2017 FORD F-250 SD Complaints

SUSTAINED STEERING WHEEL OSCILLATION (AKA DEATH WOBBLE) WHILE DRIVING DOWN A US HIGHWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 55-60 MPH I ENCOUNTERED A SLIGHTLY ROUGH PATCH OF PAVEMENT THAT AFFECTED THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE TRUCK ONLY. THE STEERING WHEEL STARTED TO VIOLENTLY SHAKE BACK AND FORTH UNTIL I SLOWED TO APPROXIMATELY 35MPH AND THE OSCILLATIONS CEASED. FORD DOES HAVE A TSB OUT ON THE ISSUE BUT THEY ARE ONLY REPLACING PARTS THAT HAVE WORN OUT, NOT THE HIDDEN ISSUE THAT IS CAUSING HEAVY DUTY SUSPENSION PARTS TO WEAR OUT SO QUICKLY.

AT SPEEDS AROUND 70 MPH, WHEN A SERIES OF BUMPS ARE DRIVEN OVER THE TRUCK BEGINS TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY AND CONTINUES UNTIL THE SPEED DROPS TO AROUND 20 MPH. WHEN IT HAPPENED TO MY WIFE IT SHOOK SO BADLY SHE CROSSED CENTERLINE AND WAS IN THE OPPOSING TRAFFIC LANE. THE STEERING WHEEL SHAKES VIOLENTLY AS WELL. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME IT HAS HAPPENED AND THIS IS A NEARLY NEW TRUCK. FROM SEARCHING THE INTERNET IT APPEARS THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO FORD'S ATTENTION AND IS CALLED THE"FORD DEATH WOBBLE". IF NOT FIXED WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO KEEP THE TRUCK IT IS SO DANGEROUS.

ON TWO OCCASIONS DURING THE WEEK OF DECEMBER 10, 2018 MY F250 EXPERIENCED VIOLENT OSCILLATION OF STEERING WHEEL AFTER CROSSING OVER A HIGHWAY EXPANSION JOINT. IN BOTH CASES I HAD TO EXCESSIVELY GRIP THE STEERING WHEEL AND SLOW THE VEHICLE DOWN TO AROUND 20 MPH TO REGAIN FULL CONTROL. BOTH OCCASIONS WERE EXPERIENCED DURING EVENING RUSH HOUR WITH HEAVY TRAFFIC IN CLOSE PROXIMITY. THE LOCATION THAT PROMPTED THE OSCILLATION WAS DURING A GRADUAL LEFT CURVE IN THE HIGHWAY.

TERRIBLE SHAKING OF THE FRONT WHEELS, STEERING WHEEL AND THE WHOLE REST OF THE TRUCK AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS......(DEATH WOBBLE)

AUTOMATIC TAILGATE ASSIST JUST RANDOMLY GOES DOWN EITHER WHILE DRIVING, WHILE IN PARK, OR EVEN JUST FOR NO REASON. THIS HAPPENED WHILE IN PARK WITH A TRAILER ON THE BACK AND CAUSED $2000 IN DAMAGE WHICH WE HAD TO PAY FOR. LUCKILY ALL THE OTHER TIMES IT HAS HAPPENED, THERE WAS NOT A TRAILER ON THE BACK. WE WERE NOT TOUCHING THE KEY FOB, SO IT DIDN'T GET "PINCHED" IN A POCKET OR ANYTHING.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 FORD F-250. WHILE DRIVING ABOVE 50 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY BEGAN TO VIBRATE VIOLENTLY AND SHAKE AFTER DRIVING OVER UNEVEN TERRAIN. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE LOCAL DEALER (VIC BAILEY FORD, 501 E. DANIEL MORGAN AVE, SPARTANBURG, SC) WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 15,000.

