2006 FORD F-250 SD Complaints

UNCONTROLLABLE WHEEL SHIMMY AT SPEEDS FROM 35 - 65 MPH. THE FAILURE CAN BE REPLICATED AT WILL. PREVIOUS INVESTIGATION FOR THIS PROBLEM STOPPED AT A TIRE PRESSURE PROBLEM BUT THIS IS NOT THE CASE. NEW TIRES, PROPER PRESSURE, BALANCED, ROTATED DOES NOT CHANGE THE CONDITION. POOR AIR PRESSURE MAINTENANCE BY VEHICLE OWNERS WAS NOT THE CORRECT DIAGNOSIS OF THIS PROBLEM. THE WHEEL SHIMMY IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THESE TRUCKS AND NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED FURTHER. IT IS VERY DANGEROUS AND UNPREDICTABLE. THE WHEEL SHIMMY WILL NOT STOP UNTIL THE VEHICLE HAS ALMOST COME TO A COMPLETE STOP. LOSS OF CONTROL AND BECOMING A TRAFFIC HAZARD IS A POTENTIAL LIFE THREATENING EVENT FOR THE DRIVER, PASSENGERS AND SURROUNDING VEHICLES. THERE IS AN APPARENT FIX FOR THIS PROBLEM BY AN AFTER MARKET COMPANY BUT THE EXPENSE OF ABOUT $1000 FOR THE OEM REPAIR IS NOT ACCEPTABLE FOR WHAT APPEARS TO BE A MANUFACTURER DESIGN PROBLEM. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 FORD F-250 SD. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH OVER AN UNEVEN ROAD SURFACE, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO VIOLENTLY SHAKE. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO SLOW DOWN THE VEHICLE AND REGAIN CONTROL. THE FAILURE OCCURRED APPROXIMATELY FIVE TIMES ON AN INTERMITTENT BASIS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTICS. THE CONTACT WAS A MECHANIC AND INSPECTED THE VEHICLE HIMSELF, BUT WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 40,000.

THE TRUCK AT 55 - 65 MPH GOES INTO WHAT HAS BEEN DESCRIBE AS A DEATH WOBBLE. THE TRUCK STARTS SHAKING VIOLENTLY. IT IS ALL YOU CAN DO TO KEEP CONTROL OF THE TRUCK UNTIL YOU SLOW DOWN TO ABOUT 40 MPH WHICH IS DANGEROUS ON THE FREEWAY. FORD HAS A DEFECT IN THE STEERING ON THESE TRUCKS AND IT NEEDS TO BE FIXED. I FEAR FOR MY FAMILY'S SAFETY. THE FORD DEALERSHIP CANNOT FIX IT. IT HAS BEEN DOING THIS SINCE ABOUT 12000 MILES. IT NOW HAS 100000 MILES AND STILL HAS NOT BEEN FIXED. IT HAS BEEN DOING THIS SINCE ABOUT 2008. *KB

SEVERE SHAKING OF THE FRONT END OCCURRED 3-4 TIMES AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS (70 MPH) AFTER HITTING A ROUGH SPOT IN THE ROAD. THIS CONDITION WAS SO SEVERE AND FRIGHTENING THAT I HAD TO HOLD THE TRUCK STRAIGHT AND COME TO AN ALMOST COMPLETE STOP. THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED I GOT OUT TO CHANGE THE TIRE AND DISCOVERED THAT NONE WERE FLAT. I THEN REMEMBERED THAT FORD HAD SENT ME A LETTER DESCRIBING A PROBLEM WITH "SHIMMY", A SEVERE VIBRATION AND OSCILLATION IN THE STEERING WHEEL. THEY THEN BLAMED IT ON PRESSURE. I DON'T RECALL THE PRESSURE IN MY TIRES AT THE TIME BUT I BELIEVE THEY WERE NOT TOO LOW. I HAVE MY TRUCKED SERVICED REGULARLY AT THE FORD DEALERSHIP. MY TIRES WERE WORN (OVER 50000) BUT STILL HAD A LITTLE TREAD LEFT. BTW- I BOUGHT THE TRUCK NEW WITH THESE SAME TIRES. I HAVE NOT MODIFIED MY TRUCK. I DO NOT BELIEVE IN "LIFTING" A 4WD VEHICLE. I DO HAVE A CAMPER ON MY TRUCK BUT IT ONLY WEIGHS 1300 LBS. MY TRUCK IS AN 2006 F-250 WITH A CAMPER SUSPENSION (I BELIEVE THIS IS AN EXTRA 300 LB. RATING) WHICH SHOULD EASILY ACCOMMODATE THIS WEIGHT. I BELIEVE AT THE TIME THE DEALERSHIP BLAMED IT ON THE TIRES (WORN AND UNDER-INFLATED). I HAD THEM PUT NEW TIRES ON (SAME EXACT KIND). AND DO A GOOD BALANCE JOB. NORMALLY I WOULD NOT HAVE BOUGHT TIRES AT THE DEALERSHIP. THIS FIXED THE PROBLEM. I STILL HAD THIS ISSUE IN THE BACK OF MY MIND AND WANTED TO RESOLVE IT. I WOULD NOT WANT TO SELL A VEHICLE WITH THIS CONDITION. I JUST GOT BACK FROM A 2 WEEK TRIP TO MONTANA AND HAD THE ISSUE COME BACK (I NOW HAVE 95000 ON MY TRUCK (40000) ON THIS SECOND SET OF TIRES. IT HAPPENED TWICE IN UTAH COMING DOWN STEEP HILLS WITHIN MILES OF EACH OTHER. THIS TIME IT SEEMED TO BE A RESULT OF HEAVY BRAKING AND WAS NOT AS SEVERE, AS I DIDN'T HAVE TO COME TO A COMPLETE STOP. I PUT AIR IN THE TIRES PRIOR TO THE TRIP. RIGHT NOW I JUST MEASURED THE PRESSURE @ 70 PSI ON BOTH FRONT TIRES (SPEC SAYS 80) AND MEASURED .185 INCHES OF TREAD LEFT.THIS CONDITION SHOULD NOT OCCUR EVEN IF THE TIRES ARE WORN.I NEED THIS FIXED. *TR

