Death Wobble!

[Gregsch]

I am not sure if Centramatic self adjusting wheel balancers would help your death wobble but, the guys on the Motorhome side swear by them.

[turk123]

LT276 65/20 . Michelins

That's the tires I have.

[turk123]

Originally Posted by OTRA15

That is amazing . . . . . . did Ford do anything about this known problem?

These search results suggest the problem is well-known, as many have said here:

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=ford+f-250...&t=ffnt&ia=web

Lawsuit issues: https://www.carcomplaints.com/news/2019/ford-truck-death-wobble-lawsuit-f-250-f-350.shtml

2019 Class action:
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=William+Le...&t=ffcm&ia=web
https://dockets.justia.com/docket/ca...cv01082/632733

Ford knew of defect: https://wausaupilotandreview.com/201...ble-in-trucks/

NHTSA: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=NHTSA+Ford...&t=ffnt&ia=web

Bingo -- #11287012: https://www.nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2011/F...U%25252FRC/4x4
"TRAVELING ON INTERSTATE HIGHWAY 40 SPEED 65 MPH MY 2011 FORD F-250 CREW CAB SUPERDUTY EXPERIENCED AN EXTREMELY VIOLENT SHAKING OF VEHICLE FRONT END WHICH CAME VERY NEAR TO COMPLETE LOSS OF CONTROL. THE ONLY WAY TO STOP THE SHAKING WAS TO HIT THE BRAKES HARD AND DROP DOWN TO 20 MPH OR SO BEFORE THE SHAKING STOPPED-DANGEROUS ON A HIGH SPEED HIGHWAY. LOOKED IT UP WHEN I RETURNED FROM TRIP AND APPARENTLY THIS IS A FAIRLY COMMON PROBLEM. SUGGESTED FIXES OF ALIGNMENT, SHOCK REPLACEMENT AND TIRE BALANCING DID NOT WORK-STILL EXPERIENCE THE PROBLEM ABOUT ONCE A MONTH-ALWAYS IN A STRAIGHT LINE AND SPEEDS BETWEEN 55 AND 70 MPH. BUMPS IN THE ROAD MAKE IT MORE LIKELY TO HAPPEN. DATE BELOW IS THE LAST TIME IT OCCURRED-IT HAS HAPPENED ABOUT 10 TIMES IN THE LAST YEAR."

turk123 you might want to consult an attorney IMO.

Good luck,

Peter

Oh my God! The reports on this problem are exactly the problem I am having! It looks like Ford is turning their head the other way and not fixing it.

Wait till I talk to them tomorrow. This is a big big problem and many have spent thousands to fix with no real results.

[TANZER099]

Is this an issue with both gas & diesel powered F250/F350's ?

[turk123]

According to all the reports, it happens to both.

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, as mentioned earlier, this can happen to any solid front axle vehicle. Mind you, back in the day we didn't have stabilizer shocks. [or any of the several names for the same thing]

And the cure is: Any thing loose in the steering system including wheel bearings, tie rod ends, steering gear box, king pins, ball joints, and anything else that can effect alignment can cause this. Any of these and a vehicle with "ZERO toe in alignment" will shake the crap out of you after hitting a bump in the road. The shock of the bump causes the action and the looseness of steering components cannot be buffered without a proper toe in setting.

Depending on the vehicles involved, there must be a toe in or toe out setting; NEVER ZERO.


This concern has been around for decades and the fix is the same.

[r carl]

http://www.carproblemzoo.com/ford/f-...n-problems.php

[Isuzusweet]

Yeah, this isn't just a Ford problem, as RAM, Jeep and GM have had their issues with death wobbles on solid front axle trucks.
Keeping up with front maintenance is critical.
Very surprised OP had never heard of this condition before, as it's been around for a long time.
Cheers
Sidekick Tony

https://youtu.be/cSjRUWDuJAo

[lsbrodsky]

Well, I had never heard of it until now, but I have always owned GM products and the issue never came up with the IFS. A little research shows it has been a problem for a long, long time.

Larry

[Caffeinated]

Turk, I can’t help with your truck, but as we have a condo in Palm Desert if you are stuck in Indio for a while I can give you some good eating suggestions for the area. Stuff Pizza in La Quinta has a great happy hour and early bird specials. Craft beer, and a large a varied menu. Mario’s Itallion Restaurant on Washington, decent food, good happy hour wine prices. My Thai on Washington. Good Thai food. Guillermo’s on El Paseo in Palm Desert. One of the best mex restaurants I’ve ever been to. All of these get very crowded this time of year, and unless you go early, reservations are recommended.

Mike

[crispyboy]

I suggest you have the mechanic take a very close look at the ball joints and track bar. When the "death wobble" starts it is typically from these two components. The steering stabilizer is there to keep things in control but not needed too much unless things are getting worn out.

