RoadVitals

2004 Ford F-250 Sd Suspension Problems

Owner-reported complaints naming the suspension system, filed with NHTSA

Data refreshed

Suspension reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
15
Latest Dec 30, 2013
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
6%
of 254 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
0
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
0

What this page shows

Reports naming suspension components — springs, struts, shocks, control arms and related hardware. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2004 Ford F-250 Sd submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 15 reports on file name it.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Owner reports naming suspension

Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed

SteeringSuspension
Filed Dec 30, 2013

FRONT END SHAKES VIOLENTLY AFTER HITTING A ROUGH SPOT ON PAVEMENT AT HIGHWAY SPEED. CONTINUES UNTIL SPEED IS REDUCED TO LESS THAN 50 MPH. THERE ARE SEVERAL OTHER COMPLAINTS ON YOUR DATABASE FOR THE SAME PROBLEM, SO WHY ISN'T SOMETHING BEING DONE ABOUT IT? THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS ISSUE. MY WIFE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO HANDLE THIS HAPPENING TO HER. THIS HAPPENED ONCE BEFORE ABOUT A YEAR AGO AND I HAD THE TRUCK CHECKED, BUT NOTHING COULD BE FOUND. EVEN THOUGH IT'S TEN YEARS OLD, TRUCK ONLY HAS A LITTLE OVER 24,000 MILES. *TR

NHTSA ID
10557862
Incident
Dec 27, 2013
Mileage
23,900 mi
Suspension
Filed Apr 10, 2013

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 FORD F-250 SD. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE VEHICLE STARTING BOUNCING ABNORMALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE FAILURE WAS UNABLE TO BE DUPLICATED. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS FOR THE SAME FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 40,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 180,000. *TR

NHTSA ID
10505803
Incident
Apr 18, 2007
Mileage
40,000 mi
SteeringSuspension
Filed Jun 24, 2012

TRAVELING AT REGULAR MOTORWAY SPEEDS (55 - 70) THE TRUCK VIBRATES VIOLENTLY AND CONSTANTLY. IT STOPS ONCE THE VEHICLE SLOWS TO BELOW 30MPH. I HAVE CHECKED OTHER COMPLAINTS AND WILL BE CHECKING TIRE PRESSURE AND SEEING IT A STEERING DAMPENER CAN BE ADDED. THIS VEHICLE WAS UNLOADED AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT AND HAD ABOUT 1/2 A TANK OF FUEL ON BOARD. *TR

NHTSA ID
10462909
Incident
Jun 22, 2012
Mileage
136,560 mi
Suspension
Filed Jul 9, 2010

I HAVE A FORD F250 SUPER DUTY 4X4 WITH 94000 MILES. I TOOK IT TO GET THE TIRES ALIGNED AND WAS TOLD THE UPPER AND LOWER BALL JOINTS WERE EXTREMELY WORN. AFTER GETTING HOME I FOUND THIS WEBSITE [ HTTP://WWW.TOPIX.COM/FORUM/AUTOS/FORD-F-250-SUPER-DUTY/TJDDVLEKSIR1JMV0J ] AND IT SEEMS THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM THAT IS HAPPENING AT LOW MILEAGE ON THESE TRUCKS. THIS HAS PROBABLY BEEN AN ON GOING ISSUE WITH MY TRUCK BUT I DIDN'T KNOW IT UNTIL I NOTICED EXTREME TIRE WEAR THEN IT WAS TO LATE. I BELIEVE THIS TO BE A SAFETY HAZARD BECAUSE THE POSSIBILITY OF LOSE OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AT TOTAL FAILURE. *TR

NHTSA ID
10342186
Incident
Jul 9, 2010
Mileage
94,565 mi
SteeringSuspension
Filed Nov 8, 2009

VEHICLE SHIMMY AND SHAKE, STEERING WHEEL OSCILLATION STARTS AT APPROX. 50 MPH AFTER GOING OVER SLIGHT BUMP IN ROADWAY. CONTINUES UNTIL BRAKES ARE APPLIED AND SPEED IS REDUCED TO UNDER 45 MPH. *TR

NHTSA ID
10291416
Incident
Jun 15, 2009
Mileage
70,000 mi
SteeringSuspension
Filed Oct 27, 2009