1. DAILY DRIVING 2. CRACKED 2 DIFFERENT WHEELS ON SEPARATE OCCASIONS, INOPERABLE VEHICLE 3. HAD TO INDEPENDENTLY HAVE WHEELS WELDED BECAUSE MANUFACTURER DENIED RESPONSIBILITY. *TR

SPEED ABOUT 65 TO 70 MPH, TRAVELING DOWN AN INTERSTATE. CAME TO A BRIDGE JOINT ON ROAD AND TRUCK FELT AS IF I LOST FRONT TIRE OR SOMETHING. SLOWED DOWN AND PARKED TRUCK ON SIDE OF ROAD. EVERYTHING APPEARED FINE AFTER INSPECTION. CONTINUED TRIP WITH NO FURTHER PROBLEMS, I JUST KEPT IT AT 55 THE REST OF TRIP. NO MODS TO THE TRUCK, ALL FACTORY. *TR

WHEN TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS THE FRONT END SHIMMIES VIOLENTLY WHEN A BUMP OR IRREGULARITY IS HIT IN THE ROAD. THE VEHICLE ALMOST HAS TO COME TO A STOP BEFORE THE SHIMMY WILL GO AWAY. TIRE PRESSURE IS AT MAX INFLATION. THE PROBLEM IS AN ALMOST DAILY OCCURRENCE. NEW STEERING DAMPER, ALIGNMENT, TIRE ROTATION, SHOCKS, AND TRACK BAR BALL JOINT HAVE NO EFFECT ON THE PROBLEM. *TR

AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS 50-70MPH DRIVING OVER A POTHOLE OR BRIDGE EXPANSION JOINT. USUALLY IF THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE HITS FIRST IT SENDS THE TRUCK INTO AN EXTREMELY VIOLENT SHAKING WITH LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL. THE TIRES START BOUNCING SO HARD THAT THEY LEAVE THE PAVEMENT. IT WILL YANK THE STEERING WHEEL OUT OF YOUR HAND IF YOU ARE NOT PAYING ATTENTION. THE ONLY WAY TO REGAIN CONTROL IS TO BRAKE HARD DOWN TO ABOUT 30MPH. THIS IS RIDICULOUSLY DANGEROUS IN SO MANY WAYS. I CAN NOT BELIEVE THERE IS NOT A RECALL ON THIS. WITH A LITTLE RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET YOU WILL FIND THERE ARE NUMEROUS SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE FRONT END OF THE 2006 FORD F250 I HAVE THE PROPER TIRES WITH PROPER INFLATION I HAD A NEW STEERING GEAR BOX PUT ON WITH A NEW POWER STEERING UNIT THE PROBLEM IS BECOMING MORE FREQUENT I JUST GOT BACK FROM A 300 MILE TRIP THIS HAPPENED 8-10 TIMES AND IF TRAFFIC PATTERNS WERE ANY DIFFERENT THIS POTENTIAL RECALL WOULD HAVE KILLED MY WHOLE FAMILY AND SOMEBODY ELSE'S! P.S. THERE ARE NUMEROUS PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO HAVE SPENT THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS TRYING TO FIX THIS ENGINEERING FLAW WITHOUT ANY SUCCESS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 FORD F-250 SD. THE CONTACT NOTICED A CRACK ON THE FRONT DRIVERS SIDE RIM. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED, BUT WAS UNABLE TO ASSIST THE CONTACT WITH THE REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 83,500. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

SEPT. 2010,MY 2006 SD F-250 FORD TIRE,WITHOEM17"ALLOY 8HOLE WHEEL ,EXPLODED VIOLENTLY IN MY DRIVEWAY. DISCOVERED INSIDE OF RIM HAD CRACKED AND PEELED ALONG TIRE BEAD ALLOWING TIRE TO BLOW. RIM AND TIRE HAD TO BE REPLACED, IT EVEN BLEW OFF THE RUBBER STOP BLOCK ON THE FRAME FOR AXLE TO HIT. USED TRUCK SO ASSUMED IT WAS PREVIOUSLY DAMAGED. CLOSE INSPECTION SHOWED OTHER WHEELS WERE OK. JUNE 2011, SHIMMY IN FRONT END, DISCOVERED OTHER FRONT WHEEL CRACKED IN THE SAME WAY AND CLOSE TO FAILURE. LOCAL FORD DEALER SAYS NO RECALLS. E-MAIL TO FORD CANADA GOT NO RESPONSE. I HAVE PICTURES OF BOTH WHEELS. THIS IS MY FOLLOW UP. PLEASE CHECK YOUR WHEELS. FOR THEIR SAFETY, HAVE YOUR TIRE DEALER INSPECT WHEELS WHEN REPLACING TIRES. *TR