What 286 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 Ford F-250 Supercab

When driving my truck "2016 F250, FX4) on an open highway at 80mph out of no where, i experience what is known as the death wobble, and went off the road into the ditch. The dealership is telling me I need to pay 2000.00 plus dollars to address the problem which appears to be known and have not issued a recall. This same issue happened to my 2014 F250, and the base warranty covered it.

NHTSA ODI 11440911

Driving 70... hit a bump in road... shakes violently until I slow down to 25 or so... it shook hard enough to vibrate headache rack and split bead where they join...

NHTSA ODI 11437178

I was driving at 70mph, and the truck went into the death wobble. Violently shaking and bouncing as I drove and slowed down to 25mph on the highway until it finally stopped. I was on a section of highway were I could not get off the road for about another half mile. It happened this morning at 7:15am, and I have not had the opportunity to take it in for service. There were no warning lights that came on. I fear for my safety if it were to happen again. If there was traffic behind me, I may not have been able to slow down as quickly as I did without being hit.

NHTSA ODI 11437186

The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-250. The contact stated that they were experiencing the "death wobble" while driving at various speeds. The failure occurred mostly whenever driving over a bump in the roadway. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer who stated that the steering damper had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was being repaired while the complaint was being filed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.

NHTSA ODI 11433336

This vehicle is part of a fleet vehicle that I received new. I originally complained to the dealer that the vehicle has a front-end wobble. I was told originally that it was either the tires or a bad rim. I recently received new tires and the wobble has become unbearable. It is called the death wobble from the reviews I have seen online. When you are driving, the entire truck vibrates so hard that you feel as if you are on a roller coaster. The faster you go, 60-65, the steering wheel shakes with difficulty holding onto the wheel. I searched recalls and there have been none. My concern is that this can lead to an accident and either I or an innocent driver/passenger in another vehicle can be harmed due to the lack of repair or concern of Ford Motor. I called the owner of the Fleet and haven't heard back from the equipment manager. I did contact Ford customer service and reported this. This issue has been present but recently it has become difficult to hold onto the steering wheel. The weather is nice now but if it were in bad weather, this is a DANGEROUS situation. I initially thought it was a flat tire or a broken ball joint or stablizer arm, but it isn't.

NHTSA ODI 11419248

DRIVING MY TRUCK AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS TRUCKS STEERING VIBRATES VIOLENTLY MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO CONTROL. THIS IS KNOWN AS "THE DEATH WOBBLE". MU TRUCK IS AFFECTED

NHTSA ODI 11407733

AT HIGH SPEEDS 65 PLUS WHEN A BUMP IS HIT THE FRONT OF TRUCK AND STEERING STARTS SHAKING VIOLENTLY AND DOESN'T STOP UNTIL YOU SLOW DOWN TO BELOW 20 TO GET IT TO STOP. THIS VIOLENT SHAKING IN THE STEERING/FRONT END CAN CAUSE LOSE OF CONTROL AND HAVING TO SLOW TO SUCH A SLOW SPEED ON INTERSTATE CAN CAUSE ACCIDENT AND INJURY TO SELF AND OTHERS. THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES WITH LAST EVENT YESTERDAY AT WHICH TIME A SEMI TRUCK ALMOST REAR ENDED ME.

