2011 Ford F-350 Steering Problems

On this day, I financed the vehicle and was promised that it was safe to be on the road. This is the second vehicle. He’s done this to me with. He gets these vehicles and just put stickers in the windows and then people break down or their lives are in jeopardy so I left there After I purchased the truck the following day I was driving and I noticed a bunch of defects which included a death wobble, front end parts being bad and engine light being on I took it to another shop and they said that it should’ve never even gotten an inspection sticker I also went on [XXX] and found out that the vehicle did not go through any emissions test and being a diesel it’s supposed to that’s why the engine lights are on on the third day of owing it. The driveshaft snapped right off this Dealership has multiple reviews and reports of being shady and just putting inspection stickers in the windows. He has somebody at another auto shop that he pays extra just to put the sticker in the window Not only is this unsafe for other people it’s not fair and it’s illegal and he does it all the time every vehicle on his lot has issues and the inspections are not done at alll so many issues half of them shouldn’t even be on the road. The dealership is. Low priced auto in Rome ny and the people Who inspect are sharkeys auto in Rome INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11706909

Incident

Dec 17, 2025

The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-350. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle experienced a Death Wobble. The contact stated that the front end of the vehicle and the steering wheel were shuddering violently from the right to the left, causing the contact to lose control of the vehicle. The contact stated that he was able to regain control of the vehicle upon decelerating to 10 MPH. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road. The vehicle was taken to Litchfield Auto Repair, where the axle track bar ball joint, the steering damper, the drag link, and the tie rod or the tie rod end were replaced. Additionally, the mechanic performed the front alignment; however, the failure recurred while driving 75 MPH and hitting a bump. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was inspected, and the contact was informed that the previous repair was performed correctly. The dealer replaced the tires because the tires were worn out. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 230,000.

NHTSA ID

11619897

Incident

Oct 7, 2024

Mileage

230,000 mi

Within a span of 30 min. I experienced 3 uncontrollable steering oscillations also known as the "death wobble." The DW experienced, the speeds were around 50 miles per hour. Less than that, the aforementioned oscillations were not experienced. Reason for the 30 min time frame was due to making it back home from the first occurrence. First oscillation was on smooth road, the other two were on less than smooth roads.

NHTSA ID

11567668

Incident

Jan 24, 2024

It’s doing the death wobble and has almost made me lose control on the interstate and seriously could have had my 9month daughter and I killed.

NHTSA ID

11552130

Incident

Oct 26, 2023

The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-350. The contact stated while driving 55-60 MPH, the steering column and the front-end of the vehicle started shuddering significantly. The contact depressed the brake pedal and slowed down significantly until the vehicle operated as needed. The contact was able to continue driving. The contact stated that the failure occurred a second time while driving over a bump on the roadway. Additionally, the contact stated that the failure recurred a third time while his wife was driving. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the failure could not be duplicated. The dealer referred the contact to the manufacturer and the contact was referred to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 47,000.

NHTSA ID

11551581

Incident

Oct 6, 2023

Mileage

47,000 mi

While traveling down the highway at the speed limit, the truck hit a bump and started to shake violently. I slowed down and pulled over to resecure a freezer that was shook loose. We continued on and when I went to make the next right turn, one of the straps, which was sliced during the death wobble, snapped. The freezer slid and seesawed over a cooler. The corner of the freezer came through the rear window striking my wife in the arm and head. I have brought the truck to multiple shops, replaced steering stabilizer, shock, and tires to no avail.