ON 2004 FORD SUPER DUTY, F-250, THE DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT STATED THAT THE LEFT FRONT BALL JOINTS WERE LOOSE. THE VEHICLE HAS 58,246 MILES ON IT WITH NO ACCIDENTS OR MISUSE. THIS IS PRE-MATURE FAILURE OF MAJOR SUSPENSION PARTS. THE DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT ALSO STATED THAT FORD KNEW THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE BALL JOINTS DUE TO THE WEIGHT OF THE ENGINE. *TR

NHTSA ID
10289986
Incident
Oct 27, 2009
Mileage
58,246 mi
Suspension
Filed Jul 13, 2009

I OWN A FORD 250 SUPER DUTY 2004. SINCE FEBRUARY 2009 I HAVE SPORADICALLY EXPERIENCED UNCONTROLLABLE WOBBLING OF THE STEERING WHEEL. IT APPEARS THAT IT HAPPENS AFTER MAKING SHARP TURNS OR BUMPS AND DOESN'T MATTER WITH THE SPEED. I'VE TAKEN THE TRUCK TO A SERVICE CENTER AND 3 OR MORE TIMES THEY'VE TAKEN IT APART AND CAN'T FIND ANYTHING. THEY SUGGESTED TAKING IT TO A FORD DEALER. I DID AND EXPLAINED IT TO THE MECHANIC UPON WHICH HE CLAIMS HE'S NEVER HEARD OF SUCH A THING. AS A LAST RESORT I GOOGLED FORD 250 SHAKY STEERING AND FOUND WHAT THEY CALL "FORD DEATH WOBBLE". TO MY SURPRISE THERE ARE NUMEROUS OTHER ACCOUNTS OF THIS WITH PEOPLE AS CONFUSED AS MYSELF AND MY MECHANICS. FROM READING IT APPEARS THAT FORD IS AWARE BUT DENIES THE EXISTENCE OF THIS HAPPENING. ALSO SAW THAT I COULD AT LEAST COMPLAIN TO SOMEONE WHO MAY LISTEN. MY CONCERN IS CRASHING LIKE SOME OF THE OTHER UNFORTUNATE PEOPLE AND FORD GETTING AWAY WITH NO CONSEQUENCES. *TR

NHTSA ID
10276580
Incident
Feb 15, 2009
Mileage
94,000 mi
SteeringSuspension
Filed May 6, 2008

MY 2004 F250 2WD SUPERDUTY PICKUP SHAKES VIOLENTLY WHENEVER I HIT THE SMALLEST POTHOLE OR DRIVE OVER RAILROAD TRACKS. THIS CAUSED MY RIGHT TIE ROD TO SEPARATE AND RUN THREE PEOPLE OFF THE ROAD. AFTER NEW TIE RODS THE PROBLEM STILL EXIST. THIS TRUCK ONLY HAS 81,000 MILES ON IT .NO ONE HAS ANY EXPLANATION AS TO WHAT TO DO TO FIX THIS OTHER THAN AN AFTER MARKET STEERING STABILIZER. SHOULDN'T FORD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS FIX BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED? *TR

NHTSA ID
10226855
Incident
Apr 15, 2008
Mileage
80,259 mi
Suspension
Filed May 2, 2008

DAQTE BELOW IS MOST RECENT DATE - EXPERIENCED BOUNCE, NEARLY INTO ADJACENT TRAFFIC LANE AS A RESULT FO PASSING OVER ROUGH SPOT ON INTERSTATE HIGHWAY - HAS OCCURRED A NUMBER OF TIMES SINCE 2006. JUST BECAME AWARE OF THIS AS A LARGER ISSUE FROM GOOD SAM CLUB.

NHTSA ID
10226457
Incident
Mar 24, 2008
Mileage
60,000 mi
SteeringSuspension
Filed May 1, 2008

AT ABOUT 45 TO 55MPH TRUCK SOMETIMES DEVELOPS A LIGHT SHIMMY IN THE FRONT END. IT OCCASIONALLY BECOMES VERY SEVERE FEELING LIKE THE WHOLE FRONT SUSPENSION IS ABOUT TO COME APART. IT IS ESPECIALLY PREVALENT WHEN THERE IS A SLIGHT LEFT PRESSURE ON THE STEERING WHEEL, LIKE WHEN CHANGING LANES. SLOWING WILL ELIMINATE THE BOUNCE, BUT IT IS DIFFICULT TO SLOW QUICKLY WHEN THE FRONT END IS BOUNCING AND SEVERELY VIBRATING. IT CAUSES A NEAR TOTAL LOSS OF CONTROL. *TR

