2019 Ford F-350 SD: tire blowout or tread separation

Filed Oct 13, 2022 · Steering · WA

While getting on the freeway my vehicle started to shake violently when I hit about 50 mph. There was no warning. The road surface was kind of rough. The shaking affected the steering wheel so much that it made controlling the vehicle very difficult. I thought a wheel was falling off or we had a blow out. Luckily there was a wide shoulder. Two semis with wide loads (trusses) were able to move to the left lane to avoid hitting me. It traumatized me and my passenger. We could have been killed and no one would have known about the violent shaking we experienced. I usually am towing a horse trailer. I don't know what might have happened if I had horses with me. This is a known problem to Ford. It's referred to as the "death wobble". They have extended the warranty for this but haven't made a recall. The service appointment for this isn't available until December or later! Ford told me I can either not drive it until then, or only drive it under 40 miles per hour, or pay someone to replace the steering dampener (which they would not reimburse). My truck is a 2019 F350 with only 9,000 on it. My husband replaced the defective part and we have it if needed for inspection. At the very least this problem should be highly publicized so if it happens drivers will be able to recognize the problem and try to slow down and hold onto the wheel. We were totally caught off-guard. Owners of the affected trucks should be encouraged to change the part on their own. Ford says there's a part shortage and can't schedule replacement for 3 months. We were able to get the part the same day at Napa. Ford refused to reimburse for it.

Filed Dec 24, 2020 · Steering, Wheels · 72,000 miles · OK

I'm a small business owner in tulsa, ok and I was wondering if your agency has received complaints regarding the 2019 ford trucks with the front end issue called the 'death wobble'? This has occurred multiple times this year and we take it directly to the dealership when it occurs. The last time the truck was in the dealership for two weeks. Fowler ford called and said out truck was finally ready for pickup. We immediately went and picked it up, and within 50-60 miles the death wobble occurred and blew out the front driver side tire nearly causing us to hit a guard rail with a huge embankment. When the truck tire blew out it tore out the wiring harness, damaged the fender, the door causing over $10k in damage. Please google 'death wobble'. It is all over the internet and I'm surprised ford has not done a recall. My insurance is going to pay for the damages to the truck. We still won't have a work truck because ford does not have a fix fix for it. Our driver came within a inch or two from hitting a guard rail and going down a huge embankment. Thank you for your time. Nathan butterfield

Filed Dec 22, 2019 · 10,000 miles · UT

One morning while getting into our vehicle (2019 f350) after is had been parked for two days I noticed the rear window was bulging outward and shattered. There is no evidence the window was damaged from the outside, and the window is bulging outward. It appears, the pressurizing of the vehicle cabin by shutting the door could cause enough pressure to blow out a window. The vehicle was parked on a friday at 1400, it remained parked then on sunday we noticed the broken window. The vehicle was parked on street which LED me to think vandalism, however the outward bulging of the window is evidence the break came from the inside. The doors were locked which means no one could have gotten inside the vehicle.

Filed Dec 4, 2019 · Steering, Suspension · 15,000 miles · CA

On dec 2, 2019 I was driving my 2019 ford f-350 (with 15,000mi) on insterstate 505 at approximately 65-70mph while overtaking a tractor-trailer. With no obvious cause, the front wheels / steering of the vehicle began shaking uncontrollably. I assumed there was some sort of major wheel damage or blowout of a tire and tried to pull over. The vehicle was very hard to steer and I did not have adequate speed to get safely past the semi, so I slowed down in the fast lane and pulled to the right behind the semi. Once stopped I inspected the vehicle and was surprised to find no obvious damage. I resumed driving without any apparent issue. About 45mi further down the road the exact same issue happened again at 65mph. This time there were no vehicles nearby on the highway so I slowed below 30mph and the vibration stopped. I accelerated back to 65mph without the vibration issue and continued my trip home. The intensity of these vibrations is very extreme and the vehicle is almost uncontrollable when they are happenening. There is no way to avoid or anticipate that they will happen, and the only remedy is to slow or stop the vehicle immediately, which is extremely dangerous to do in a freeway environment when the steering is barely working. My vehicle is using original, unmodified stock tires, wheels, and suspension components and is ovf relatively low mileage (15,000mi).

Filed Nov 11, 2019 · Steering, Suspension · 16,300 miles · TX

My 2019 ford f-350 has approximately 16,300 miles on it. On friday, november 8, 2019, I was driving at highway speed (approximately 65 MPH) westbound on interstate 10 near san antonio, tx around mile marker 588 shortly after noon. I was in the left lane. I hit a small, but relatively deep pothole in my lane, which caused a jolt to the vehicle. What followed next is difficult to describe as I have never experienced anything like it in over 40 years of driving. The front end of the vehicle started to shake and wobble violently. I initially thought both of the front steer tires had experienced a blowout simultaneously as the shaking was occurring on both front tires and the front suspension. The vehicle was very difficult to control. I was able to decelerate and move to the right shoulder. At some point during my deceleration, perhaps around 25 MPH, I was able to regain control of the vehicle and the shaking stopped. I exited and inspected the vehicle, but could see no damage to either tire, nor any indication of damage to the tie rods, shocks or other components of the front suspension. I was able to resume driving and later conducted a more thorough inspection, again finding no apparent damage or cause for the violent shaking and wobbling I had experienced. I am terrified that this will occur again. In different circumstances, this could easily result in loss of control of the vehicle, with very bad consequences. I occasionally pull fifth wheel and goose neck trailers with this vehicle, which is why I purchased it. If this occurred while pulling a load, the consequences could be terrible.