NHTSA ID

11541661

Incident

Aug 24, 2023

I own a 2011 Ford F-350 Lariat Dually truck and was driving down the highway at approximately 60 mph, when I hit a bump in the road and all of a sudden my truck started to shake violently. I didn't know what happened as this was the first time this has ever happened. I thought something happened with the rear wheels on my truck. I was shaken up, scared and had to stop on the side of a busy road to see what it was. I looked around the truck and didn't see anything and was unaware of the famous "Death Wobble" that are notorious on F-250 & F-350 Ford trucks. I then returned to the highway with my flashers on and drive, but at a lot slower speed because I was unsure of what caused the shake. I was able to make it home safely and I told my husband about it. He wanted to see if it would happen to him so he took it for a spin and it happened to him 3 times in a 5 mile trip. Therefore he came home and parked the truck. We took it to Ford and they advised that this issue is common. Having a vehicle with this unwanted feature is a concern as we purchased this truck to run a business and now it just sits. Please put yourself in others shoes. Imagine you are traveling 70 mph down the interstate with a loaded trailer and you hit a bump or change lanes and the death wobble starts to happen. Would the driver be able to prevent a horrific accident from happening or cause one by trying to slow to an acceptable speed and sometimes completely stopping just to get the uncontrollable shaking to stop. This could cause a very bad outcome for the driver and possibly other unsuspecting drivers that are unaware of the issue / situation. This is not the situation any driver wants to be in on any highway. Please consider doing a recall on all Ford F-350's trucks so that this issue can be corrected and give owners peace of mind. Imagine if your family was traveling and this happened. I ask you, how would you handle this situation?

NHTSA ID

11519623

Incident

Apr 20, 2023

at any given time traveling over speeds of 50-60 MPH truck has a wobble that can't be stopped until I slow down completely. at highway speeds this can be very dangerous.

NHTSA ID

11502751

Incident

Jun 20, 2022

The steering gets stiff all of a sudden. You have to pull it back when making a turn right or left. It happens intermittent. If you had to swerve to miss an animal or road obstruction you could be in a world of trouble. It seems to be happening more frequent now. Had a shop look at it but didn't act up. We will try again. I'm not they only one having this problem.

NHTSA ID

11467705

Incident

Jan 5, 2022

When you hit a bump, the truck violently shakes. This usually occurs at speeds greater than 40mph. The only way to get it to stop is to come to almost a complete stop. Very dangerous if someone is behind you and you have to stop fast to get it to stop. This occurs very frequently. I replaced parts the repair ship tells me is bad and the problem continues to occur. This occurs almost every time I drive.

NHTSA ID

11447191

Incident

Jan 12, 2022

The steering wheel shakes violently . It occurs at above 50MPH. The steering wheel can not be held or the vehicle controlled. You have to slow to almost a stop to regain control of the wheel and ultimately the vehicle. The shacking was very subtle to begin with but now it is getting more violent as time goes on.

NHTSA ID

11443993

Incident

Jul 4, 2020

The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-350. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle experienced the death wobble after driving over a bump in the road. The contact stated that the vehicle violently and uncontrollably shook after driving over the bump in the roadway and the contact was able to regain control of the vehicle once the vehicle had slowed down. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure and informed him that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

