Death wobble, while driving approximately 45 MPH, I ran over some train tracks and the steering wheel started shaking violently. I had to slow down to almost a stop to get it to quit. Scared my wife half to death. Very dangerous.
2017 Ford F-250 SD steering complaints
Page 23 of 25: complaints 641 to 670 of 717, newest first, as owners wrote them.
On multiple occasions, when driving the vehicle over 50 MPH and hitting a bump or ridge in the road, the truck violently shakes and is extremely difficult to control. This is referred to as a "death wobble." we have taken the truck to our local dealer for the service bulletin repair that ford has issued for this problem and the repair did not fix the problem. The dealer and ford customer care do not have a solution. This is a known problem and our dealer tells us they have 8 trucks in for service with the same problem and no solution. This is extremely dangerous.
Driving south on I-95 just north of portland,me. Traveling with no load at 70 MPH on dry pavement. Came across a bridge expansion joint which ran slightly diagonal to the direction of travel. The truck went into a violent death wobble. The entire vehicle was shuddering. I had all I could do to keep two hands on the wheel. The steering wheel was shaking left to right at a high oscillation. I had limited control of the vehicle and let of the accelerator and drifted toward the breakdown lane. At approximately 25 MPH the oscillation stopped. Shortly thereafter the condition repeated. When I got home I went on line and discovered that this is a common problem. I have just over 50k miles on the truck. The dealer recommended that I replace the tires as they may be getting worn. I did follow that instruction although the tires still met the wear limits. I was also informed that ford has issued a tsb # 18-2268 which I am going to have executed next week which looks into this problem and makes minor adjustment to the front end alignment. All that said, the problem is far greater than some tire wear and alignment adjustments. No vehicle shouls shake and ocillate you off of the road in a violent oscillation where the driver loses their ability to control the vehicle. Ford has a far more serious design issue with these trucks. As they do not acknowlege the problem and offer a true fix (at their cost) the owner of these vehicles is playing a game of russian roulette until the vehicle goes back into the violent oscillation. After reading many on-line posts, this appears to be happening at all different mileage levels. Ford needs to be investigated for this problem. The customer and their family should not be endangered for a defective front suspension
I experienced what is considered the "death wobble" twice last week while traveling at around 70 MPH, both times it happened after crossing a bridge seam the truck became uncontrollable shaking violently , I thought my axle under the truck had broke , it was so violent I wasn't even thinking about the other drivers traveling at same speed as I had to slow to almost 20 MPH to get it to stop but I was able to get off to the side of the road once I could control the steering. So after checking to make sure all was good ,I was still on all fours and not ever hearing of anything like this "death wobble thing " assuming vdot needed to fix some pavement I continued and about three miles down the road the same thing happened after crossing a bridge over a bridge seam but this time I was in the passing lane and was right beside an eighteen wheeler .with vehicles on all three sides of me , no way to get off highway , and a violent, shaking and uncontrollable steer wheel, I had no other choice but to brake and slow to 30 MPH . The next day I took the truck to ford dealership where they are deciding what is wrong with and what caused this to happen. I have researched and found this is not an isolated issue and seems a huge problem with the 2017.
Tl* the contact owns a 2017 ford f-250. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced a death wobble while driving moderate speeds over unleveled land. The contact stated that the vehicle shimmied violently and force had to be used to steer. Ford of murfreesboro (1550 nw broad st, murfreesboro, tn 37129, (615) 713-1436) was notified of the failure and provided a loaner vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 34,000. *dt
Typical highway driving over minor abnormalities in roadway at speeds over 50 MPH can cause the steering to shake violently and will continue unless/until you brake nearly to a stop. This happens without warning and has nearly caused several collisions by me personally. There is no steering control until you have brought the vehicle to a stop. This condition is commonly known as a death wobble. Ford has a tsb on it but they are simply replacing defective parts to get past the warranty period and not solving the true cause of the problem. If not cured properly, lives will be lost because of this known flawed design. Please don't let this kill anyone (else?)!!!
Uncontrolled "death wobble" when driving over 45 MPH. This occurs when the front of the vehicle begins to oscillate violently, which causes the truck to shake (wobble) in an extremely uncontrollable manner. Since the death wobble usually occurs at high speeds, it is extremely dangerous and could potentially cause the vehicle to turn into adjacent vehicles causing fatalities. The only way to recover from a death wobble is to unexpectedly slow down, which is also dangerous to neighboring vehicles especially when traveling at high speeds. In my particular case, this occurred while traveling at 70mph on an interstate, at night, and during inclement weather. I was driving straight and after driving onto a road-bridge transition, the vehicle began to suddenly violently shake, and the steering wheel rocked back and forth. I was forced to slow down and all the vehicles around me had to turn into the median to avoid hitting my vehicle. I checked my vehicle for damaged tires or debris underneath and found no such debris or damage. The next day I drove to the dealership and the service department knew of tsb 18-2268. I should have been notified of this problem because it almost killed me and my children.
Suspension oscillation when hitting rough pavement or bridge transition at 65 miles an hour. Violent shaking of steering wheel and tires bouncing (aka death wobble). Truck has 28,412 miles at the time this occurred. Unable to safely drive on the interstate. This issue is a safety problem that ford needs to address. Multiple 17' 18' super duty's having this issue.
'death wobble' steering when a road bump encountered. Front sreering damper has been replaced twice (2 times) previously, but the almost uncontrollable front end shimmy is back. Have never had a ford truck with this sort of problem. Don't know if it's just the dampener, or combination of inadequate shocks/suspension, but it's dangerous to drive. Ford must be held accountable for this design defect! I take it back to the dealer tomorrow for a 3rd attempted fix. Vehicle now has 40,000 miles, but, as I said, this is the 3rd time for replacement. Something structurally is causing the steering issue. I hope it doesn't take fatalities for ford to find a solution.
And least 6 times while I motion front steering shakes violently after hitting a bump this last time was after the truck had been to the dealership to fix the problem. This is not the only the only vehicle with this problem. This last time I ended up in the opposite lane of traffic pulling a trailer loaded with livestock before getting the vehicle under control. Dealership encouraged me to report this problem. I can't tell you how dangerous of a problem this is. You have no control of the steering when this happens
When traveling at highway speeds (60+ MPH) and you hit certain types of bumps the the road the steering wheel shakes violently after the bump. This has happened four times in the last month. It appears to only happen over a road imperfection where the two front wheels hit it independently ie a skewed angle bridge joint or a single pot hole. At the dealers instruction I have rotated and balanced tires, checked tire inflation. The truck has 20,000 miles on it now and this first happened at 17,000 miles. My research tells me that this problem is commonly called "death wobble" which it appears ford has issued a technical service bulletin for. I am going to try another dealer and give them the info I have.
When driving speeds of 55-60 randomly hitting a bump or bridge transition ,front end and steering wheel will occasionally start shaking violently until you pull over to almost a complete stop , returned to dealership 3 time for same problem , resulting in same issue each time,always on the highway , always in a straight line
Driving at 65-70 MPH on a concrete paved highway. Hit a rough patch of pavement or expansion joint, and the front end began shaking violently, as if one or both of the front tires had flatted. I could see the hood shaking. The steering wheel also oscillated significantly. I almost lost control of the vehice. I let off the accelerator and lightly braked to about 45mph before the shaking and oscillation stopped. Ford does have a tsb out on the issue tsb 18-2268, but they are only replacing parts that have worn out, not the hidden issue that is causing heavy duty suspension parts to wear out so quickly.
The vehicle was went into "death wobble" on numerous occasions. It was extremely scary for my wife and kids. The vehicle was taken to a dealership where the problem was "fixed." it has since occurred 2 more times after the fix. Ford does not seem to have a permanent fix.
Traveling ca. 65 MPH on I-435 in kansas city, diverted lanes forced me to drive over shoulder rumble bars for about 50 yards. While driving on the rumble bars, the vehicle steering wheel began to oscillate,jerking left and right violently. I reduced speed and exited the lane but the steering kept shaking until I reduced speed to around 30 MPH. I stopped, visually inspected the tires and the front suspension but found no visible damage. The dic indicated the tire psi for all tires was normal. I returned to the highway and resumed speeds of 65-70 MPH. The vehicle has not repeated this issue since.
Severe front end shimmy when hitting a slight bump. Repair and replace both upper shims with 1 degree bushing, steering shock, and bar balt joint. All parts on back order indicating this is common occurrence.
When driving on interstate at 75mph the truck began to shake violently after crossing over a bridge. The truck uncontrollably veered into the left lane. The truck has been 'repaired' by ford motor company three times and still has the same problem. The truck came out of the shop most recently 2 days ago and is already having death wobble issues. The truck currently has 39,000 miles. A video of the occurrence is available, but I was unable to upload.
While driving, if the vehicle hits a bump the front end and steering wheel will shake violently back and forth and side to side causing instability and making the vehicle hard to control until the vehicles speed is dramatically decreased or in some instances stopped completely on the side of the road. This has happened numerous timeson the highway traveling at speeds around 70 MPH as well as when traveling on city streets at a lower rate of speed
Death wobble at highway speeds after hitting expansion joint in road
On 4 seperate occasions, while driving at approximately 55-65 MPH on a highway, driving straight, the steering wheel began shaking violently causing loss of steering and control of the truck. Slowing down to 15-20 MPH while applying the brakes got the shaking to stop. The vibration is akin to the 'death wobble'. While I did not crash the truck, if there had been a vehicle in the lane next to me on any of the incidents, an accident would have occurred because the truck veered into the lane next to me. The truck is at the dealer for repair. I was told by the service advisor that this is a common problem. The truck has 20k miles on it currently. The first time it happened, the truck had about 16k miles.