NHTSA ODI 11396774

WHEN I BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE USED OFF OF PINNACLE FORD IN NICHOLASVILLE KY, (NOW HAS 36,700 MILES) I HAD NO IDEA THAT I WAS BUYING A TRUCK WITH THE SO-CALLED "DEATH WOBBLE." LONG STORY SHORT I HAVENT BEEN UNABLE TO DRIVE THIS TRUCK ON ANY LONG TRIPS AND BADLY DREAD IT WHEN I HAVE TO BE ON ANY ROAD WITH A SPEED LIMIT OVER 55 BECAUSE ONCE I BEGIN TO HIT 60 M.P.H. THE FRONT END WILL START TO SHAKE SO BAD THAT THE WORDS SCARY, UNSAFE, AND EMBARRASSING ARE UNDERSTATEMENTS. I HAVE BEEN WAITING PATIENTLY FOR THE FORD "DEATH WOBBLE" RECALL FOR QUITE SOME TIME, BUT I JUST CANT WAIT ANYMORE; I WAS RECENTLY ADVISED TO FILE THIS REPORT. I AM INCLUDING A PICTURE OF ONE OF MY FRONT TIRES THAT WAS NOT SO LONG AGO NEW, AND THEY ARE BOTH CHOPPED SO BAD THAT IF YOU RUN YOUR HAND ACROSS THE TREAD YOUR HAND WILL STOP DUE TO THE EXTREME UNLEVELNESS OF THE TREAD WITH NO EXAGGERATION WHATSOEVER. PLEASE, PLEASE, FORCE FORD TO RECALL THIS TRUCK. I OWN A CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION BUSINESS, AND IF I WERE TO MESS UP SOMEONES NEW DRIVEWAY WITH NO SAFETY ISSUES INVOLVED, I WOULD BE EXPECTED TO FIX IT ASAP, AND FOR THE INTEGRITY OF MYSELF AND MY BUSINESS I SHOULD BE EXPECTED TO FIX IT. IT TRULY AMAZES ME HOW BIG CORPOROTIONS CAN SCREW UP THEIR PRODUCT THAT WE PAY WAY TOO MANY THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS FOR THESE DAYS AND EVEN WITH EXTREME SAFETY ISSUES BEYOND JUST A FAULTY PRODUCT SOLD, THEY CAN LITERALLY CAN GET BY WITH CAUSING WRECKS, DEATHS, AND SELLING FAULTY UNSAFE PRODUCTS; THEY CLEARLY GET BY WITH WHAT THE AVERAGE PERSON OR SMALL BUSINESS OWNER COULD NOT AND CANNOT.

NHTSA ODI 11389470

DEATH WOBBLE. SECOND COMPLAINT. TRUCK WORKED ON 2 MONTHS A AGO ($600). WOBBLE RETURNED WITH A VENGEANCE. MAYBE 2,000 ADDITIONAL MILES ON TRUCK. 82,000 MILES CURRENTLY. ON FREEWAY, SPEED 55-65 MPH. HIT A CRACK IN THE ROAD ( NOT A POTHOLE OR ANYTHING SIGNIFICANT ). STEERING WHEEL SHOOK BACK AND FORTH 3-4 INCHES. NOISY, HOOD SHAKING STRONGLY. AGGRESSIVE BRAKING TO BELOW AROUND 40 MPH TO STOP THE DEATH WOBBLE. HAPPENED 3 TIMES WITHIN 3 MILES. DROVE HOME AT 35 MPH. I WASN'T TOO POPULAR WITH THE REST OF THE FREEWAY TRAFFIC. I BELIEVE I25 SURFACE IN THAT AREA IS CONCRETE WITH THE OCCASIONAL CRACK IN THE SURFACE. SCARY AS CAN BE.

NHTSA ODI 11385355

ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS THE FRONT END OF MY TRUCK HAS BEGUN TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY. THE STEERING WHEEL SHAKES BADLY AND THE ONLY WAY TO REGAIN CONTROL IS TO BRAKE QUICKLY. IN EACH INSTANCE THE VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING BETWEEN 65 AND 75 MPH AND THE SHAKING SEEMS TO BE INSTIGATED BY HITTING A AN UNEVEN SECTION OF THE ROAD'I SPECIFICALLY RECALL A BRIDGE EXPANSION JOINT AND A POTHOLE THAT SET OFF THE SHAKING. ALL INCIDENTS OCCURRED ON FREEWAY STRAIGHTAWAYS. I TOW A TRAVEL TRAILER AND THIS SHAKING HAS OCCURRED BOTH WHEN TOWING AND NOT TOWING. IN READING A BLOG FREQUENTED BY TRAVEL TRAILER OWNERS, THIS PROBLEM WITH THE F250 HAS BECOME KNOWN AS THE 'DEATH WOBBLE' AND SEEMS TO BE EXPERIENCED BY MANY. I HAVE BEEN FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO HAVE NOT BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM, HOWEVER, SINCE THE SOLUTION TO WOBBLE IS RAPID BRAKING GIVEN THE FACT THAT THIS OCCURS ON FREEWAYS AT RELATIVELY HIGH RATES OF SPEED, I IMAGINE IT WILL ONLY BE A MATTER OF TIME UNTIL AN ACCIDENT OCCURS. I HAVE ASKED THE FORD DEALERSHIP ABOUT THIS PROBLEM, HOWEVER THEY CLAIM IGNORANCE. A YOU TUBE VIDEO ENTITLED: FORD F-250: DEATH WOBBLE STRIKES 3 TIMES PROVIDES VIDEO EVIDENCE OF THIS SHAKING.

