Last summer, a class-action lawsuit was filed against Ford that alleged the automaker’s Super Duty truck has defective suspension components and steering linkage systems that led to a phenomenon called “death wobble.” Death wobble occurs when seemingly out of nowhere, the front end of the truck begins to vibrate, and the steering wheel vibrates heavily in the hands of the driver. It’s worth noting that death wobble isn’t limited to Ford vehicles alone, in the Jeep Wrangler world, death wobble is often associated with improperly executed lifts. A new video has turned up from a news station called Action 9 that shows the dreaded death wobble in action.
A man called Jason Kincaid says he was driving down the interstate when his Ford F-250 Super Duty truck suddenly started shaking violently. Kincaid says that he was able to pull over safely and went online after making it home to investigate the issue. He says that he found multiple accounts from people that called the phenomenon “death wobble.” Another man called Justin Hill has also experienced death wobble, noting that you don’t expect to spend “40 to 50 grand” to have deal with that sort of issue.
Hill did say he was aware of the potential class-action lawsuit covering 2005 through 2019 F-250 and F-350 trucks. The lawsuit we mentioned before notes that there have been 12 reports that relate accidents and injury to the phenomena. More than 1200 people have filed complaints with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration related to the issue. One driver who has experienced death wobble says that it was the “worst” violent shaking that they’ve ever felt in a vehicle and that they thought all four tires had exploded.
Hill and Kincaid hope that Ford issues a recall to fix the problem. Hill says that the vehicle isn’t safe to drive and shouldn’t be on the road. Kincaid says that the issue should be addressed “across the board nationally.” Ford has offered no comment on the issue at this time.
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Source: Action 9
Comments
Saw this article yesterday, had a call from our head service guy for trucks out in the field with this very complaint on his truck plus one more from one of our field mechanics, doing a little research and found a tsb from Ford with a replacement steering shock to cure this problem. Surprised to not see any mention of this tsb in this article. TSB was published or updated on 12-20 2019 to TSB number 19-2392. We probably have 100 or so trucks that fall within the dates that this TSB covers.
Had death wobble with a 2014 F-350 diesel 4×4 crew cab long bed. The dealer wanted to fully disassemble the front end. I said no. Brought it to a trusted tire shop that rebalanced the tires. Problem solved.
What a load, I have to assume most of these complaints come from people who don’t drive or could never afford these newer incredible luxury high end trucks. We own & drive a few from the past years right up until a new Ford 2020 F-350 Lariat Tremor. Over a 100 $ large with tax, but worth every penny. As always, beware of people who make comments out of spite & with absolutely no knowledge. Cheers & keep working hard “)
To Pat that commented and others that think this issue is BS. Our son almost lost his life because of his 2015 F250. He purchased it used from a dealership last year and his wife has driven it daily with their 5 year old. Thank God he was alone when this death wobble happened and he had the driving experience to keep it from turning over. We had never heard of this before. How many trucks will be destroyed, people hurt or killed before Ford fixes this issue?
Pat dont degrade people saying they are lying and cant afford these vehicles because it’s a true issue.
I currently own a 2019 F-250 super duty crew cab long box single rear wheels. I pull a 12,000 lb fifth wheel camper amongst other things. Although I can say when the truck is empty and I am not towing anything the front end does have quite a bit of bounce to it. I would expect that though having E rated tires inflated to 65/70 pounds. I have never experienced the death wobble in any of my super duties. Mine is an XLT nothing fancy. I love my super duties and I will be trading mine in soon for a 2022. Any truck or vehicle four-wheel drive with a solid front axle has prone to the death wall wobble It is the nature of the beast. All as I can say is maintain your vehicle including your tires and suspension and you will probably be fine. Like I said I have never had any issue with a death wobble yet.
I have a 2017 F350.
I have had it in the dealership 5 times for death wobble. Each time they say they have corrected the problem. One fix only lasted three days.
Each time drags links, ball joints steering dampeners etc had to be replaced because of damage from intense death wobble.
Thank heavens each time my extended warranty covered any charges less deductible. Now they tell me warranty does not cover these parts. They claim now that worn parts are causing the death wobble so they won’t fix the problem unless I pay $2,200.
I only have 106k on the truck.
They used to replace the parts because death wobble ruined them now they push owners out the door because they can get away with “worn parts are causing death wobble”.
First death wobble experience happened at 24k.
Extended warranty means nothing!
2012 F350 XL Super Cab. Bought used @ 57k miles. Experienced the Death Wabble 4x. 70ish mph. Craziest shyte ever! No lie. Every tool, and item in truck tossed violently. Thank God I was able to keep control. I have complete sympathy for any driver who crashed during this experience. I have replaced all steering components, shocks and even reduced the tire size to 17″ from 18″ and no change. This problem is real and inexcusable. Having owned Ford’s my entire life, l truly feel that the front axel rating of 6k is way too high for this class vehicle. My 01′ Excursion, with a Rough Country 3″ lift kit and 33″ tires, rides like a Prius compared to my 2012. Why? Lower front axel rating. The tremer of the stiffer coil front suspension of my 2012 starts, then reverberates through the entire vehicle. When talking on the phone while driving, the tremer shakes your vocal cords. Insult to injury, these trucks are expensive. Ford needs to remember it’s us devoted drivers who made them popular. Do the right thing, Ford and correct YOUR design flaw(s). And I’m not just talking about faulty suspension components. I think I have a leg to stand on when stating my demands. (4) F350s, (1) F450, (1) Excursion. I’m proud to say, that I’m a devoted Ford guy. Unfortunately, devotion, in this case, isn’t being mutually reciprocated.
I have a 2015 F250 Super Duty King . It had the Death Wobble and the Ford dealership COULD NOT FIX IT.
I had to buy and after market part for $200.00 that a diesel mechanic my son new told me how to fix it. This was after I bought 2 new sets of tires for the truck when the tires on it were less than half worn out. The cost in addtional tires was over $2,000.00. Ford and the Dealership were totally worthless in helping.
There’s a reason Ford introduced a new pushrod V8 instead of putting a 3.5 ecoboost in the Super Duty pickups. It’s called long term reliability. The 7.3 Godzilla is designed to pull heavy loads day in and day out while being a simple engine with proven technology.