What 560 owners told NHTSA about the 2017 Ford F-350 Super Crew

While traveling down the road a bump or dip in the road causes the front wheels begin to shake and jerk violently causing the vehicle to drift over the road and loose steering control. This situation is amplified when carrying or pulling a load and is extremely difficult to manage and stop once started. Braking exacerbates the situation resulting in almost loosing control. This has happed multiple times, multiple dates over the years, at different speeds usually over 45mph.

NHTSA ODI 11638473

I experienced what is known as the “Death wobble” after contacting a bumpy road at approximately 70 mph. I was able to exit the freeway and determine that it wasn’t a blown tire or some other condition that caused this. After some research on my vehicle, I determined that this “death wobble” is fairly common with my model and year of truck.

NHTSA ODI 11628695

I’ve been having repeated issue with a death wobble I’ve replaced my draglink and tie rod end and it hasn’t helped in the slightest

NHTSA ODI 11618619

When towing a fifth wheel trailer and going down a hill the vehicle went into an oscillation that caused sever wobbling of the front end almost causing me to lose control of the vehicle that was towing the trailer. This was the most frightening thing I have ever experienced in my life. after doing some research Ford Motor Company knows about this issue and has yet to recall this problem it is also known as the Death wobble. Is it actually going to take someone's death to see something happen about this well know issue, I certainly hope not and I hope the NHTSA will do something to force Ford Motor Company to correct this issue before someone does die from the "Death Wobble"

NHTSA ODI 11612299

At differing speeds the truck experienced the "death wobble" causing the front end of the vehicle to shake uncontrollably. This happened 2 times before I had the tie rod ends replaced and several times afterward. You have to almost stop the vehicle to get the shaking to go away. It is a tremendous safety risk and could cause an accident due to the shaking or due to needing to slow almost to a stop - which could cause a rear end collision. This is a common problem with Ford F250 and F350 trucks. I had my mechanic inspect all the front end parts and he recommended replacing the tie rods and track bar. No warning lamps or other symptoms. The issue happened out of the blue.

NHTSA ODI 11590412

While driving at 60 mph pulling 5th wheel RV death wobble occurred. Steering was very difficult. Immediately started slowing speed until steering became possible.

NHTSA ODI 11550842

EXPERIENCED A HARD DEATH WOBBLE GOING DOWNHILL TOWING AN RV. TOOK TRUCK TO DEALER (JONES FORD IN WICKENBURG AZ.) THEY SAID IT WAS BRAKES AND ROTORS. TRUCK HAD 40,000 MILES. DEATH WOBBLE IS A KNOWN PROBLEM. NOT CONFIDENT THAT IT WAS ONLY THE BRAKES AFTER READING WHAT OTHERS HAVE BEEN TOLD.

NHTSA ODI 11548526

Truck started doing the death wobble when hitting brakes and sometimes when hitting bumps in the road. Death wobble was very violent and last for a few seconds each time before we could get vehicle stopped. I made my local ford dealer aware of my problem and they inspected it and said it was related to the drive shaft recall. I made the earliesr appointment which was a couple weeks later. I dropped my vehicle off and they said that due to this recall malfunction it had caused damage to my tie rods and drag lengths and those parts needed to be replaced. They said their damage was directly correlated to the drive shaft recall however I would have to pay out of pocket for that to be fixed ($1400). They have had my vehicle for a week and fixed the tire rods and drag lengths but do not have the part for the drive shaft recall. They have no time line for when they will be able to get the part and told me I may come get my vehicle and use it while I wait for the part but I have to sign a waiver stating that it's dangerous to drive. They refuse to give me a loaner vehicle if I would opt to leave my vehicle there while we wait for the part. I'm currently trapped in Texas with 2 horses and can't get back home to Pennsylvania because my vehicle is unsafe to haul the horses back 26 hours.