NHTSA ODI 11376237

DEATH WOBBLE FRONT END AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS.

NHTSA ODI 11375645

UPON TURNING ONTO A HIGHWAY AND REACHING APPROXIMATELY 45/50 MILES PER HOUR, THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE BEGAN VIOLENTLY SHAKING AND REGAINING CONTROL WAS NOT POSSIBLE UNTIL I SLOWED THE VEHICLE. IT SEEMED AS THOUGH THE VEHICLE FRONT END WAS WOBBLING LEFT AND RIGHT AS WELL AS JUMPING UP AND DOWN. UPON INSPECTING THE STEERING AND SUSPENSION, I FOUND NO APPARENT DAMAGE.

NHTSA ODI 11373800

I WAS TRAVELING AT A SPEED OF 65 MPH DOWN INTERSTATE 5 SOUTH IN CASTAIC, CA. THE TRUCK FRONT END SUDDENLY BEGAN TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY. IT WAS ONLY WHEN I SLOWED DOWN AND PULLED OVER WHEN THE SHAKING STOPPED AND THE TRUCK DROVE NORMALLY. I LATER CAME TO REALIZE I HAD EXPERIENCED WHAT MANY CALL THE 'DEATH WOBBLE'. I IMMEDIATELY TOOK THE TRUCK TO MY LOCAL FORD DEALER FOR REPAIRS

NHTSA ODI 11365654

I AM GETTING A DEATH WOBBLE. I BOUGHT IT IN TO THE DEALERSHIP AROUND 50 THOUSAND MILES ON THE TRUCK AND ASKED THEM TO CHECK IN TO THIS. THEY TOLD ME I NEED TO CHANGE THE TIRES. WHICH I DID AND I ROTATE THEM EVERY 5,000 TO 10,000 MILES. I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY TO NIGHT AT 70 MPH WHICH IS THE SPEED LIMIT. I WAS IN A TRANSITION FROM THE FREEWAY TO BRIDE AND THAT LITTLE BUMP PUT ME INTO A DEATH WOBBLE. I HAD NO CONTROL OF THE TRUCK WHICH THE STEERING WHEEL SHAKES VIOLENTLY AND THE WHOLE TRUCK SHAKES. THE ONLY WAY TO GET IT TO STOP IS BRING TO A DEAD STOP. WHICH I HAD TO DO ON THE FREEWAY ALMOST GETTING REAR ENDED BY A SEMI TRUCK. THIS WAS THE FINAL STRAW. IT HAPPEN TO ME 2 TIMES MORE ON THE WAY HOME. LUCKILY THERE WAS NO ONE BEHIND ME. I KNOW I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE EXPERIENCING IT. FORD HAS BEEN GIVING ME THE RUN AROUND. I AM AFRAID EVERY TIME THAT I HIT A BUMP ITS GOING TO HAPPEN. I PAID A LOT OF MONEY FOR THIS VEHICLE AND IT IS UNSAFE FOR ROAD USE. I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO IF I SELL IT I WILL LOSE MONEY. THIS NEEDS TO GET ADDRESSED VERY SOON BEFORE SOME ONE IS KILLED OR I AM KILLED BEHIND THE WHEEL.

NHTSA ODI 11363642

I HAVE REAL BAD DEATH WOBBLE WHEN DRIVING I HIT BUMPS IN THE HIGHWAY MY TRUCK HAS 212,000 MILES ON IT AND STARTED IT ABOUT AT 160000MILES I REPLACE THE FRONT STABILIZER AT NO HELP,NEW TIRES NO HELP

NHTSA ODI 11359995

UPON HITTING A BUMP IN THE ROAD AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS THE TRUCK STARTED SHAKING IN THE FRONT END. IN ANOTHER INSTANCE I WAS ACCELERATING TO HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND THE TRUCK STARTED VIOLENTLY SHAKING AT ABOUT 65MPH, STEERING WAS DIFFICULT I HAD TO SLOW DOWN AND STOP ON THE SHOULDER FOR IT TO STOP. I WAS ABLE TO START DRIVING AGAIN AFTER SLOWLY ACCELERATING ALONG THE SHOULDER THEN MERGING BACK INTO TRAFFIC. I NOTICED THAT IT APPEARS WHENEVER I EVEN HIT A MINOR ROAD DEFECT I FEEL A SLIGHT VIBRATION.

