Death wobble
- NHTSA ID
- 11671293
- Incident
- Jul 4, 2025
Owner-reported complaints naming the driver-assistance system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2012 Ford F-350 submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 8 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.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
Death wobble
I was on the road and I hit a bump on the freeway only going between 55 and 65 mph and the Truck immediately started to whobble out of control I almost hit the car next to me because I could not control it . It was a life and death experience I could never shake off . I spoke to the dealer and they claimed they had never heard of such thing and acted like they didn’t believe me. What ever is wrong with it needs to be recalled because I’m surprised that no one was hurt on rush our in a busy city like Salt Lake City. Ford is being very irresponsible for not fixing the problem.
Death whoble
DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT 70 MPH. THE STEERING WHEEL WOBBLED OUT OF CONTROL WHICH MADE IT SO I COULD NOT CONTROL THE VEHICLE. I APPLIED THE BRAKE BUT IT DIDN'T RESPOND UNTIL THE TRUCK SLOWED. CARS WERE SERVING OFF THE ROAD AND I WAS WITHIN SECONDS OF A VERY SERIOUS ACCIDENT WITH 2 OF MY CHILDREN. I AM FRIGHTENED TO DRIVE THE TRUCK AS NO ONE CAN TELL ME WHAT THE CAUSE OR REPAIR NEEDED. HAD SOMETHING SIMILAR ON MY FORMER FORD BUT NOT TO THE EXTENT OF THIS INCIDENT.
TRUCK HIT BUMP (SMALL CURB) WITH DRIVER'S SIDE FRONT WHEEL AND SIMULTANEOUSLY STARTED ACCELERATING AND HAD TOTAL BRAKE LOSS. THIS HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING TOWARDS A GAS BUMP IN A FILLING STATION. VEHICLE ACCELERATED FROM ABOUT 10 MPH TO PROBABLY OVER 30 MPH UNTIL IT HIT A STATIONARY TRUCK.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD F-350. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 75 MPH, THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE AND STEERING WHEEL BEGAN TO VIOLENTLY VIBRATE. THE CONTACT HAD TO APPLY THE BRAKES TO FORCE THE VEHICLE TO DECREASE IN SPEED. THE VEHICLE WAS EVENTUALLY TURNED OFF TO STOP THE VIBRATION. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER WHO INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THIS WAS COMMON AMONG FORD VEHICLES AND WAS KNOWN AS THE "DEATH WOBBLE." THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 141,000.
I WAS DRIVING 2012 FORD F350 6.7L AND TOWING A 28 FOOT TRAVEL TRAILER. WE WERE SOUTHBOUND ON INTERSTATE 5 IN ENCINITAS, CA WHEN ALL OF THE SUDDEN THE TRUCK POWERED DOWN AND AN ALERT APPEARED ON THE DASH: "STOP SAFELY NOW". I HAD VIRTUALLY NO POWER DESPITE DEPRESSING THE GAS PEDAL. I WAS FORCED TO THE RIGHT SHOULDER OF THE ROAD WHERE I AS ABLE TO PARK WITH ONLY INCHES SEPARATING MY VEHICLE/TRAILER AND THE FREEWAY TRAFFIC. AS SOON AS I PLACED IT IN PARK, THE VEHICLE COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN. MY WIFE AND TWO YOUNG CHILDREN WERE WITH ME AND FOUND MYSELF IN A HELPLESS AND DANGEROUS SITUATION. I KNOW FROM READING OTHER POSTS THAT SOME WHO EXPERIENCED THE SAME EQUIPMENT FAILURE FOUND THEMSELVES UNABLE TO MOVE TO A SAFE LOCATION AND WERE LEFT STRANDED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROADWAY. MY COMPLAINT STEMS FROM THE KNOWLEDGE THAT FORD IS AWARE AND HAS BEEN AWARE FOR SOMETIME OF THE ISSUE OF BAD EGT SENSORS WHICH WHAT WAS ULTIMATELY DIAGNOSED AND REPAIRED ON MY VEHICLE. HOWEVER THERE ARE FOUR SUCH SENSORS AND FROM READING OTHER COMPLAINTS REPLACING ONLY ONE (WHICH IS ALL FORD WOULD DO UNDER WARRANTY) ONLY DELAYS THE INEVITABLE FAILURE OF ANOTHER OF THE REMAINING SENSORS. I'M AWARE OF A RECENT RECALL OF AMBULANCES BY FORD FOR THE EXACT SAME REASON. I ONLY SPECULATE THAT FORD SAW THE LIABILITY IN HAVING AN AMBULANCE STALL IN A PRECARIOUS SPOT WITH A PERSON IN NEED OF MEDICAL ATTENTION ON BOARD. I FEEL MY EXPERIENCES AS WELL AS COUNTLESS OTHERS WOULD RISE TO THE LEVEL OF A SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN AND ARE NO DIFFERENT THAN THAT OF THE AMBULANCES WHICH FORD HAS ACCEPTED RESPONSIBILITY FOR. MY REQUEST IS THAT FORD TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS KNOWN ISSUE AND AGREE TO REPLACE ALL SENSORS WITH WHEN ONE GOES BAD OR REPLACE ALL OF THEM REGARDLESS. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD F-350 SD. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO SLOW THE VEHICLE BY TAKING HIS RIGHT FOOT OFF OF THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND APPLIED IT TO THE BRAKE. , THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO TRAVEL AT THE SAME SPEED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO BE DRIVEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE REPLICATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED ABOUT THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 620 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 660. UPDATED 01/02/2013*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED HE HAD TO STAND ON THE BRAKE PEDAL WITH BOTH FEET, IN ORDER TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE REAR TIRE, THAT WAS CONNECTED TO THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS STILL SPINNING UNDER POWER. HE TURNED THE KEY OFF TO THE CUR THE POWER.
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.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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