford f-250 sd. The contact stated that while traveling approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle shook violently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the failure could not be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.
I get a violent shake or wobble from front end when I hit small to large bumps in the road. I have checked tire pressure and front end parts. Nothing has been wrong or abnormal. I researched a bit and found this to be a common problem with these trucks.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 ford f-250 sd. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH over a road bump, the vehicle began to shake violently. The contact stated that he applied the brakes and the shaking ceased. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection but they could not diagnose the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 35,000.
As I was driving on a road at a speed that was greater than 50 MPH I hit a bump in the road. The front end of the truck and the steering wheel began to shake so violently that I thought they were going to fall off. This had happened beginning around late november early december of 2012. It did it several more times and I contacted the dealer about this problem. The truck was serviced and nothing in the front end was found to be damaged and it was recommended that I replace the tires on the truck. The tires were replaced and the truck has been fine for the past year. On 10/30/13 I again was driving the truck at a speed greater than 50 MPH and hit a bump in the road and the front end again began to shake violently. I have been pin this shaking down to the following conditions. It will shake if you are driving at highway speeds, you hit a bump in the road (this bump does not have to be big it could be as simple as driving from the roadway onto a bridge deck) the front end will begin to shake and very quickly get violent. The only way to stop it from shaking is to slow the vehicle down to a speed that is less than highway speed which will cause the vibration to stop and you can then return to highway speeds. This has happened several times and I do not have the exact dates that it occurred prior to changing the tires. However it is beginning again and the first time was on the 30th of october 2013.
While driving about 60 MPH, sometimes less, changing pavement from semi smooth to kind of rough, my f250sd begins shaking violently. So severe I almost lose control. I have been lucky enough to not have or cause an accident. This shaking last until I let off of the accelerator while trying to keep my vehicle between the lines and having traffic stay far behind when it finally regains control. This not only happens at 60 - 70 MPH but even sometimes at 30 MPH if you are driving on rough pavement. When you are driving on the interstate and this violent shaking starts, it can be extremely dangerous for you and all other drivers near. I have changed shocks, balanced front end, tightened suspension and anything else to do with a front end and I still have not solved the problem.
My truck is a 2011 ford f-250 sd diesel. Death wobble. The first time I was traveling on a street and hit a bump at about 45 MPH. The front end started to shimmy to the point I had to slow almost to a stop to gain control. This has happened at least 5 more times on the highway at speeds of 60 MPH, I had to slow to at least 25-30 MPH to gain control of the truck while other vehicles are still traveling at the posted highway speed. I have changed the steering stabilizer, all four shocks and had the tires rotated and balanced. I have had two mechanics look at the front end. They both have said the front end is tight and has no problems that they can see. My truck only has 41000 miles on it to date.
After driving over a series of small bumps in the road on the highway the front end of the truck shook violently, severe shaking/ vibration. I had to decelerate to approximately 40-45 mpg to stop the violent shaking. This has happened 4 times since that time. I had the truck serviced for the problem and it has happened once since being serviced.
Traveled over a minor road imperfection immediately the truck became uncontrollable it felt as though all four tires blew. Pulled to the side of the road and checked tires and suspension, not finding anything I questioned my sanity and proceeded up the road within a few minutes I again traveled over a minor road imperfection once again the truck immediately became extremely difficult to control. I pulled to the side of the road and called for a tow truck. The ford dealer advises me that the bushings and other components related to the steering stabilizer need to be replaced at a cost of $700. I made the technician aware that my problem is similar to many other internet documented incidents involving ford steering components and that I recently received a letter from a lemon law attorney citing this very same condition. Ford will offer no assistance.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 ford f-250 super duty. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, the steering wheel began to shake abnormally. The failure progressed until the shaking became violent. The vehicle was taken an independent mechanic where the wheels were balanced however, the failure recurred. The contact made arrangements for the vehicle to be diagnosed by a dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 46,000.
Over the life of vehicle 45mph to 47 MPH starting approx 6000 miles has had a hop or vibration that you can feel through the floor, seat and steering. At 35500 new vibrations in steering wheel wile going around corners at highway speeds also steering wheel shaking uncontrollably when hitting several close together bumps, ripples, expansion joints.