NHTSA ODI 11538105

While driving on I-25 south of Denver on 4/13/2023, I drove over a pothole in the interstate. Immediately the front end began to violently shake resulting in me applying the brakes and rapidly slowing from 65 mph to ~30mph before the shaking stopped. I was then able to continue on. Today (4/15/2023) while traveling to Boulder CO on US Highway 36, the vehicle again began to violently shake as I drove over a bridge expansion joint. Again I had to rapidly decelerate from ~65 mph to ~30 mph before the shaking stopped. Known as “the death wobble”, this issue is well known in these vehicles and must be addressed by the manufacturer

NHTSA ODI 11517241

The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-350. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle drove over a speed bump and started shaking violently. The vehicle had experienced the death wobble. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 90,000. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ODI 11515918

Steering stabilizer/damper. Truck has the death wobble going over 50 mph.

NHTSA ODI 11514111

When you hit a bump at road speeds (45 mph+), the steering wheel shakes wildly and you have to slow down immediately to avoid losing control. First happened about 12 months ago. Was not a common issue until more recently. Now it seems to be nearly every time I drive it. Ongoing issue now.

NHTSA ODI 11503953

The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-350. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 22V880000 (Power Train) and 22V644000 (Back Over Prevention) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that the rearview camera image was foggy. Additionally, the vehicle was shuddering while driving and the vehicle would hesitate to respond upon depressing the accelerator pedal. The power train warning light was illuminated. A message indicating a steering failure was displayed. The contact related the failure to the recalls. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The contact also stated that the tailgate of the vehicle would open independently while driving. The contact stated that the failure had been occurring intermittently. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11503612

The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-350. The contact stated while driving 67 MPH and going over a bump on the roadway, the vehicle started sharking uncontrollably. The contact was able to stop on the side of the road and waited until the vehicle stopped shaking before the vehicle started to operate normally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the front-end of the vehicle was repaired however, the failure continued. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the steering dampener needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to parts not being available. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 139,000.

NHTSA ODI 11499515

Steering wobble - I was driving on I-5 at 70 mph and ran over a small pothole. The steering started violently and uncontrollably shaking. It caused the truck to drift into the left lane but fortunately no other vehicle was along side. I was able to regain control by cautiously slowing down to about 35 mph. At that point the shaking stopped and steering went back to normal. Checking the tpms, the tires were properly inflated at the time. I went on to drive another 200+ miles without further incident. The 2017 F350 truck had 28,328 miles at the time and has only been driven on paved roads. I have noticed in the past that hitting a bump in the road seems to resonate rather than just an initial “bump” like other vehicles I’ve owned. The truck is well taken care of and has never been in an accident.

NHTSA ODI 11499133

While driving at freeway speeds, I hit a bump with the front tires and the whole truck starts shimmying to the point I can hardly keep it on the road. I have to rapidly deaccelerate to a speed between 25 mph and 50 mph ( it varies on each occasion) to keep control of the vehicle. This has happened 5 times in the last week. The truck just turned over 28,000 miles. I'm afraid to drive it now. After the 1st occurrence I had the tires inspected and balance Che ked but was told they were OK.

NHTSA ODI 11497785

Traveling on the highway at approximately 65mph. Encountered a bridge expansion joint and the front tires and steering wheel began shaking violently which resulted in loss of steering and brake control. Apparently, this is a known issue with these trucks.

NHTSA ODI 11496199

While driving on the freeway at approximately 60 mph the left front wheel hit a small pothole. The truck immediately begin shaking violently. The extreme shaking involved the entire front end of the truck and the steering wheel. The shaking lasted for approximately 30 seconds and stopped once the speed was reduced to about 40 mph. No warning lights or warning indicators came on before, during or after the incident. I am very fortunate that I was able to maintain enough control of the vehicle to not hit the center median on the freeway or other cars to my right. EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION!

