While driving at 65 Mph, towing a fifth wheel camper, encountered a mildly rough section of highway when entire front end began to wobble and shake violently. Slowed the vehicle, maintaining control. When going back up to speed, the same shaking occured again. Also noted a less violent shaking at 45 mph. Took vehicle to have new tires rebalanced but did not change condition much. Inspected front end components. Currently replacing steering damper and shocks in hopes of correcting issue. All other components new or nearly new (3 years) with no issues. Vehicle and components can be inspected, and all replaced parts will be kept for inspection if required. Safety of my vehicle and others on busy highway could have been compromised had I not slowed and maintained control. The problem is being dealt with by me, as I do most maintenance on vehicle. The vehicle has not been seen or inspected by others except by tire mechanic who noted no obvious issues but did re-balance all tires. There was NO advance warning of a failure or compromise.
2005 Ford F-250 suspension problems
37 complaints (26% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 47,000.
- owner complaints
- 37
- of this car's complaints
- 26%
- typical mileage
- 47,000
- crashes
- 0
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Front7
- Front: shock absorber1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Ford F-250 suspension problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2005 Ford F-250 suspension
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Related investigations
Violent front end oscillation
This investigation was opened based on 78 consumer complaints of severe suspension and steering wheel oscillations after the subject vehicles traveled over an uneven surface.odi was concerned about these complaints because many of them alleged loss of control and the loss of control occurredat speeds above 50 miles per hour.at the time these complaints were received, odi was also aware of the tsb 07-10-10 and early warning field reports that discussed the shimmy condition on the subject vehicles.since opening this investigation, odi has confirmed, based on consumer complaints, warranty data, testing conducted by vrtc, and odi inspection of complaint vehicles, that the owners of the subject vehicles are experiencing shimmy events on their vehicles.however, odi has also confirmed that owners typically do not maintain their tires at the pressures recommended by ford on the tire label.further, odi has found that in order for shimmy to occur, tire pressures must be substantially below (at least 20%) those specified on the vehicle tire label.odi considers these unsafe tire conditions to be the result of one of three typical situations.the tires are being improperly maintained, the owners are intentionally setting the tire pressures low to enhance ride quality, or aftermarket tires (not designed for use on the vehicle) are installed to change the appearance or function of the vehicle.the subject vehicles are intended and designed to be used as heavy duty vehicles and as such require that the tires be capable of handling the loads for which the vehicle is designed and marketed.in order for the tires to be capable of handling these loads, the proper tire pressure must be maintained.in light of the information gathered in this investigation and ford's agreement to notify subject vehicle owners (now and every two years until the vehicles reach ten years from their production date) about the importance of maintaining proper tire pressures on their vehicles, further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by the federal safety agency that no safety-related defect exists.the agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.for additional information, see the attached closing report.
EA08007
Violent front end oscillation
Odi has received 78 consumer complaints of severe suspension and steering wheel shimmy and oscillations commencing after the subject vehicles traveled over an uneven road surface. The majority of these incidents occurred at speeds of 50 MPH or greater.thirteen of the complaints received by odi allege loss of steering control and that the vehicle changed driving lanes uncontrollably.four of the complaints received by odi allege that the vehicle left the road surface as a result of the violent suspension and steering wheel oscillations.in one case the consumer alleges that after the vehicle left the road surface, it crashed into a wooded area.additionalfactors contributing to the opening of this ea were early warning field reports,submitted by ford, describing suspension shimmy / oscillationsand a ford tsb (07-10-10) describing the suspension shimmy issue and how to repair the problem.ford has described shimmy as self-excited oscillation of the steering wheels with accompanying wheel tramp.this pe has been upgraded to an engineering analysis (ea) to determine if the shimmy condition that occurs on the subject vehicles creates a condition where the vehicle becomes difficult to control or startles the driver, thus presenting a safety risk.
PE07057
What 2005 Ford F-250 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
In 2014, I got the “Ford death wobble” in the right front. VERY scary and dangerous. Trying to quickly slow down to stop it in traffic is almost as dangerous as the wobble itself. You have very little to no control with the steering when it happens. I had to repair the problem out of pocket because Ford won’t do anything about it. Now, two weeks ago, I had the same death wobble happen at 70 mph on the left front. So frightening. My passengers thought we had a blowout and we’re about to crash. I successfully slowed it down but this problem is a road hazard to me and everyone else on the road. So now, once again, it’s on me to shell out to fix a problem that should have been a recall a long time ago but Ford won’t step up and do the right thing. Please give us some relief here.
towing a trailer, traveling at 70 mph, I hit a pothole and vehicle violently shook. The episode lasted for approx 30 seconds. It was very Difficult to maintain control and I almost ran off the road. It happened several times before I took it for repairs. The stabilizer bar was replaced, however the violent shaking has still continued.
Front end suspension shimmy> My granddaughter and I were driving at 60mpa and hit a bump and could not control shaking of truck until pulling over to stop. This happened without warning. Had to drive back roads to get home.
The contact owns a 2005 Ford F-250. The contact stated while driving approximately 75 MPH, the front suspension started to bounce and vibrate, causing the vehicle to shift independently to the right lane. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact slowed the vehicle and the failure stopped. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.
Driving on the freeway at apps 65 miles per hour, the truck hit a numb in the road and started to shaking causing the truck to shake violently. I was able to get to the side of the road and slow down which eased the shaking. I started driving again and after reaching speeds this happened two more times, then I got off the freeway and drove backroads home under 40 miles per hour.
The steering is extremely lose and has a shimmy or “death wobble” when going over any type of bumps or other issues and at speed on the highway. Similar to recall 09L02
A scary and serious wobble at 35 MPH. Had to creep home. Almost lost control.
My truck violently shake at any time between 30 an 70 MPH I have to slow down to make it stop which could cause a accident it happens in the city an highway
2005 ford f250 with approximately 19,100 miles. Original factory tires, suspension- no modifications. Tire pressure set to factory door label specs. On monday, 8-19-2019 while on I-95, travel speed at about 60 m.p.h., I drove over a bridge expansion joint & the entire truck started shaking violently. Steering wheel was vibrating/shaking making it difficult for me to maintain control of the truck in my established lane and nearly took out several cars in the adjacent lanes nearly causing multi-vehicle collision. Went on the internet & found thousands of similar complaints regarding this same issue I just experienced. Later found out it is called harmonic resonance a.k.a. The death wobble. This dangerous situation affects not only the driver and the passengers in the defective vehicle, but to other unsuspecting motorist's and their passengers whom share the same roadways.
Questions about the 2005 Ford F-250 suspension
Does the 2005 Ford F-250 have suspension problems?
Owners have filed 37 complaints about the suspension of the 2005 Ford F-250, 26% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2005 Ford F-250 suspension problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 47,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2005 Ford F-250 suspension?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Ford F-250 have bad suspension?
The Ford F-250 model years with the most suspension complaints are 2012 (125 complaints), 2011 (111 complaints) and 2006 (85 complaints).
Other 2005 Ford F-250 problems
Engine 43Steering 39Fuel system 19Transmission 14Electrical 13Brakes 11Body 7Wheels 6Tires 5Acceleration 1
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