2017 FORD F-350 SD Complaints

REAR TAILGATE OPENS BY ITSELF. UNKNOWN WHEN IT OCCURS AS I HAVE A CAMPER SHELL WHICH PREVENTS THE TAILGATE FROM COMPLETELY OPENING. THIS HAS OCCURRED 40-50 TIMES RANDOMLY SINCE PURCHASING THE TRUCK NEW IN AUGUST 2017. NOTIFIED THE DEALER OF ISSUE AND FORD TSB-2196 BUT WAS INFORMED THAT BECAUSE MY VEHICLE WAS PRODUCED AFTER JUNE 2017, IT DOES NOT APPLY TO MY PROBLEM. UNLESS THEY CAN DUPLICATE THE ISSUE, THEY WILL NOT ADDRESS THE ISSUE. NO DAMAGE HAS OCCURRED BECAUSE OF THE CAMPER SHELL PREVENTING TAILGATE FROM DROPPING.

MY TRUCK HAS THE SO CALLED "DEATH WOBBLE" WHEREAS HITTING CERTAIN BUMPS THE TRUCK'S STEERING IS UNCONTROLLABLE. IT HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES WITH MINE. I ALMOST HIT THE CAR NEXT TO ME THE LAST TIME IT HAPPENED, GOING 70 MPH DOWN THE HIGHWAY. IT WILL NOT STOP UNTIL I SLAM ON THE BRAKES. THIS SEEMS TO BE A HUGE PROBLEM WITH FORD, BUT THEY WILL JUST TELL YOU IT'S THE TIRES BEING OUT OF BALANCE. I KNOW THAT THIS ISN'T THE CASE, HOWEVER, I REPLACED ALL SIX TIRES AT THE FORD DEALERSHIP, BUT IT HAS HAPPENED AGAIN. I CANNOT UNDERSTAND WHY A SAFETY RECALL HAS NOT BEEN ISSUED.

WHEN DRIVING OVER 50MPH AND HIT A BUMP OR ROAD TRANSITION ON A BRIDGE THE TRUCK SHAKES VIOLENTLY AND YOU HAVE TO SLOW DOWN TO ABOUT 30MPH TO GET IT TO STOP

SEVERAL TIMES THE PICKUP HAS STARTED SHAKING. IT CAUSED ME TO LOSE CONTROL AND ENTER THE DITCH. THE PROBLEM OCCURS WHEN I'M AT A SPEED OF 50MPH OR ABOVE. USUALLY HAPPENS WHEN A POTHOLE OR BRIDGE CREASE IN ROAD IS CROSSED.

I WAS DRIVING MY FORD F-350 PICKUP ON THE HIGHWAY AND HIT A POTHOLE. THE WHOLE FRONT OF THE TRUCK STARTED WOBBLING AND SHAKING TO THE POINT THAT I COULD BARELY CONTROL IT. AT FIRST I THOUGHT I MIGHT HAVE BLOWN A TIRE OR TOW BUT THAT WASN'T THE CASE. I HAD TO REDUCE SPEED SINCE I WASN'T IN A POSITION TO PULL OVER SAFELY. I CALLED FORD AND ALL THEY SAID WAS TO MAKE SURE THE TIRES WERE AT THE RIGHT TIRE PRESSURE. LUCK FOR ME I WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT HOME IN ONE PIECE.

