July 10 2023, driving on highway in my 2012 Ford F-350 super duty going 50-55 mph front passenger tire hit small bump in road causing vehicle to “death wobble”. Vehicle violently pulled to the left. Luckily there was not a vehicle in that lane otherwise an accident would have ensued. Steering wheel was shaking uncontrollably and I had no control of vehicle until I slowed down to 25 mph. I delivered truck to the Ford dealer on July 11, 2023 explaining my experience. Technician was also able to reproduce the “death wobble” problem and repairs were made at my expense. A year prior to this episode I had noticed a slight wobble in steering but not to this extent. I voiced my concern to the Ford dealer and they had replaced a few ball joints. There has not been any indication of steering issues up to my incident in July 2023. I would like this report to serve as a record as I feel this problem may arise again in the future. My understanding Ford has had issues with “death wobble”in their super duty trucks dating from 2005-2019. A recall should be issued from the manufacture regarding the unsafe and poorly engineered front end and steering components.
2012 Ford F-350 suspension complaints
Page 2 of 3: complaints 11 to 40 of 65, newest first, as owners wrote them.
The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-350. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the steering wheel started vibrating violently, causing the entire vehicle to shake. Upon reducing the speed to 10 MPH, the vehicle returned to normal functionality; however, the failure recurred. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who was able to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 260,000.
Encountered violent shaking of whole truck traveling on I95. Transitioned from a bridge to road surface and the whole vehicle began to violently shake - Loosing all control of steering & braking. Released gas pedal and slowed to shoulder. Was informed later this is a known issue with all Ford Superduty trucks with solid front axle.
While driving at highway speeds (over 55mph) if you hit a bump in the road, the truck shakes uncontrollably and will not stop until the vehicle is slowed down significantly. I have had the steering dampner replaced and replaced the tires and shocks and still hasn't fixed the problem. This has happened numerous times in the vehicle!!
I purchased my F350 new in 2012. Since that time I have experienced a severe wobble in the front end while I am driving. It starts vibrating at about 45mph and sometimes escalates to where I have to almost slam on the brakes to stop it. It has done this probably 12-15 times and since 2022 it is definitely getting worse and worse. Ford says its my motor mounts, but it has done this since it was new! I read about the "death wobble" on the internet and I definitely have a defective front end. I am concerned that it may cause me to be in a bad accident after having to hit the brakes so hard to stop it. Can you assist?
Sterring wheel started shaking violently back and forth, as wheel as the entire vehicle shaking. After checking on line foend the term "death wobble" associated with these symptoms. I was traveling at about 40 miles per hour on a paved highway. The only way I was able to stop violent shaking / wobble was to slow almost to a stop. Vehicle has about 77,000 miles on the odometer. I immediately contacted the local dealer and made an appointment to have it checkout and repaired. Appointment is scheduled for nov. 22, 2022.
when the truck is traveling at highway speeds and goes over an imperfection in the road surface like a bump, bridge expansion joint etc... The truck will vibrate violently and will not stop until the speed is reduced often times under 50 mph which can be dangerous on a highway. This has been happening for the past year and a half. I have tried brining it to multiple mechanics and have replaced a number of parts.
On a Clear day, no rain while traveling on an interstate hwy at approx 70mph, I drove onto a bridge and my truck starting violently shaking , the complete front end was causing the truck to move from side to side and I could hardly hold onto the steering wheel! My wife was was so afraid we were going to roll over, as was I! Finally after taking my foot off of the gas, at about 30 or 40 mph it stopped! I'm taking it to my dealership first thing in the morning! Its not safe to drive, as I might not be so lucky next time it happens. I'm finished with ford trucks that's for sure!!!!
While traveling on the highway at 70~75 mph the vehicle went over a small highway joint. This caused the truck to shake violently with little to no control. Only after dropping speeds less than 45mph did the violent shaking stop. The sudden slow down in the middle of the highway, the violent shaking and the lack of steering control was extremely dangerous and caused an immediate life safety issue to myself , my family and other vehicles and motorists near mine. The vehicle was inspected by a mechanic. The tires have been balanced and rotated are not worn. The shocks on all four tires were replaced. The steering stabilizer shock was replaced and joints inspected. The problem persists and only is replicable during highway speeds. The event comes without any warning and the vehicle is uncontrollable.
The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-350. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH on the expressway, the vehicle drove over a bump on the roadway and the vehicle and the steering wheel started shaking violently. The contact depressed the brake pedal and veered to the side of the road. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred three times while driving over bumps on the roadway the same day. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and test driven. The dealer inspected the suspension and diagnosed that no issues were found. However, the dealer advised the contact that the tires needed to be replaced as they were worn on the inside. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 135,000.
“Death Wobble” vehicle shakes uncontrollably when hitting bumps/grooves in pavement or going at speeds above 50 mph putting driver at extreme risks. Repaired steering dampener, shocks, and tires, but nothing has offered a solution to the issue.
My truck shakes violently at 40-45 mph. It has difficult to diagnose the exact component to replace. I took the truck to a independent repair service and they told me it was the death wobble. They did drive the vehicle and confirmed the shaking. It will cause me to pay over 1000.00 dollars to fix. Not to mention the tires that have been ruined because of it. No police or anyone else has inspeced it. No warniing lamps or messages present.
The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-350. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the contact experienced the death wobble after driving over a bump on a bridge. The contact pulled the vehicle off to the shoulder and coasted the vehicle until the rattling stopped and the vehicle resumed normal operation. The dealer and the manufacturer were both notified of the failure and neither offered any assistance. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 223,000
I believe this is now the 3rd occurrence for me within the last two weeks of what has been termed by other owners as the "death wobble". Two incidents have occurred on "bumpy" roads, though one was just a bumpy interstate. The interstate, while a bumpy, I wouldn't imagine would have been bumpy enough to constitute a poor road condition, travel conditions were pulling about 12,000 lb 5th wheel camper and I was going probably between 55-60mph. The next two occurrences happened truck only. The second occurrence, was a back road and probably the "bumpiest" road of them all, probably going 45-50 mph, so not so bumpy that I had to be going super slow. The third occurrence was on a smooth road and I did hit a "bump" which probably wasn't much more than a crack in the road traveling at probably 50-60 mph. I experienced the wobble. Each time, it has been scarier than the last and it required me to slow down significantly, while I dont know the exact amount, many people describing under 20 mph feels about right, however, the 3rd occurrence required a complete stop before the shaking int he steering wheel was gone. I have completed a number of checks, tire tread is still good, the balance feels appropriate at highway speeds. I think my biggest concern here, is that this is a common issue and there appears to be no common reasons or even a short list of probably causes based on my doling around the internet. I am sure I am about to spend several thousand for mechanics to attempt solutions, but I believe it's worth adding my name to the list of this issue.
While traveling down the road at approximately 72 mph my vehicle front end began to shake unbelievably. It felt like all four tires had gone flat. I could not control the vehicle until the speed got down to around 40 mph.
Driving on highway at 60 m/h violent shaking of the front end and steering occurs when there is a change in pavement, also known as the "death wobble" replacing suspension, ty-rods and sway bar ,etc. Did not fix the problem
Driving at higher speeds in my 2012 f350 lariat, the truck gets to 60 fine but any faster then that and it begins to get a speed wobble that causes the entire truck to vibrate at a uncontrollable shake that throws the steering and I found it unsafe to hit the brakes, which forces you to just coast while the trucks shakes violently. For a truck that people pay up to $40,000 ot should be able to cruise at speeds above 60-70 MPH with no problem. It seems to be thrown off by the smallest divit or bump in the roads but only at highway speeds. Which makes it that much more dangerous. I have a 6 year old that was in the truck many times as this happens and it's a scary thing it feels like the wheels are going toncome off. Only had this truck for about 6 months now also. It seems in mint condition except for the speed wobble.
Truck started to wobble violently that it was extremely difficult to maintain control of vehicle and get the truck to the side of the interstate. I drove over a small bump in the road before the incident.
While driving on the freeway in heavy traffic at approximately 60 MPH my 2012 ford f-350 super duty crew cab truck began to shake violently so much so that the vehicle was hard to control resulting in a near miss of collision with vehicles next to me. With great effort I was able to control the truck and come to a stop safely. I exited the freeway and took surface roads at slow speeds to get home,
My f350 has developed a death wobble over the last twelve months. Significantly worse last friday after hitting a bridge expansion at around 65mph. Very close to losing control of the vehicle and shaking did not subside until I came to a complete stop on the shoulder of the road. I have a service appointment on 17dec2020 to have ford assess problem. They said it is not covered under warranty or tsb so I would have the bear cost of repairs. Ford is guessing could be as much as $4000 out of pocket cost. Since there is a tsb out to fix newer trucks but does not cover mine and there is a class action suit pending for this with ford filed, I do think ford needs to consider this a safety issue and repair it pending suit as show of good faith and customer concern about those of us who remain loyal to the brand.