NHTSA ID
10226427
Incident
Apr 26, 2008
Mileage
22,000 mi
SuspensionTires & wheels
Filed Aug 1, 2007

FORD F-250 KING RANCH I AM A 5 TIME REPEAT FORD CUSTOMER. MY F-250 HAS A BOUNCE IN THAT CANNOT BE CURED. FORD HAD ME REPLACE ALL 4 TIRES TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM WITH NO RESULTS. AFTER SPENDING THE MONEY ON THE TIRES, FORD TELLS ME IT IS A NORMAL CHARACTERISTIC OF THE TRUCK. I HAVE RECENT SERVICE INVOICES WITH "CHECKED AND OK AT THIS TIME" RATINGS ON ALL 4 OF THE OLD TIRES. FORD WILL NOT FIX THE PROBLEM, OR REFUND MY TIRES. I HAVE BEEN TO 3 DEALERSHIPS AND IN COMMUNICATION WITH FORD MOTOR COMPANY. THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM THAT FORD DOES NOT WANT TO STAND BEHIND. *TR

NHTSA ID
10198124
Incident
Jun 4, 2007
Mileage
36,000 mi
BrakesPowertrain (other)Suspension+1 more
Filed Sep 13, 2006

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE TRAVELING 65 MPH, A VIBRATION WAS FELT FROM THE STEERING WHEEL ALONG WITH THE FRONT AND REAR OF THE VEHICLE. THE SERVICE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER REPLACED THE ENTIRE FRONT END, ALL AXLES, ROTORS, RING AND PINION AND WHEEL HUBS, BUT THE VIBRATION CONTINUED. THE MANUFACTURER HAD AN ENGINEER TEST THE VEHICLE AND FOUND THE VIBRATION TO BE WITHIN OPERATING STANDARDS.*AK THE FUEL LIGHT ILLUMINATED, THE CENTER CONSOLE SQUEAKED, THE LOWER BALL JOINTS WERE REPLACED. UPDATED 11/21/06. *JB

NHTSA ID
10168190
Incident
Sep 8, 2005
Mileage
30,000 mi
Suspension
Filed Feb 14, 2006

NOTICED A CLUNK IN THE FRONT END OVER BUMPS. INSPECTED THE FRONT SUSPENSION AND FOUND OVER 7/16 SIDE TO SIDE PLAY IN THE LEFT LOWER BALL JOINT, AND 3/8 SIDE TO SIDE PLAY IN THE RIGHT LOWER BALL JOINT. I REPLACED BOTH LOWER BALL JOINTS. I FEEL THIS IS A VERY EARLY FAILURE AND IF LEFT TO GET WORSE WOULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. *NM

NHTSA ID
10150227
Incident
Feb 13, 2006
Mileage
43,097 mi
Suspension
Filed Aug 12, 2005

2004 FORD F250 HUBS ARE WORN OUT AND NEED TO BE REPLACED. *MR THEY HAD ONLY BEEN ENGAGED THREE TIMES WHEN THE FAILURE OCCURED. (FRONT LOCKING HUBS) *SC

NHTSA ID
10133434
Incident
Jun 29, 2005
Mileage
48,566 mi
Suspension
Filed Dec 22, 2004

NEW 04 FORD F250 SUPER DUTY STEERING WANDER AT 3000 MI. JANUARY WENT TO DEALER. NO PROBLEM FOUND. AT 21,000 DECEMBER WENT TO ALIGNMENT SHOP TOLD UPPER AN LOWER BALL JOINTS HAD 1/6 PLAY SHOULD BE 0 PLAY NEED CHANGE OUT TO FIX FRONT END. WENT BACK TO FORD SHOP . WAS TOLD THERE TECHNICIAN CHECKED UPPER AN LOWER BALL JOINTS ALL WITHIN FORD SPEC NO PLAY FOUND "THEY LOWERED AIR IN FRONT TIRES" PLEASE HELP THE WANDER. *JB

NHTSA ID
10104298
Incident
Dec 16, 2004
Mileage
21,000 mi

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.

Other components reported on this vehicle

Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own

Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .