What 1,155 owners told NHTSA about the 2017 Ford F-250 Supercab

While driving on Interstate steering oscillated left and right very fast. Vehicle was hard to control. Came to a stop on the shoulder of the road to stop the shaking. This is what some call death wobble. Truck had steering dampener replaced for this problem a few years ago. It only has 26,500 miles total.

NHTSA ODI 11508663

While driving at highway speeds, the vehicle may encounter a bump in the road that causes the front-end of the vehicle to jump one direction or another and/or shake violently. This causes the steering wheel to shake back and forth violently, requiring two hands and a fair amount of force to control the vehicle. The vehicle will not stop shaking until speed is reduced below 50 mph. The most recent issue was during a 100+ mile interstate trip with speed limit travel (70 mph). The truck experienced this issue on 4 seperate occasions during this trip; twice in moderate traffic where other vehicles around me were at risk of collision due to my vehicle swerving and my sudden braking to maintain control. There are no warning lamps and no other indication when the truck is going to experience the issue. It has repeated regularly at various speeds over 55 mph and under a variety of conditions Local Ford dealer is aware of the issue and offered to replace a steering damper and examined the front suspension for loose or worn parts. Dealer made me aware this was a common problem that Ford is aware of but the only resolution is replacement of the steering damper. Dealer indicated all font suspension components are still in good condition. The part is on backorder and estimated to be a month or more before they can get it. It is my understanding this is not warranty work and I should expect to pay for the labor to install it. My truck only has 25,000 miles and the suspension, wheels, tires, brakes, etc. are all original stock from the manufacturer, there are no after-market parts. The vehicle is available for inspection and no parts have been replaced to date. This vehicle is driven daily and remains a safety concern at highway speeds over 55 mph.

NHTSA ODI 11503649

On 6 January 2023, while increasing speed to 55 mph my steering wheel began to vibrate to the point where it was almost uncontrollable and the front end was shaking badly. Vehicle has been in the shop for repair since 12 January 2023 at Henderson Ford dealership in Bay Saint Louis, MS. My safety and others near me on the road was at risk until I could slow the vehicle back down to 45 mph. No symptoms or warnings occurred beforehand. Vehicle was inspected and found to have issues with Drag Link, Stud Right Outer Tie Rod, Adjust Sleeve, and Track Bar. Parts were ordered and repair is ongoing and was supposed to be completed yesterday, 20 January 2023. Vehicle is still in the shop.

NHTSA ODI 11502910

I hit a small bump or go across rumble bars in the road my vehicle wobbles violently until I can slow down or stop

NHTSA ODI 11502893

Known problem to later model Ford F250 Sper Duty pickup trucks (2015 to 2019??) experiencing a violent steering wheel oscillation after hitting a minor bump in pavement or a pot hole. aka "death wobble" at highway speeds. This has occurred three times thus far on this truck. This seems to occur at approximately 55 to 65 MPH. The shaking is so bad that the driver could easily loose control. The vehicle problem has been reported before to the Ford dealer and the suggested repair is to "replace the steering damper" if it occurs again. This situation occurs with no advanced warning other than a minor wheel shaking which becomes increasingly violent to the point, in the last instance, the truck had to be stopped in order to clear the problem. As indicated, this truck has been inspected for this problem once already and is scheduled for another inspection this coming Wednesday Jan. 4th, 2023.

NHTSA ODI 11499419

On three separate occasions over a two-day period, while driving at highway speed, the steering wheel and front of the truck went into an extremely violent shaking episode nearly causing complete loss of control in heavy traffic. The shaking was only stopped by braking sharply to reduce the speed putting other drivers at risk of a colliding into the rear of the truck. The vehicle has been parked until it can be inspected. After researching the problem, this is a well-documented problem with the make/model of vehicle that has earned the term "death wobble", yet no recall has been issued and no warning from the manufacturer.

NHTSA ODI 11499260

The "death wobble" occurred for the second time on December 6th, while traveling on interstate 10 W, about 12 miles west of Pensacola, FL. I had just passed over a bridge connection when the violent shaking of the front end started. I had previously had this issue in 2018 on Highway 45 south, about 15 miles south of Meridian, MS, and returned the vehicle to the dealer and it was supposedly repaired while still under warranty. At present the mileage is not quite 24,000. Fortunately I do not do a lot of highway travel as this appears to be a current unaddressed problem with the Ford F250 Superduty and the F350. This is a very unsafe condition. I feel fortunate that I was able to get the vehicle under control and stopped.

NHTSA ODI 11498847

What component or system failed or malfunctioned: Steering Dampner failed causing other issued in steering and front-end suspension failures. You can inspect anytime you want. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Repetitive failure on these components put me and family at risk and other drivers to the loss of control Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes problem has been reoccurring from 16k mile to present just under 100K miles. Truck has been in the shop multiple times for the same repetitive failure. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Yes, ford has inspected it, independent shops have inspected it, the BBB has inspected it. Ford has told me on more than one occasion to go after market. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? Yes, on symptoms; loose steering and uneven wear patterns on the tires, then complete failure of multiple components.

NHTSA ODI 11495786

I have a terrible wobble. At 36,000 miles I had this “fixed” under warranty. I now have 54,000 miles and it is terrible and getting dangerous. I know this is an ongoing issue with f250’s and terribly frustrating to have it “fixed”, but not really.

