“Death wobble” violent shaking going 50+ miles per hour.
2019 Ford F-250 SD steering complaints
Page 5 of 27: complaints 101 to 130 of 776, newest first, as owners wrote them.
The steering damper is bad and has caused a death wobble. Almost got into an accident on the freeway because the vehicle could not be controlled and my kids and wife where in the vehicle. Took it to the dealership and they could not do anything since there is a national back order for the parts. We are on vacation and they told me to drive home 13 hours with my family in the truck. Called Ford and they have not lifted a finger to help out or do anything to get this resolved. They want me to put my family in this death trap of a vehicle and drive 13 hours with my kids in the car.
While driving 75 mph on an interstate in Little Rock, Arkansas, the truck began to violently shake after hitting a bump and steering became difficult I had to quickly maneuver to the shoulder. Once I started back on the road, the shaking had stopped. Online, thus incident is often referred to as a "death wobble."
while driving on the freeways at freeway speeds after hitting road expansion joints the trucks steering and front end will violently shake to the point of loosing control
The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-250. The contact received notification of Customer Satisfaction Program: 20N04 (Steering Linkage Damper Extended Coverage) however, the part to do the repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was shaking. The contact had to decelerate to correct the failure. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the steering damper needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.
The front end of the truck will VIOLENTLY shake (death wobble) when it hits a bump in the road. The front end will also jump to the left or right, depending on which way your turning, when you hit a bump (bump steer).
The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-250. The contact stated while driving 40 - 60 MPH, the contact experienced the death wobble. The contact used an excessive amount of force to maintain control of the vehicle. The contact occasionally slowed down or stopped the vehicle to and reduced the speed to regain control of vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The failure recurred approximately 3 times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who related the failure with the federal safety agency ID Number: 10174720 (Steering) regarding the steering linkage; however, the vehicle was not repaired due to parts not being available. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and attempted to expedite the part to the dealer. The approximate failure mileage was 36,600.
When driving vehicle around 60 to 65 mph on interstate, when you hit a bump it will begin to shake violently and pull to one side. Took vehicle to dealership. They replaced numerous parts, but steering linkage arm, which Ford says it actual problem, is back ordered and could be a year before it is available. I was driving vehicle on the interstate after picking it up from the dealership and it did exactly the same thing. It does not seem safe to drive vehicle, but I do not have another truck to drive.
When driving the truck between 60 and 70 MPH and hitting a rough spot in the road (pothole, broken concrete section) with the drive side tire the steering wheel and entire front of the truck will shake violently. This will continue until speed is reduced below 40 MPH. In traffic slowing down to have the shaking stop is difficult and cause for a safety concern. If traveling on a two lane highway with other vehicles in the right lane it is very difficult to exit in order to slow down.
During the operation of the vehicle on a highway over 55 mph, after riding over a pothole on the road, the vehicle ceased to have steering. For 3 seconds the vehicle drifted in the right lane into another vehicle. After overcorrecting, the vehicle engaged the steering swerving to the left creating great instability by turning towards another vehicle. In this circumstance, an accident was avoided by a quick response and an attentative, however, we cannot drive the vehicle over 50mph otherwise luck may not be with us. The problem was previously identified by the local Fairfax dealership and the mechanic identified the Steering Stabilizer as problematic. A replacement was done, but the problem reoccurred. The 2nd Steering Stabilizer was installed at cost to us and initially the problem went away. Within a year, the problem has reoccurred creating the most dangerous incident so far. This problem is well known within the Ford enthusiast community noted in the link below: https://www.google.com/search?q=ford+f250+stblizer+problems&rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS917US917&oq=ford+f250+stblizer+problems&aqs=chrome..69i57j0i22i30l3j0i390l3.9863j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-250. The contact stated that while driving at 50-55 MPH, the vehicle experienced the death wobble. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 31,000. The VIN was unavailable.
F250 Death Wobble, driving on the fwy anything above 55 mph and I hit a bump or any typ eof transition, my truck shakes and wobbles extremely dangerously. Causing me to often have to stop on FWY to fix.
My 2019 super duty is only 3.5 years old with 35K miles on it. It is well taken care of and maintained accordingly at the dealership for its maintenance schedule. Recently I’ve been experiencing what others have reported for a total of 7 times now, each time over the speed of 65 MPH. It’s referred to as the “death wobble” on the front end. The whole vehicle shakes violently and you have to slow to a stop and pull over to make it stop. Each time I was on the freeway and once in the Rockies in Colorado and nearly wrecked there. Each time this occurs I’ve come Close to causing several vehicle accidents and being in law enforcement for over 22 years most of not all accidents are preventable but this is not. I’ve also learned I’m not the only owner experiencing the same issue and that Ford is aware of the problems. I also had passengers inside my vehicle.
Driving down highway at Tx highway speed limit, going over a short bridge and over an imperfect road on 4 occasions, truck went into serious jerking & shaking and became uncontrollable when pressed brakes and trick departed and almost off road and I had almost no control of vehicle. . DEATH WOBBLE every time I hit a bump! At every speed. Can’t hardly hold onto steering wheel and everything is shaking and no matter what speed I travel this continues to happen! This is not that quick little shimmy - this is a full on jerking and vehicle is going all over the road and will not stop shaking and jerking. Hitting the brakes magnifies the death wobble. When death wobble starts, this vehicle is no longer under my control- I barely missed hitting the side of that culvert bridge! Then the pickup shaking and unable to control it went into the other lane. despite deceleration to 20 mph the pickup continues to shake and jerk violently and veers off the road. Ford denied that this occurs and when I bought this pickup (used) they laughed at me and said it’s nothing. This is dangerous and now how do I get home with the babies safely?! I have almost had 3 accidents during this 40 minute trip due to this horrendous death wobble. https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1557613-death-wobble-tsb-info-requested.html https://thelemonfirm.com/2019/12/13/be-afraid-be-very-afraid-of-the-ford-super-duty-death-wobble/ https://www.fordtruckzone.com/threads/ford-death-wobble.674704/ https://fordauthority.com/2019/08/new-lawsuit-alleges-ford-super-duty-f-250-f-350-death-wobble/amp/
While driving at freeway speeds, hitting a pothole or other bump, vehicle wobbles uncontrollably in the front end. Vehicle must reduce speed quickly to stop the wobble. I have taken this vehicle into Ford Service twice. The first time they said they fixed the problem by replacing the strut and steering damper. Problem occurred less frequently but continues to occur. I took it in a second time but they could not find a problem. They stated they tried to replicate the problem, but my onboard camera shows they did not take the vehicle off of the lot to drive it at freeway speeds. Forder service said they are aware of the problem but don't know how to fix it. No warning lights. No messages. Nothing unusual was occurring at the time. Freeway speeds were somewhere around 50-70 mph at the times it happened.
The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-250. The contact stated while driving and exceeding 50 MPH, the steering wheel was shaking excessively while driving over a bump in the roadway or over a pothole. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that after slowing down to approximately 30 MPH, the shaking stopped. The vehicle was not taken to an independent mechanic or dealer for diagnostic tests or repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 35,000.
In the past 7 days driving at highway speeds of 70 mph+ and driving on rough patches or hitting bumps we lost control of the steering on 3 different occasions without warning. The 2019 F250 truck started shaking violently and I almost loss total control of the vehicle. I had to slow the vehicle down and immediately turn on the emergency flashers to warn other vehicles behind us that we were having a major vehicle malfunction. Once I slowed down to under 40 mph or stopping, I was able to regain control of the vehicle and the shaking stopped. My wife and I are very lucky we or the other vehicles around us were not involved in a major vehicle accident, when this steering malfunction happen. We were traveling back home from visiting family for Thanksgiving and during one of the incidents we were in heavy traffic in steady rain in the far-left lane and are very fortunate this did not cause an accident with major injuries or deaths. I contacted the Ford dealership where I had this vehicle services on November 16, 2022. I will take them the 2019 F250 truck for them to inspect and hopefully repair the defect/malfunction.
Driving above 50mph and hit a bump the front end begins violently shaking the complete 2019 Ford F250. No warning and has happened now twice in the last 60 days both times coming around a slight corner on a highway. Research found to be called a Death Wobble? https://www.google.com/search?q=violent+shaking+on+2019+f250+after+hitting+bump&rlz=1C1GCEV_en___US853&oq=violent+shaking+on+2019+f250+after+hitting+bump&aqs=chrome..69i57j33i160.12852j0j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
On 10/19/22, driving on an interstate at approximately 70mph. Hit normal bump in the road. Vehicle began shaking so violently that one hand thrown free from steering wheel. I grabbed steering wheel with two hands and a very tight grip to control the vehicle, immediately steered onto shoulder and braked. Extremely violent shaking did not stop until vehicle slowed to approximately 20 mph. I immediately exited and inspected wheels and tires. All tires were fine and inflated to normal, recommended PSI. Wheels had all lug nuts installed to normal specifications (I always have torque wrench, tire inflator, inflation tester, tire plug kit, 700lb impact wrench and many other tools). No contact was made with any other vehicle or object. No visible damage to any part of the vehicle. It felt as though the issue was coming from the front of the vehicle. The section of road was completely straight and well maintained. I initially, I thought I may have blown a tire but the vehicle did not pull to one side or the other. The vehicle was not overloaded in any way even though I did have an ATV that weighs approximately 700lbs in the bed of the truck. The ATV was securely tied down with 4 separate ratchet straps on all four corners. A check of the straps confirmed that the ATV was still completely secure. No adjustment or tightening was required. There were no more issues on this trip. On, 11/23/22, I was driving on a highway at approximately 65mph. I was traveling on a section of a small bridge and going through a curve in the road. As I transitioned from bridge to normal section of paved highway, there was a normal bump. Bump was minimal and ordinary as is typical. Vehicle experienced exact same violent shaking and did not stop unit vehicle came to stop. On this same day, I had another incident on straight section of road that resulted in violent shaking until stopped. This vehicle has experienced same issue three (3) times. This issue MUST be reviewed.