NHTSA ID

11438844

Incident

Feb 1, 2017

Mileage

150,000 mi

ON 5/8/21, WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATLY55-60 MPH, I HIT A POTHOLE ON HWY231 SOUTH (4 LANE) AND THE FRONT END OF MY 2011 F350 TRUCK STARTED TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY AND BECAME HARD TO STEER. I HAD TO ALMOST STOP BEFORE IT QUIT SHAKING. I WAS AFRAID WE (WIFE & I) WERE GOING TO LOOSE CONTROL AND HIT ANOTHER VEHICLE. I TOOK IT TO A REPAIR SHOP AND AFTER INSPECTION, THEY TOLD ME THERE WAS A PROBLEM ONLY A FORD DEALER COULD FIX. THE SHOP HAD SEEN THIS BEFORE AND FORD REFUSED TO TELL THEM WHAT PARTS WERE NEEDED TO DO THAT FIX. ON 5/12/21, I TOOK THE TRUCK TO TALLASSEE AUTOMOTIVE FORD DEALER FOR REPAIR. AFTER INSPECTION, THEY SAID THEY KNEW THE PROBLEM AND COULD FIX IT FOR $1100 (OR $11?? SOMETHING. I WAS FLABBERGASTED AT THE AMOUNT, BUT HAD TO HAVE IT FIXED AND AGREED. THEY OREDERED PARTS AND CALLED TWO DAYS LATER TO COME PICK IT UP. UPON ARRIVAL, THEY SAID MY BILL WAS $1450. I COMPLAINED LOUDLY THAT THEY TOLD ME $1100 SOMETHING. AFTER CONSULTATION BETWEEN SOMEONE I DID NOT SEE, THEY AGREED TO DISCOUNT IT BY $300. LATER SOMEONE TOLD ME THEY HAD HEARD OF THIS FORD PROBLEM AND I SHOULD LOOK IT UP ONLINE. I DID AND FOUND STORIES ABOUT SOMETHING CALLED THE "DEATH WABBLE." MY PURPOSE FOR THIS COMPLAINT IS TO ADD MY VOICE TO THE GROUP OF PEPOPLE WHO HAVE HAD A SIMILAR EXPERIENCE AND MAY REQUIRE FORD MOTOR COMPANY TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR OBVIOUS DESIGN FLAW THAT COULD CAUSE INJURIES OR DEATH TO UNKNOWING PEOPLE. AS FOR THE REPAIRS, IT SEEMS THEY REPLACED EVERYTHING BETWEEN THE TWO FRONT WHEELS AND THE STEERING COLUMN. NOT BEING A MECHANIC, I DO NOT KNOW WHAT CAUSED THIS OR WHAT WAS REALLY NECESSARY TO FIX IT. NO SYMPTOMS BEFORE THIS INCIDENT INDICATED THERE WAS ANYTHING WRONG WITH MY TRUCK. THERE WERE NO WARNINGS OR EVENTS THAT COULD HAVE MADE ME CHECK OUT ANY PROBLEM LIKE THIS SITUATION. I HAVE NOT CONTACTED FORD MOTOR CO., THE POLICE, OR INSURANCE COMPANY. LOOKING ON THE INTERNET, IT IS APPARENT FORD IS AWARE OF THIIS PROBLEM AND CLAIMS NO RESPONSIBILITY.

NHTSA ID

11420667

Incident

May 8, 2021

THE VEHICLE IS SHAKING TERRIBLE AT 50 MAYBE 60 MPH CAN'T TEL EXACTLY BECAUSE I WAS SCARED .I GOT NEW TIRES AND IS STILL DOING SAME. I WAS ON HWY 83 TOWARD SCOTT CITY KS.

NHTSA ID

11413688

Incident

Apr 20, 2021

Mileage

176,113 mi

WHEN DRIVING DOWN THE ROADS THE FRONT END AND STEERING WHEEL GOES INTO A VIOLENT SHAKING AND VIBRATION TO POINT WHERE I HAVE TO ALMOST STOP THE TRUCK. IT SEEMS TO HAPPEN ON BOTH TOWN ROADS AND HIGHWAYS IT ALSO SEEMS TO BE WORSE ON THE HIGHWAY.

NHTSA ID

11404782

Incident

Mar 25, 2021

Mileage

127,855 mi

ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS WHEN DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS WHEN I RUN ACROSS RUFF ROADS OR BUMPS THE TRUCKS FRONT END BEGINS TO WOBBLE AND SHAKE. THE SHAKE IS WORSE IF I AM IN ANY KIND OF TURN, BUT IT WILL DO IT ON STRAIGHT ROADS ALSO. I MUST SLOW DOWN TO UNDER 30 MPH TO REGAIN CONTROL OF VEHICLE. I HAVE TAKEN IT INTO FORD DEALERSHIPS AND GOTTEN NO RESULTS. ONE DEALERSHIP CLAIMED IT TO BE IN THE BALL JOINTS AND I HAD THEM REPLACED BUT THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. DOING ONLINE RESEARCH, I AM SEEING OTHERS WITH THE SAME ISSUE AND SOME CALLING IT THE DEATH WOBBLE. I HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING THIS SINCE 2018 BUT THE LAST TIME WAS 10/22/2020.

NHTSA ID

11375040

Incident

Oct 22, 2020

Mileage

140,000 mi

VEHICLE HIT A POTHOLE ON INTERSTATE 75 NORTH NEAR DALTON GEORGIA AT APPROXIMATELY 65 MILES PER HOUR. THE FRONT RIGHT WHEEL AND FRONT END VIOLENTLY SHOOK AND THE STEERING WHEEL SHOOK SO BAD CONTROL OF THE F350 BECAME AN ISSUE. I WAS UNABLE TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE UNTIL I SLOWED TO BELOW 20 MILES PER HOUR. THE INCIDENT PRESENTED A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE

NHTSA ID

11374935

Incident

Nov 7, 2020

Mileage

61,000 mi

I WAS DRIVING AND MY STEERING ARMS CAUGHT ON FIRE.

NHTSA ID

11362341

Incident

Sep 30, 2020

Mileage

205,000 mi

DRIVING MY 2011 FORD F-350 TODAY AND HIT A BUMP DOING 55MPH ON A BLACK TOP ROAD GOING STRAIGHT FORWARD, AFTER THE BUMP THE "DEATH WOBBLE" STARTED AND ALMOST SHOOK MY PICKUP INTO THE DITCH. I HAD TO SLOW DOWN TO 20 MPH TO GET IT TO STOP. AFTER A LOT OF READING, THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM IN FORD SUPER DUTYS THAT ARE MY PICKUPS AGE AND BRAND NEW. WHY HAVE THEY NOT FIXED THIS PROBLEM AND MADE A RECALL TO FIX ALL THE OLDER PICKUPS AS WELL??!!

NHTSA ID

11362182

Incident

Oct 1, 2020

Mileage

108,000 mi

DEATH WARBLE TWICE 7/15/2020 ON THE HIGHWAY DOING THE SPEED LIMIT ALMOST KILLED SEVERAL PEOPLE WITH TRUCK AND EMPTY TRAILER. DEATH WARBLE NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED IMMEDIATELY. HAVE SPENT TOO MUCH TIME AND MONEY ON A TRUCK THAT SHOULD BE CONSIDERED UNSAFE TO DRIVE ON THE FREEWAY.

NHTSA ID

11339670

Incident

Jul 15, 2020

Mileage

97,000 mi

08DURING 2018 WE TOOK AN EXTENDED CAMPING TRIP TO MAINE. IT WAS AT THIS TIME WE EXPERIENCED THE MOST INSTANCES OF WHAT I HAVE HEARD CALLED "DEATH WOBBLE".THE FIRST TIME WAS IN PENNSYLVANIA PULLING THE FIFTH WHEEL CAMPER WHEN WE HIT A POTHOLE AND WAS TERRIFIED I WAS GOING LOSE CONTROL. THIS OCCURRED AT LEAST THREE MORE TIMES, ONCE MORE WITH THE CMPER AND TWICE JUST TRAVELING WITH THE TRUCK, BUT ALL BROUGHT ON BY HITTING A BUMP IN THE PAVEMENT.ALL HAPPENED ON INTERSTATES AND FAIRLY HEAVY TRAFFIC. HAVING TO COME ALMOST TO A STOP IN HEAVY TRAFFIC IS NOT SOMETHING NO ONE SHOULD HAVE TO EXPERIENCE.IN 2019 WE FINALLY GOT TO WHERE WE COULD FINANCIALLY HAVE A FORD DEALER LOOK AT.THIS. THEY REPLACED THE BALL JOINTS , UPPER AND LOWER AND ALIGNED THE FRONT END. SO FAR IT HAS NOT OCCURRED AGAIN.

NHTSA ID

11319400

Incident

Aug 28, 2018

Mileage

98,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS STEERING WHEEL SHAKES UNCONTROLLABLY AFTER HITTING A BUMP AND WON'T STOP UNTIL SLOWING DOWN NEARLY STOPPING.

NHTSA ID

11319310

Incident

Nov 20, 2019

Mileage

159,150 mi

ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH THE FRONT WHEELS BEGAN OSCILLATING (DEATH WOBBLE) AFTER GOING OVER A ROUGH PATCH OF ROAD OR BRIDGE EXPANSION JOINTS. THE OSCILLATION MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE TO STEER AND THE ONLY WAY IT WILL STOP IS TO SLOW DOWN TO 25 MPH OR BELOW. NEARLY STRUCK IN THE REAR END BY ANOTHER VEHICLE WHILE TRYING TO REGAIN CONTROL.

NHTSA ID

11316696

Incident

Jan 15, 2020

Mileage

91,000 mi

2011 FORD F-350 SUPER DUTY 4X4. THE VEHICLE HAS NEVER HAD A LIFT OR LARGE TIRES OF ANY KIND INSTALLED ON IT AND HAS ALWAYS HAD STOCK OEM SPEC TIRES. THIS VEHICLE HAS WHAT HAS BECOME KNOWN AS "THE DEATH WOBBLE". FORD CALLS IT "SUSTAINED STEERING WHEEL OSCILLATION". IT IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND TERRIFYING TO EXPERIENCE. THE PROBLEM IS WELL DOCUMENTED AND I AM SHOCKED THAT THERE HAS NOT YET BEEN A SAFETY RECALL ON THIS. THE DEATH WOBBLE PRIMARILY OCCURS AT SPEEDS ABOVE 50 OR SO MILES PER HOUR WHEN THE VEHICLE HITS A POT-HOLE, EXPANSION JOINT, UNAVOIDABLE ROAD DEBRIS, ETC. IT ALSO HAS A NASTY SNOWBALL EFFECT IN THAT ONCE YOU HAVE EXPERIENCED IT A COUPLE OF TIMES THE ADDITIONAL DAMAGE IT IS CREATING CAUSES IT TO HAPPEN EASIER AND EASIER TO THE POINT THAT IT WILL THEN OCCUR REGULARLY ALL THE WAY DOWN TO 35 MILES PER HOUR. WE HAVE EXPERIENCED THE DEATH WOBBLE LITERALLY MANY DOZENS OF TIMES OVER THE YEARS SINCE WE PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE. WE HAVE DONE AND REPLACED EVERYTHING THAT WE CAN THINK OF TO FIX THIS PROBLEM; SOME OF THEM MULTIPLE TIMES BUT NOTHING WORKS. THINGS WE HAVE DONE: NEW TIRES (MULTIPLE TIMES), NEW FRONT-END ALIGNMENT (MULTIPLE TIMES), NEW TRACK BAR BUSHING AND BALL JOINT (MULTIPLE TIMES), NEW TIE ROD ENDS (MULTIPLE TIMES), NEW CENTER LINK (MULTIPLE TIMES), NEW SHOCK ABSORBERS, NEW STEERING DAMPER, NEW UPPER AND LOWER BALL JOINTS, NEW U-JOINTS. NONE OF THIS HAS WORKED. THE DEATH WOBBLE IS SO VIOLENT THAT IT IS WREAKS HAVOC ON THE ENTIRE TRUCK INCLUDING THE NEWLY INSTALLED PARTS, THE FRAME, DRIVETRAIN AND SUSPENSION COMPONENTS, CHASSIS, ETC. LITERALLY EVERYTHING ON THE VEHICLE INCLUDING WINDSHIELDS. FORD IS OBVIOUSLY AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AND THE PROPENSITY FOR THEIR SOLID FRONT AXLE F-250 AND F-350 TRUCKS FROM THE PAST TWO DECADES TO EXPERIENCE THE DEATH WOBBLE. SOMEBODY WILL EVENTUALLY DIE FROM THIS, IF IT HASN'T HAPPENED ALREADY. IT NEEDS DEALT WITH!

NHTSA ID

11289951

Incident

Dec 18, 2019

Mileage

175,512 mi

DEATH WOBBLE IN MY TRUCK VIOLENTLY SHAKING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS WITH NO WARNING

NHTSA ID

11288029

Incident

May 31, 2019

Mileage

55,000 mi