NHTSA ODI 11350070

TRUCK HAS 80,000 MILES ON IT, 99.9% OF WHICH ARE PAVED ROAD DRIVING AT MODERATE SPEEDS. TRUCK SUDDENLY DEVELOPED THE ' DEATH WOBBLE ' AFTER HITTING A BUMP ON THE ROAD ABOVE 45 MPH OR SO. FIRST NOTICED THE CONDITION 100 MILES AGO. GETTING HESITANT/ A LITTLE SCARED TO DRIVE THE TRUCK AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. FEELING THE WOBBLE IN THE STEERING WHEEL AFTER A ROAD BUMP HAS TO BE SEEN TO REALLY BELIEVE WHAT IS HAPPENING.

NHTSA ODI 11349139

STEERING DAMPENER AND TIE RODS HAD TO BE REPLACED AT 58800 MILES DUE TO SHAKING OR WOBBLING OF THE FRONT END. THIS WAS AT THE NORMAL RATE OF SPEED ON THE HIGHWAY AT 55 TO 70 MILES PER HOUR. *TR

NHTSA ODI 11329108

DRIVING ONE DAY THE FRONT END STARTED SHAKING VIOLENTLY. HAD IT REPAIRED - BUT IT IS DOING IT AGAIN JUST 2 MONTHS LATER. (DEATH RATTLE). *TR

NHTSA ODI 11328311

DEATH WOBBLE. TRUCK SHAKES UNCONTROLLABLY AFTER A BUMP ON THE FREEWAY AT 70 MPH

NHTSA ODI 11323043

WHILE DRIVING MY 2016 FORD F250 CREW CAB ON A HIGHWAY, AT 50 MILES PER HOUR THE VEHICLE STEERING STARTED WOBBLING UNCONTROLLABLY AND THE WHOLE TRUCK STARTED SHAKING, I HAD TO SLOW DOWN TO 25 MILES PER HOUR TO STOP THE WOBBLING. HAPPENED AGAIN AT 65 MILES AND HOUR A FEW MINUTES LATER ON THE SAME ROAD. *TR

NHTSA ODI 11321389

TRUCK HAS 48,000 MILES ON IT AND WHEN I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM PENNSYLVANIAN (NOT PULLING A TRAILER JUST DRIVING HOME) WHEN I WAS GOING ALONE THE INTERSTATE AT 65 MILES PER HOUR THE TRUCK STARTED TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY. I BRAKED AND THEN BACK ON THE GAS AND IT WAS FINE. I'VE READ A TON ABOUT THE "FORD DEATH WOBBLE" AND FEARED THIS WHEN BUYING A F250 BUT DIDN'T THINK THAT I TOO WOULD BE A VICTIM OF THIS POOR DESIGN BY FORD. I ROTATE AND BALANCE MY TIRES EVERY 5K TO 15K MILES AND ALIGNMENT CHECKED OKAY. VERY FRUSTRATING I HAVE TO BUY NEW PARTS FOR A TRACK THAT SHOULD LAST 100K+ WITHOUT ISSUES. I ORDERED AN AFTERMARKET (FOX) STABILIZER SHOCK BECAUSE THE FORD OEM ONE ON THE TRUCK WAS SHOT (LOST ALL ITS GAS OR LEAKED). AGAIN ONLY 48K MILES WHAT A JOKE! UNFORTUNATELY THE STABILIZER SHOCK HASN'T COMPLETELY SOLVED THE ISSUE. WHEN I HIT BUMPS IN THE ROAD I CAN FEEL THE PLAY IN THE WHEEL STILL AND BELIEVE I NEED TO GO THROUGH AND CHANGE ALL THE BALL JOINTS AND LINK ENDS. DO ALL THIS AND AGAIN CROSS MY FINGERS THAT IT WONT COME BACK. WANT TO BE PART OF THE CLASS ACTION LAW SUITE. JUST WANT A TRUCK THAT WORKS FOR AS MUCH AS I PAID FOR THIS THING FROM THE FACTORY. SAD FORD. I'M A DIE HARD FORD GUY BUT THIS IS A SAD DAY. *TR