NHTSA ODI 11495230

The death wobble makes controlling vehicle very hard

NHTSA ODI 11493734

While driving down parkway on 10/22/2022 at about 1530 hours at about 74 miles per hour the steering wheel started severely shaking uncontrollably after hitting a bump in the road. I immediately started slowing down and finally came to a complete stop. If someone had been in the other lane I’m sure we would have wrecked. It has been reported to the dealer. The dealer was already aware of this same problem with other Ford F-250s. He referred to it as the “Death Wobble”.

NHTSA ODI 11490806

front end violently shakes and the entire truck shakes

NHTSA ODI 11488871

Returning home from the Denver airport on E470 with my wife and 2 young children (3 and 7) on 09 Oct 22. We were traveling westbound and reached the on-ramp to I-25 S and I slowed to 55mph. It is a long sweeping on-ramp and after driving over a bridge expansion joint the truck began to shake violently. The steering wheel shook violently, tires felt like they were bouncing and oscillating back and forth. I began to slow the truck as we were bouncing to the right towards the right shoulder of the road uncontrollably. I was able to avoid sliding off of the right lane of the ramp and regained some control once we slowed down to 20mph. I pulled to the side to regain my (and my family’s) composure and check the truck for damage. Front track bar and bushings felt wobbly and loose but still attached. We were 5 miles from home so we drove slowly the rest of the way without incident. I am calling my dealership today to see what can be done as the truck seems unsafe to be driven. A quick google search and it seems this is a very common problem with these trucks. Thankfully I was able to bring the vehicle to a stop without a major accident/incident but had it happened anywhere else and who knows what could have happened.

NHTSA ODI 11488649

The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-250. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel started to shake uncontrollably. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure and an appointment was scheduled. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was advised to write a letter but no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 77,000.

NHTSA ODI 11488307

The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-250. The contact stated that while driving at speeds above 50 MPH, the vehicle started to shake violently and vibrated abnormally after driving over a slight bump in the roadway. The contact stated that the failure started after the tires were rotated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who replaced all four tires but eventually the failure reoccurred. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 40,000.

NHTSA ODI 11488393

In August of 2022, I took my 2017 F-250 King Ranch to the Ford dealer to get it looked at/inspected for previous death wobble occurrences. The dealer replaced, under warranty, pretty much all of the steering items that may affect the wobble. October 4th, 2022; I was traveling during fall break with my wife and three kids on the highway at approximately 60-65 mph while pulling our 34' 5th wheel over a rough patch on Interstate 20 in Texas. The truck started shaking uncontrollably from the front end and after slowing below 50 mph, the shaking stopped. This same issue occurred 5 more times over the course of our camping trip. The truck has 43,000 miles on it, and we mostly use it to pull our 5th wheel. I had warned my wife about this but not the kids since they are younger; When the first instance happened, all three of my children started freaking out and thought we were going to crash and/or die because it was shaking so violently. It was unnerving as a father because we are supposed to keep our family safe, and my kids count on me to do this! The rest of the vacation they were constantly worried that it was going to happen again and put us in further danger or others on the road in great danger. I will be contacting my local Ford dealer again to look into this problem. It is sad that someone will have to die from this before something is done?!?!?

NHTSA ODI 11488169

At roughly 50mph while on a left hand curve over slightly uneven pavement the front end of the truck started shuddering and bouncing with loss of control in the steering such that only after significant braking could I regain control of the truck and realized I was in the next lane over to the right. Vehicle was brought to Ford dealer and they replaced a stabilizer bar that had a "dead spot" in it. While the problem is slightly better, it is by no means resolved. Waiting for a call back from the service manager of the dealership after being told today that the repair they had done was all that Ford was willing to do. Vehicle is still under warranty. Purchased 2017 vehicle in march of 2021 with 17,500 miles on it. It now (September, 2022) has 25,000 miles on it.

NHTSA ODI 11487409

I hit a bump in the road and the steering wheel started shaking uncontrollably, to the point I had to stop. When I looked under the vehicle I saw the steering dampener broke off

NHTSA ODI 11481047

Truck is in the shop for sixth time for death wobble. Front end vibrating at speeds over 60mph. Something you have to bring the truck to a stop on highway to stop shaking.

NHTSA ODI 11479155

Ford Death Wobble. The vehicle violently shakes when it hits a bump in the road and only stops if you slow the vehicle or stop completely. You nearly lose control of the wheel. A steering damper was placed on the vehicle as advised by Ford and the problem has not resolved. It has only continued to get worse. The vehicle has had regular maintenance per the Ford warranty plan purchased with the vehicle. Ford should have a recall on all vehicles reported with this problem.

NHTSA ODI 11479036

Death wobble when driving more than 50 MPH when crossing a seam or expansion joint on the roadway, less than 18,000 miles on the truck, used like a car, not a work truck. Became worse over time, becoming violent shaking with the slightest bump. My wife was afraid to drive the truck. Had to slow to less than 45 mph whenever approaching a bridge, etc. The Ford dealership took two years to come up with available part to make the repair. Less than 45,000 miles and feels like it is starting again.

NHTSA ODI 11469514

Death wobble

NHTSA ODI 11469092

If you hit a bump in the road or rough road you can not control the truck almost put you into a wall.

NHTSA ODI 11468759

DEATH WOBBLE

NHTSA ODI 11462994

Sometimes the truck will start violently shaking when reaching speeds over 50 mph. Vehicle becomes impossible to control and the only way to eliminate the shaking is to slow down or stop the vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11462997