I HAD SEVERAL INCIDENTS WITH THE INFAMOUS "DEATH WOBBLE" WHEN THE FRONT SUSPENSION VIBRATES EXCESSIVELY RESULTING IN LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL AND OVERALL VEHICLE CONTROL. AFTER THE FIRST THREE INCIDENTS I RESEARCHED AND FOUND THE DEATH WOBBLE THREAD ON THE INTERNET. I TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER AND THEY REPLACED A DRAG LINK AND BALL JOINT. THE VEHICLE DROVE MOSTLY NORMAL FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS WITH ONLY OCCASIONAL FRONT STEERING VIBRATION AFTER DRIVING OVER A BUMP IN THE ROAD. THEN ON JUNE 10, 2019 I RAN OVER AN EXPANSION JOINT IN A BRIDGE ON A CORNER GOING 45-50 MPH AND THE STEERING WHEEL AND ENTIRE TRUCK VIBRATED TO THE POINT OF LOSING CONTROL AND GOING OFF ROAD NEARLY INTO THE DITCH BEFORE I GOT THE VEHICLE UNDER CONTROL AT APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH. THE VIBRATION AND OSCILLATION WAS EXTREMELY SEVERE WITH EVERYONE IN VEHICLE BEING TOSSED ABOUT VIOLENTLY. I IMMEDIATELY MADE AN APPOINTMENT TO HAVE VEHICLE INSPECTED AND DEALERSHIP STATED THEY KNEW OF PROBLEM AND REFERENCED TSB 18-2268. THEY SHIMMED THE SUSPENSION, ADJUSTED THE CASTOR, AND REPLACED THE STEERING DAMPENER TO THE TUNE OF $624. I TALKED TO THREE DIFFERENT FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVES AND GOT NOTHING BUT A RUN-AROUND. AFTER TRUCK WAS REPAIRED, I WAS NOTIFIED THAT FORD WOULD PAY $335 FOR REPAIRS SINCE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE IS HORRIBLE AND I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED SINCE THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM AND WAS NOT REPAIRED CORRECTLY THE FIRST TIME. WE COULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED OR KILLED DUE TO THE VIOLENT NATURE OF THE VIBRATION AND LOSS OF CONTROL. KENDALL FORD IN KENAI WAS VERY ACCOMMODATING AND HELPFUL IN GETTING MY PROBLEM SOLVED BUT FORD NEEDS TO TAKE CARE OF THEIR CUSTOMERS AND GET THESE VEHICLES REPAIRED BEFORE SOMEONE DIES. THERE ARE MANY REPORTS OF THIS HAPPENING NOW WITH THIS VEHICLE. VEHICLE HAS 45,332 MILES.

TIRE VALVE STEMS ARE LEAKING REPEATEDLY, NEW VALVE STEMS WILL START LEAKING SOMETIMES THE NEXT DAY. WHILE THE DEALER IS REPLACING THE STEMS UNDER WARRANTY (BUMPER TO BUMPER) THIS IS CAUSING A DANGEROUS CONDITION. 25% OF AIR CAN BE LOSSED OVERNIGHT. IT SEEMS LIKE THE MANUFACTURER IS TRYING TO RUN OUT THE WARRANTY AND LEAVE CONSUMERS WITH THE PRICE OF THE STEMS AFTERWARD. IN 15,000 MILES, ONE OF THE WHEELS ON THE TRUCK HAS HAD 4 STEMS PUT IN.

MULTIPLE INSTANCES ~15 OF 'DEATH WOBBLE' WHERE THE TRUCK AND STEERING WHEEL SHAKE VIOLENTLY. NORMALLY AT SPEEDS ABOVE 55 MPH WHEN HITTING A BUMP OR ROUGH ROAD. STARTED OCCURRING ONLY WHEN TURNING AND HITTING A BUMP, BUT NOW HAPPENING WHEN DRIVING STRAIGHT. REQUIRES SLOWING QUICKLY TO BELOW 30 MPH TO STOP SHAKING, MAKING IT VERY DANGEROUS FOR MYSELF AND OTHER DRIVERS ON THE HIGHWAY. STOCK F350 DRW WITH 32K MILES

TRUCK HAS DEATH WOBBLE. AFTER HITTING A BUMP ON THE FREEWAY STEERING WHEEL AND FRONT END STARTS TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY. REQUIRES SLOWING DOWN TO UNDER 40 MPH TO STOP SHAKING. VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. THIS HAS HAPPENED NUMEROUS TIMES. FORD HAS INSPECTED THE FRONT END AND SAID EVERYTHING LOOKS FINE. ANOTHER FORD DEALER REPLACE THE STEERING STABILIZER SHOCK AT MY COST. PROBLEM STILL EXISTS.

AS I WAS DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE AT APPROXIMATELY 80 MPH, I CROSSED AND EXPANSION JOINT AND THE TRUCK STARTED TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY AS IF I HAD TWO FLAT TIRES. THE STEERING WHEEL SHOOK SO HARD THAT I HAD TO GRASP IT WITH BOTH HANDS AND A VERY TIGHT GRIP SIMPLY TO KEEP THE TRUCK IN MY LANE. I WAS ABLE TO PULL OFF ONTO THE SHOULDER AND MADE A VISUAL INSPECTION OF ALL FOUR TIRES. NOTHING SEEMED WRONG. I PULLED BACK ONTO THE INTERSTATE AND CONTINUED AT 60 MPH UNTIL THE NEXT EXIT. ONCE I GOT HOME I WAS ABLE TO SEARCH FOR SIMILAR PROBLEMS AND FOUND THAT THE PROBLEM HAD A NAME, THE "DEATH WOBBLE" GIVEN TO IT BY OTHER OWNERS THAT HAD EXPERIENCED THE SAME. I CALLED MY DEALER TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT AND FOUND THAT THERE WAS AN ACTIVE SERVICE BULLETIN ON THE PROBLEM.