NHTSA ODI 11320772

WITH 24,000 MILES ON MY TRUCK MY VEHICLE FRONT TIRES AND STEERING WHEEL EXPERIENCED A VIOLENT SHAKING TO WHERE MY TRUCK FELT LIKE THE AXLE WAS GOING TO FALL OFF. IT HAS BEEN IN THE FORD DEALERSHIP 4 TIMES FOR THIS DEATH WOBBLE. THE FIRST TIME I WAS GOING 70 MPH ON THE FREEWAY AND WENT OVER A BRIDGE JOINT WHICH TRIGGERED THE SHAKING. AS SOON AS I SLOWED DOWN BELOW 45 (ON THE FREEWAY MIND YOU), THE WOBBLE GOES AWAY AND MY TRUCK RIDES LIKE NORMAL. I PULLED OVER TO INSPECT, BUT I COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP, AND THEY FOUND THAT MY BALL JOINTS WERE DESTROYED, AND REPLACED THEM. THREE MONTHS LATER THE DEATH WOBBLE CAME BACK AND I TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALER WHO ORIGINALLY REPLACED THE BALL JOINTS, AND ONCE AGAIN THE NEW BALL JOINTS WERE DESTROYED. THIS TIME THEY ALSO INSTALLED A STEERING STABLEIZER WHICH MADE THE FRONT END FEEL BETTER, BUT AFTER A FEW MONTHS OF DRIVING IT, THE DEATH WOBBLE CAME BACK. I NOW TOOK MY TRUCK TO ANOTHER DEALER WHO INSTANTLY FOUND A TECHNICIAN SERVICE BULLETIN (TSB) #16-0087 WHICH IS POSTED FROM FORD IN APRIL OF 2016 WHICH STATES THAT SOME SUSPENSION PARTS NEED TO BE ADDED TO THE REAR OF MY TRUCK, SO THEY INSTALLED THOSE PARTS..THE VERY NEXT DAY THE DEATH WOBBLE CAM BACK, AND THE DEALERSHIP INSTALLED A NEW TRACK BAR,THIS TIME EVEN THOUGH IT DIDN'T LOOK DEFECTIVE, BUT BECAUSE AFTER HAVING MY TRUCK FOR A MONTH, AND EVEN WITH THE HELP OF FORD'S MECHANICAL SPECIALISTS AT THE MAIN HEADQUARTERS COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING ANYTHING ELSE WRONG. THIS WOBBLE ALL STARTED WHILE MY TRUCK WAS UNDER WARRANTY, AND THEN THE PAST 3 REPAIRS, IT WAS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY.

NHTSA ODI 11318478

DRIVING ON INTERSTATE AND THE TRUCK STARTED A UNCONTROLLABLE WOBBLE. DURING THE WOBBLE I FELT I HAD NO CONTROL OF VEHICLE AND WAS MOVING OUT OF MY LANE. FORD NEEDS TO DO SOMETHING IMMEDIATELY BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED I ALSO TELL A FIFTH WHEEL CAMPER AND I CAN ONLY IMAGINE HAVING THAT KIND OF WEIGHT BEHIND ME THAT THE TRUCK WOULD FLIP AND POSSIBLY KILL ME OR SOMEONE ELSE ON THE INTERSTATE.

NHTSA ODI 11315743

"DEATH WOBBLE" AT APPROX 34K MILES I EXPERIENCED WHAT I LATER FOUND OUT WAS KNOWN AS THE DEATH WOBBLE. I DROVE OVER A SECTION OF HIGHWAY THAT I HAD BEEN OVER A THOUSAND TIMES BUT THIS TIME I HIT A POT HOLE JUST RIGHT AND MY STEERING WHEEL BEGAN TO VIOLENTLY SHAKE IN MY HANDS. AT THE SAME TIME I WAS APPROACHING A CURVE AND LITERALLY HAD TO STOP TO MAKE THE SHAKING GO AWAY. FORTUNATELY NOBODY WAS FOLLOWING ME ON THE HIGHWAY AND I WAS GOING THE SPEED LIMIT OF 55MPH WHEN THIS OCCURRED. THE PROBLEM HAS ALSO HAPPENED ON CERTAIN CITY STREETS WHEEL YOU HIT A POT HOLE OR ROAD SEEM IN JUST THE RIGHT WAY. I CONTACTED A FORD DEALERSHIP AND THEY REPLACED SEVERAL FRONT END COMPONENTS AND TOLD ME THAT THOSE REPAIRS WOULD FIX MY ISSUE. MY TRUCK NOW HAS 47K MILES ON IT AND THE PROBLEM IS SLOWLY RETURNING. THE WHEEL DOESN'T SHAKE AS BADLY AS IT DID THE FIRST TIME BUT IN THE RIGHT CONDITION IT WILL SHAKE IN YOUR HANDS.

NHTSA ODI 11309156