The steering linkage damper failed. I experienced complete loss of control of the vehicle on a highway. The vehicle was taken to my local Ford dealership for repair. There were no warning lamps or symptoms.
The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-250. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle experienced the death wobble. The contact slowed down until he was able to stop the vehicle and the vehicle started driving normally. There was no warning light illuminated. The failure persisted while driving and exceeding 45 MPH. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer who diagnosed the vehicle with a faulty steering damper. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 35,000.
Uncontrollable steering wheel shake at highway speeds after hitting bumps on the road above 45 mph. Above 45 mph the front wheels oscillate making the vehicle uncontrollable until slowing down to under 45 mph.
I was traveling west on interstate 74 at approximately 70 MPH when I drove over a small imperfection in the road surface (an overpass transition) the vehicle steering wheel and front of the vehicle started to violently shake uncontrollably and caused me to loose control of the vehicle and drive off of the road. It happened on the return trip as well however, I slammed on the brakes this time as soon as it started for fear of the life of my family that was riding with me. My wife now refuses to ride in my vehicle after the two incidents. Luckily no one was behind me on the interstate.
Experiences what I found to be called the death wabble. It’s getting worse
Took the truck on I-40 and to 75mph hit a crack repair and steering went crazy. Had to full stop to get it to stop. Back on the road and it happened again at 75mph. Got it into dealer and found out that it is a death wobble. Dealer replaced the steering dampener and returned. Dampener was purchased locally. Six weeks later and it happened on US550, after driving over a rough spot. This time it was 70mph. Happened again on US550 a few days later but at 65mph. Truck is in the dealer's shop again, and has been for eight days. They test drove it and got it to duplicate the problem. They have put a new steering dampener on as the last one is bad already. They are lowering the camber (wharever that is) and will test drive it tomorrow again.
Traveling at 70 miles per hour, hit bump on highway and front end of vehicle began shaking violently, almost lost control. Took foot off gas and applied brakes, vehicle finally stopped shaking. "Death Wobble ". Vehicle has 22,500 miles, tires original, no modifications to vehicle
2019 F250, 13,000 miles: While traveling along interstate 64 in Virginia, I crossed a bridge in the early morning, pre-dawn hours which caused the truck to "bounce" as it transitioned across the joints that joined the bridge to the pavement. Immediately after crossing, the truck entered into an uncontrollable vibration that caused me to lose positive control to the vehicle. The loss of control lasted until I was able to ride-out the incident alongside the roadway. Believing I had blown a tire, I checked the truck to find that all tires were serviceable. I reentered the roadway, having checked all items I could, only to have the issue reoccur as I crossed another bridge at a reduced speed. I exited the interstate highway and utilized back roads, at reduced speeds (below 50), to reach a safe location to diagnose the issue. Utilizing online research, I located videos of the exact same problem I had experienced. I am beyond shocked this vehicle has not been recalled. As an experienced driver, with over twenty years of law enforcement driving experience, I can assure you it took everything I had to keep the vehicle from crashing. Had I been towing a trailer/camper or had the interstate traffic been heavier, I cannot imagine how a serious accident would not have occurred. The vehicle has been meticulously maintained, possesses a current state inspection sticker, and gave no warning prior to this incident of having any issues related to the loss of control.
Odometer: 45847. Two weeks ago I hit a bump on GA 400 going about 70MPH and the death wobble happened. Had to brake heavily to get it to stop. No warning lights. Knew there was an ESB on the Steering Dampner and took it to the dealer to have that replaced along with the other recalls. The service advisor calls today and wants to charge me $1800 to replace the tie rods. Ford should be taking care of the affected components in relation to the steering dampener not holding up.
Uncontrollably shaking (death wobble). Lost control and had to brake quickly.
This has now happened on two separate occasions. When driving the truck at 55mph and hitting a small bump in the road the truck started shaking violently and would not stop until I slowed down to under 25mph. Upon researching this, consumers are calling this the Ford Wobble of Death. The truck became uncontrollable until I slowed down and the vibration ceased. Fortunately, it was on a straight section of roadway and no other cars were in close proximity at the time. There was little steering control of the truck until I slowed down to make the violent shaking stop. The problem appears to be with the front steering components (drag link, tie rod, tie rod ends, ball joints). Since this occurrence the front of the truck vibrates slightly almost all of the time when driving over 55mph. The Ford dealer replace the steering damper, and this helped the vibration, but it still continues to vibrate. Ford may still have the replaced part (but this part replacement has not fixed the problem.) The Ford dealer has said replacing the steering damper was the first item to change (per Ford Corporate) to fix this problem. The vehicle has not been inspected by anyone other than the Ford dealer. There were no warning lamps or other symptoms of the upcoming problem until the first time is shook violently.
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