WHEN TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS THE VEHICLE WILL BEGIN TO VIOLENTLY SHUDDER. IT CAN RIP THE WHEEL FROM YOUR HANDS AND INCREASES IN SEVERITY AS YOU SLOW YOUR VEHICLE. THIS IS MORE COMMONLY KNOWN AS THE FORD DEATH WOBBLE. I HAVE A FEW VIDEO EXAMPLES: HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=HDEFJB7C2X8

WHILE TRAVELING AT 35-40 MPH IN A TURN LANE, A VEHICLE MOVED INTO MY LANE FROM A SHOPPING CENTER BETWEEN 2 CARS STOPPED IN THE NON-TURN LANES WHO WERE WAITING FOR THE LIGHT AHEAD OF THEM TO CHANGE. THIS REQUIRED ME TO MAKE AN EMERGENCY STOP. THE TRUCK'S ABS SYSTEM FAILED TO INITIATE AND THE WHEELS DID NOT LOCK UP. LUCKILY, I MANAGED TO AVOID HITTING THE ERRANT VEHICLE. I TOOK THE TRUCK TO THE DEALER FOR SERVICE THE FOLLOWING DAY AND COMPLAINED ABOUT THE LACK OF ABS. THEY KEPT THE TRUCK, TEST DROVE IT AND RETURNED IT TO ME WITH THE NOTATION THAT THE TRUCK'S BRAKES ARE "NORMAL." I QUESTIONED WHY THE ABS DIDN'T ENGAGE AND WAS TOLD THAT THE WEIGHT OF THE TRUCK PRECLUDES THIS FROM HAPPENING. SAME REASON FOR THE LACK OF THE WHEELS LOCKING UP. THE SERVICE ADVISER FURTHERMORE STATED THAT "THAT THIS WAS THE WAY ARE ENGINEERED." IF THIS IS TRUE, THEN THERE IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM WITH ALL SUPER DUTY FORDS OUT THERE AND I MIGHT ADD ALL LIGHTER TRUCKS LOADED ANYWHERE CLOSE TO THEIR GVWR.

WHILE DRIVING ON AN INTERSTATE BETWEEN 60 & 65 MPH I HIT A BUMP AND IMMEDIATELY ENCOUNTERED A SEVERE VIBRATION FROM THE FRONT END THROUGH THE STEERING WHEEL. THE VIBRATION WAS SO SUDDEN AND VIOLENT THAT I NEARLY LOST CONTROL. I IMMEDIATELY SLOWED THE VEHICLE AND AT APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH THE VIBRATION STOPPED. I EXITED THE HIGHWAY AND STOPPED IN A PARKING LOT. I REMOVED THE WHEEL COVERS AND VERIFIED THAT THE LUG NUTS WHERE TIGHT AND THAT THE TIRES WHERE IN GOOD OPERATING CONDITION. I ALSO INSPECTED THE STEERING LINKAGE AND FOUND NOTHING WRONG. AT THIS POINT I CHALKED IT UP TO THE HIGHWAY AND WENT ABOUT MY BUSINESS. THE NEXT DAY WHILE DRIVING MY FAMILY IT HAPPENED AGAIN. AT THIS POINT I PARKED MY TRUCK AND NOW WILL BE TAKING IT TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR TROUBLESHOOTING. I GOOGLED THE ISSUE AND THERE ARE PAGES OF COMPLAINTS/ISSUES WITH THIS SAME SCENARIO AND IS DEEMED "DEATH WOBBLE".

UNCOMMANDED TAILGATE OPENING. TAIL GATE OPENS AND DROPS ALL BY ITSELF. THIS HAPPENS SPORADICALLY BUT PERSISTENTLY. FORD DEALER HAS BEEN UNABLE TO FIX, AFTER REPEATED SERVICE VISITS INCLUDING INVOLVEMENT OF FORD FACTORY TECHNICIANS. UNCOMMANDED OPENING MOST FREQUENTLY OCCURS WHEN SHIFTING TO REVERSE, RELEASING PARKING BRAKE AND/OF SHIFTING INTO DRIVE. THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR ALONG TIME, MONTHS AND MONTHS. DEALER PERFORMED WORK CALLED FOR BY 10/17 TECH SERVICE BULLITEN, DIDNT FIXIT. HAS REPLACED WIRING HARNNESS, RELEVANT SWITCHES, CHECKED AND RECHECKED ALL CONNECTIONS AND REPLACED MASTER CONTROL MODULE...NONE OF ALL THAT WORKED. THIS IS DANGEROUS AS YOU DONT KNOW WHEN TAILGATE IS OPEN. FORD HAS A SERIOUS PROBLEM WITH THIS AND FACTORY SEEMS COMPLETELY DISMISSIVE OF THE ISSUE. THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR MONTHS AND MONTHS.