I changed the track bar out on my truck (similar in design to the Ford front end) with an aftermarket track bar by Carli. The tightness of the steering is much improved over the stock. I did this as a preventative measure to tighten up the steering and keep any hint death wobble at bay. Some of the aftermarket track bars are more rigid than the factory track bars. The type of joints used on the factory track bar are susceptable to wear. Ball joints are more secondary to causing the wobble but do play a factor in the tightness of the front end components.


You should become familiar with the Ford truck forums and research the problem These folks often figure things out before you get an answer from corporate.


Here is an example of an aftermarket track bar.
https://www.thoroughbreddiesel.com/77-2004/

[Goin camping]

Known problem and you are stuck in the factory loop.

Go to any decent alignment/suspension/front end shop. They know the problem and can fix it. There are more factors involved than the shock.

So play the factory game or get it fixed.

[Gene]

Now that it appears this is a long known and perhaps common problem and there are lawsuits, if you contact a lawyer, the lawyer should be able to track down the other lawsuits and see what is happening. Also a lawyer's letter to Ford can get things moving. When you deal with a regional warranty guy, you may get great or awful results or anything in between. They may try to wear you put and get you to give up or pay for repairs yourself. I'd send the letter to either corporate counsel or the CEO.

If you sell the truck and don't disclose the problem, you may get involved in future litigation with the buyer since the problem is well known and you know about it now. You would be safer if someone was buying it for local work use.

Although I have had both solid front axles and independent suspension I never have had anything like this happen. There are reasons for each type of suspension and off roaders like the solid front axle because they claim it gives better traction. I prefer the safety of independent suspension. I am guessing the heavy duty trucks like the 250 and 350 are designed for work and for off road, not so much for highway travel. Ford may claim you should have known that, but no one expects such a dangerous result. That argument also can be countered in that all their advertising seems to indicate their trucks are comfy and for any use. Everyone knows many people buy such trucks and they are not work or off road vehicles most of the time. But perhaps there is no good solution. They could replace the front end with independent suspension, but that would cost many, many big dollars if they have to replace many of them. Not only the parts and labor mount up, but the front end needs to be re-engineered. Some of the suggestions here make sense and a good suspension shop could give you ideas about what to do and that analysis could be presented to Ford as possible solutions. You would be presenting there analysis from the suspension shop on paper, so there may be a charge. I don't think there is any way out of this without cost and apprehension. It is not easy to drive hundreds of miles waiting for an emergency that you know will eventually come, but when?

[mpsgolf]

I used to be an engineer on a plane with a mode called the Death Spiral.

Eject! Eject! Eject!

[rmkrum]

Originally Posted by mpsgolf

I used to be an engineer on a plane with a mode called the Death Spiral.



Eject! Eject! Eject!

Is that like the F4J Phantom “departure from flight” condition. It basically falls out of the air and there is no way to recover. Same action, to get away from the aircraft...

[turk123]

Originally Posted by Caffeinated

Turk, I can’t help with your truck, but as we have a condo in Palm Desert if you are stuck in Indio for a while I can give you some good eating suggestions for the area. Stuff Pizza in La Quinta has a great happy hour and early bird specials. Craft beer, and a large a varied menu. Mario’s Itallion Restaurant on Washington, decent food, good happy hour wine prices. My Thai on Washington. Good Thai food. Guillermo’s on El Paseo in Palm Desert. One of the best mex restaurants I’ve ever been to. All of these get very crowded this time of year, and unless you go early, reservations are recommended.

Mike

When life brings you a lemon, make lemonade!

[turk123]

I took the truck this morning to Fiesta Ford and spoke directly with the service manager. He is aware of the problem but said nothing they couldn't fix. I made him aware of all the TSB's and he looked them up one by one. TSB number one is discontinued for TSB #2 which is discontinued for TSB #3 which is now the correct fix. Install the new Stabilizer shock. Fiesta does not have one, it is back-ordered and they have three other people waiting for one.

I guess I move on to my son's. He's 447 miles away. Fortunately, in California, the speed limit is 55 mph. People are aware you are traveling slowly pulling a trailer. But I've got ahead of myself.

The dealer here did a full inspection and alignment on the truck. The only thing out was the toe-in and that actually was within spec. They said the only thing left if getting the stabilizer shock. 3-4 weeks out. We will be back through here in mid-January so we will have it installed then.

No mountain roads until then!

[turk123]

Ford corporate has not called me as promised. I called them back and they said, "Your case has the highest priority and someone will call later today".

OK then.

[Lafitte]

Is this limited to 4wd trucks ?

[Isuzusweet]

Originally Posted by Lafitte

Is this limited to 4wd trucks ?

Yes, and only those who have solid front axles, not independent front axles.

Cheers
Sidekick Tony