The trucks steering wheel shakes violently at highway speeds. You have to hold on and reduce speeds to almost a stop to get it to stop. It is the scariest thing I have ever encountered with a vehicle in over forty years of driving. Ford is well aware of the problem. I'm concerned that you all are silent. If your agency continues to ignore this you all should just closedown and find something else to do.
Front tires wobble extremely hard at certain speed
In order to drive straight, the steering wheel had to be turned 90 degrees right. During this event, the brake warning light illuminated, the traction control warning light light illuminated, the ABS warning light illuminated, and the service engine light illuminated all at the same time. In addition, the display screen gave 'collision avoidance system unavailable' error message. I immediately and slowly drove to a ford dealership. When I parked it at the dealership, the condition I described above still existed. Ford advised that the issue corrected itself and the technicians only found code u3000. They could not duplicate the issue. Ford closed the issue as 'unable to duplicate' despite it being a huge public safety risk if this condition repeats while at highway speed carrying a load. This could result in a death or serious bodily injury.
In november of 2018, at 25,000 miles, my truck became temporarily uncontrollable while traveling on a straight and level section of interstate 10. I experienced severe oscillation of front tires at 70 MPH. I was on straight and level ground and was able to slow down to 30 MPH at which time I regained control. During the incident, I was unable to maintain lane integrity. After stopping, I checked the tire pressure and all tires were at the recommended pressure's. Took the vehicle to chapman ford dealer in scottsdale az and the inspection came back "no problems detected". In january 2019, at 28,000 miles I experienced the same problem at 50 MPH while traveling on a straight and level paved road. This time I did not regain control until 20 MPH. In both of the described instances I was pulling a light utility trailer loaded with a polaris ranger. *note: I do not recall hitting a bumpy section of roadway to initiate the severe oscillation.
Death wobble - the uncontrollable death wobble has struck at highway speeds a total of seven times with my 2017 ford super duty. The steering wheel and the entire truck shakes violently, to the point of being uncontrollable, until the truck slows down to about 40 MPH. This is a very concerning safety issue, and even more surprising is that ford does not have this under a recall! As we researched what the problem was, it became very apparent that ford has a problem with their super duty trucks and steering. When the death wobble strikes it is extremely concerning. This condition has not been fixed due to parts being on back order. This is indeed a serious safety issue.
Truck front end and steering wheel shakes violently after hitting a bump going 70 MPH
On numerous occasions, running across any road irregularities such as potholes, bridge or road expansion joints at 50 MPH or above causes shaking in the front end so bad that the truck needs to be almost competely stopped to regain control. We have almost been in rear end accidents due to the loss of control and slowing in traffic. First attempt at a repair was at 2400 miles when the shaking was so bad, it caused the adaptive steering to fail. The adaptive steering/steering wheel assembly and steering column needed to be replaced due to damage. Truck has spent over 75 days total in the shop in 25000 miles is still not repaired and dealer has no estimate of a repair time. Our friends refuse to ride in the truck and my wife is so afraid to drive it, she avoids any roads where she will exceed 50 MPH. We have repeatedly asked to have the truck repurchased, yet ford has refused, so we have retained legal representation to pursue a lemon law suit.
While driving at highway speeds, over 55 MPH, after hitting uneven pavement the front end starts to shake erectly. If a tight grip is not maintained on the steering the truck will start to move all over the road. This has happened multiple times on a truck with less than 8500 miles on it. I have video evidence but the files are too large to upload.
I have the death wobble like so many others. It starts when I'm driving and a small bump in the road and the steering wheel start rotating left and right almost uncontrollably unless I slow almost all the way to below 10 miles an hour. My neighbor and countless other owners are having the same issue. I also have a 2011 f250 that I've never had this issue. I think it's an geometry issue. Two times I was on the north loop 289 access road turning north under the overpass and traveling around 15-20 miles an hour. Dec 2017 the third time I was between cr 7700 and hwy 41 on cr 1730 both in lubbock tx. Dec 28th 2018
Tl* the contact owns a 2017 ford f-250. While driving 70 MPH over a bump in the road, the steering wheel and front end of the vehicle started to experience mild shaking. In order to stop the vehicle from shaking, the contact had to decrease the speed from 70 to 30 MPH. The contact stated that the same failure occurred multiple times whenever the speed exceeded 60-75 MPH. The vehicle was taken to phil long ford (301 s 2nd st, raton, nm 87740) and unknown repairs were performed. A month after taking the vehicle to the dealer, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 17,000. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr *dt
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