Driving on the highway at 70 MPH. The steering wheel wobbled out of control which made it so I could not control the vehicle. I applied the brake but it didn't respond until the truck slowed. Cars were serving off the road and I was within seconds of a very serious accident with 2 of my children. I am frightened to drive the truck as no one can tell me what the cause or repair needed. Had something similar on my former ford but not to the extent of this incident.
I recently crossed a bridge expansion joint doing somewhere between 70 and 75 MPH my truck steering wheel shook violently as I could barely hold it. I slowed down to about 40-45 MPH before it quit. This was on a saturday. Monday I took it to a local garage to have the tires rotated and balanced and check for anything that could be bad in the steering/front end suspension. They rotated the tires and found the steering stabilizer shock was leaking, they replaced it and started to bring me the truck. It started shaking violently at 50 MPH. They ended up replacing the drag link, right outer tie rod end, adjusting sleeve, ball joint at tracker bar and right outer lower tie rod end. They said I needed to get an alignment on it, I drove the truck a couple hundred miles seemed to be fine. I took to the shop they used for a alignment, they did their thing and I left. When I left I noticed the steering wheel wasn't straight so I took it for a quick drive. At 60 MPH I did the violent shaking again and having to slow down to 45 MPH for it to stop, it shook twice in a 6 mile stretch of interstate. I returned it to the alignment shop and they said they could not have done anything to cause it.. I took it back to the first shop and they got it in the ford garage for an alignment. Still shaking after they had it for most of a week they replaced the tires and it seemed to help. Until a couple days later I was running 62-64mph in a slight turn and it started doing it again. It is still doing it and I know when it is going to start so I'm ready. After research on the web I hear that this is called the "death wobble"
Truck has developed a very extreme death wobble in the front end at speeds over 50 MPH,when you hit any small bump, terrifying experience, loss of steering control.
October 16th friday picked up my wife martha from work around 5 pm. Driving on a country road, smooth straight section, felt shimmy in steering wheel. We didn't have trailer. Road was dry and in good condition. Had been looking in to death wobble and watching videos earlier in the week. Decided to move steering wheel a little left and then back a little right (as if trying to avoid a pot hole, no cars were on coming and one car was behind me), going about 50 MPH. Death wobble started and was totally unexpected, shook both the wheel violently and shook the whole truck. I put on the brakes but don't remember how long it took to slow and have the shacking stop, move truck to the side of the road and let car pass me. Dropped of the truck at martha's work and took her car to our destination. Items in the back seat of truck, cooler, plastic bin container and suitcase that was on the truck seat was now on the floor. Will add pdf with more related detail.
At speeds typically over 50 MPH vehicle, vehicle has a propensity to begin shaking violently, and uncontrollably. After doing some research this appears to be a common problem known among owners as "death wobble". The vehicle has been to my local dealership to for repairs and parts replacement but the problem remains unsolved. I no longer feel safe operating this vehicle.
While driving today my truck started to violently shake after going over a small bump on the highway
At highway speeds, hitting small potholes or bumps in the road causes the vehicle's steering to violently rattle uncontrollable until slowing to under 50 MPH.
Death wobble! Has happened on many occasions! Driving down the highway any speed over 50 miles per hour. Truck front end and steering shake violently! It's very hard to keep control over truck. Afraid of killing my family and other drivers. Took the truck to shop and got two new front tires and a new rim. Truck has been service and no difference!
Driving at highway speed (55-75 MPH) the front wheels will start to shimmy and shudder causing steering wheel and front tires to oscillate severely (death wobble) when driving over rough surfaces. This causes entire vehicle to shake uncontrollably. This has caused loss of steering control and can only be be stopped by stopping or slowing vehicle. (unsafe at highway speeds with traffic following)
I have been dealing with wobble and vibration on my f-350 for years now and it seems to be getting worse. It has always seems to occur between 45-55 MPH. They first replaced ball joint, then I was told it's the tires, got new tires. It was always just a little vibration and play in the wheel. Now when I hit a bump, a frost heave or like a bridge joint I get extreme shake and vibration in the steering wheel that makes the vehicle hard to control. They most recently replaced stabilizer but it still occurs. The effect seems to be worse when I have my truck camper on it. Started to do research today on it and discovered this so call death wobble complaint. I am filing a complaint too because it almost caused me to have an accident today as I had no control and was forced to suddenly slow down today after I hit a bridge joint.
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