Traveling on a highway and hit a slight bump and a violent shaking started. The brakes were applied and I managed to pull onto the shoulder. The shaking continued until the truck stopped. Almost lost control of the vehicle. After inspecting the vehicle, finding nothing wrong, I continued to my destination. An internet search shows this is a common problem, and the reports I read most consider it a very dangerous problem.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 ford f250 sd. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, the front end started to shake violently and he was unable to control the vehicle. The vehicle was forced off the road to the shoulders. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who advised that there were no repairs and offered no assistance. The manufacturer was not notified. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 45,000.
I drove over a bridge on an interstate at approximately 65 MPH. The vehicle and steering wheel began to shake violently and uncontrollably. It felt as though all four tires blew out and I had no control over steering whatsoever. I had to slow almost to a stop and pull over on the shoulder of the road.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 ford f-250 sd. The contact stated that while traveling 70 MPH, he drove over a bump and the vehicle began to shake violently. The contact mentioned that he had to decelerate since the vehicle felt as if it was going to crash. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the steering stabilizer shock needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance. The failure mileage was 23,000. Updated 10/31/12*lj updated 10/31/12
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 ford f250 sd. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH over a road bump the vehicle would shake uncontrollably until the speed decelerated to 20 MPH. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who ran a diagnostic test and could not determine any failure with the vehicle. They also checked the tire pressure but there was no problem with the tires. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 40,000.
While driving over bumps, rough patches, uneven railroad tracks the vehicle steering wheel will start shaking violently. Impossible to control unless the speed is reduced dramatically (below 20mph on a freeway). After doing some internet research is a common trouble with this type of truck. Is called "death wobble". I sent an email to ford and I have not heard back. It's a dangerous problem and needs to be fixed.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 ford f-250 sd. The contact was driving 40 MPH over a pot hole when the steering wheel began to shake abnormally. The contact waited until the shaking ceased independently however, the failure recurred frequently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who advised that the failure was caused by the tires and recommended having a front end alignment performed. The contact stated that all four tires were replaced and an alignment was performed however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 10. The current mileage was 31,000.
2011 ford f-250 diesel. The first occurrence was driving approximately 50 MPH on a 2 lane rd. After hitting a small bump in the road the vehicle front end/steering began to shake violently from side to side. I took the vehicle to a local tire dealer for tire rebalancing and rotation (3rd for this vehicle) he stated the tires appeared to be wearing "funny". A couple weeks later on a long trip out of state the vehicle began to shake again, worse than before. While out of town I had alignment checked with no issue found and purchased new tires. Vehicle seemed repaired on return trip and has since begun the vibration again. I went to the dealer today who sent me to a local front end specialist. This gentleman knew the exact issue and claims to have repaired hundreds of them. He stated that ford motor company was aware of this issue. His opinion was that I need to purchase a "track bar kit" which he would install and then ensure the vehicle was realigned. After arriving home today I started looking on the internet for any information I could find and found many articles and videos about what is called the "death wobble". I have a son who turned 16 on sunday and I value his life more than to let him drive our new 2011 vehicle which is absolutely ridiculous and the reason I am filing my complaint today.
Violent shacking of steering wheel and vehicle sliding to the right when approcching a left curve after hitting multiple imperfection on the road (expantion joints, bumps, holes, etc.) driving at 50 MPH. Ford tsb 11-6-14.
My 2011 ford f250 diesel 4x4 crew cab 6.5' bed has experienced unexplainable suspension vibrations and wobbles over the course of its, now, 13.5k mile life. The truck, no matter how many times the wheels and tires were balance, bounces at 45-70 MPH and bounces at a very dangerous level at higher speeds when hitting a bump or uneven pavement. The problem is also worsened at the onset of the speed heading into a corner where the wheel is turned. It feels like the wheels go out of sync or out of shape and bounce forcing me to decelerate and on a few occasions, stop altogether.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2011 Ford F-250 SD?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history