NHTSA ODI 11495522

Okay, been hearing a lot of noises up underneath it, got under there and looked at my heat shields, that are just flaking off everywhere. I'm scared that my truck is going to catch on fire at this point. All of the heat shields around pretty much everything are disintegrating and falling apart. I've already filled out several of these and I went and tried to turn the truck in and to no avail. They have done everything in their power to not fix nothing on my truck. Nothing. I need some help. Please give me a call [XXX] The linkage, the power door locks and the door handles leaking, are all problems that I have and every one of them they know about and I'm scared that the front end is going to fall apart because of that linkage problem.. I can't get them to do nothing for me. I'm so tired of dealing with them and I was going to buy another truck from them and now I'm on the verge of not buying another one from them cuz they won't even fix the problems on this one. I would really appreciate if somebody would reach out to me and help me. Someone please give me a call and let me know what steps I need to do to get this taken care of. Thank you very much. I firmly believe that with your help they will do the right thing. Thank you have a blessed day INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA ODI 11490914

I've already done one on the linkage but I mean the steering damper. But now the steering is wanting to try to get real stiff on me sometimes right in the middle of turning and come to find out it's got a recall on something another in the steering which may cause it to lock up while I'm driving and I need to get this stuff fixed. I mean this is crazy. I've been noticing this for a while. I just didn't know that there was a recall on it until now. I've been trying to deal with these people for quite a while now to get some of this stuff resolved and they've done everything under the sun to blow me off. Please help. [XXX] thank you! INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA ODI 11490917

Third time returning my Ford F350 to the Friendly Ford dealership where it was purchased because of death wobble. Vehicle is driving at high speeds all three times has been on the freeway and all of a sudden it shakes violently and almost loses control of vehicle. The first time happened in January 18 of 2020 the second time happened June 25 of 2022 and then just three days ago October 12, 2022. The vehicle was almost crashed the last two times it happened. The shaking was so violent on the last time did it caused my fuel line to come loose and spell diesel fuel all the way back into town. again it has been to the dealership three times now to fix the problem and was told this last time that everything looked OK and that I had to test drive it and re-create the situation in order for them to diagnose it. Extremely dangerous to re-create the death wobble. during the second incident when my wife was driving with my three children in the back she narrowly avoided colliding with a concrete barrier. The most recent incident with my self driving and my three children in the back and my wife in the front seat almost caused an accident with a semi driver And the person behind me as it shook violently and I tried to get off the road to stop shaking. There were no warning lights messages or other symptoms of problem prior to the failure. Vehicle has been inspected three separate times by Friendly Ford of Las Vegas at 660 N. Decatur Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89107. Do not feel safe driving the vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11490001

Truck has was is called a DEATH WOBBLE. At highway speeds the steering will vibrate violently after crossing an expansion joint or bump in the road. Braking or rapid slow down will resolve the shaking. The issue seems to be getting worse. The truck was taken to the dealership for repair. The repair will cost several hundred dollars and not covered by the warranty. the mileage of the truck is 80,112 and is 90% highway miles.

NHTSA ODI 11480698

Traveling down the road at or around 62 -65 mph and you hit a bump truck goes into a violent shake that can only be stopped by slowing down below 40 mph. You have to immediately start slowing down, and it there is someone following that isn’t paying attention it going to get us rear ended on the highway. The truck has 54,000 miles on it. Ford should own the problem.

NHTSA ODI 11479224

Death Wobble started to occur around August 2021. No prior incidents. After the first time it would continue to happen anytime driving between 45-60 MPH and hitting a bump in the road. Once you found a bump that would trigger the death wobble, you could EASILY recreate the problem. Once the death wobble starts you have to slow down to 5-10 MPH before it’ll quit. During the wobble it is IMPOSSIBLE to control the vehicle as the steering wheel shakes violently and it feels like all wheels are bouncing opposite of one another creating a very scary and violent situation. I had a repair shop go in and replace anything that could be related and had 2 different alignment shops look into the problem. Ultimately nothing solves the issue.

NHTSA ODI 11477459

That the intersection of 1010 and Rhodes Road 6204 Ten-Ten Rd, Apex, NC 27539.. I have been driving it and steady crossing my fingers hoping to God my tires don’t fly off and hurt somebody or kill somebody or me… I just can’t do it anymore, I have got to get the thing in the shop it’s got the death wobble and is just starting to scare me.. I love my truck I was trying to give them the benefit of the doubt but it’s definitely got a problem I honestly think it may be several different things but at any rate it needs to be fixed

NHTSA ODI 11463707