Ball Joint Problems of Ford F-350

2014 F-350 front end / steering shaking known as the death wobble. Only way to stop the shaking was to reduce speed under 50 mph. This has previously occurred in 8/2018 with approx 116k miles on the truck. Vehicle was checked more than once at service location, including brakes, tires, alignment,. . . But could not find a problem. Different "fixes" were tried, which included track bar and tie rod replacement. After 2nd track bar and ball joint replacement, issue seemed to be resolved. However, the death wobble has returned. Current mileage is no approx 175k miles. This is a known issue by Ford, yet there have been no recalls to fix the issue. Truck will be returning to repair facility this week, costing more money out of my pocket, to hopefully put another band-aid on the problem.

See all problems of the 2014 Ford F-350 🔎.

I recently crossed a bridge expansion joint doing somewhere between 70 and 75 mph my truck steering wheel shook violently as I could barely hold it. I slowed down to about 40-45 mph before it quit. This was on a Saturday. Monday I took it to a local garage to have the tires rotated and balanced and check for anything that could be bad in the steering/front end suspension. They rotated the tires and found the steering stabilizer shock was leaking, they replaced it and started to bring me the truck. It started shaking violently at 50 mph. They ended up replacing the drag link, right outer tie rod end, adjusting sleeve, ball joint at tracker bar and right outer lower tie rod end. They said I needed to get an alignment on it, I drove the truck a couple hundred miles seemed to be fine. I took to the shop they used for a alignment, they did their thing and I left. When I left I noticed the steering wheel wasn't straight so I took it for a quick drive. At 60 mph I did the violent shaking again and having to slow down to 45 mph for it to stop, it shook twice in a 6 mile stretch of interstate. I returned it to the alignment shop and they said they could not have done anything to cause it. . I took it back to the first shop and they got it in the Ford garage for an alignment. Still shaking after they had it for most of a week they replaced the tires and it seemed to help. Until a couple days later I was running 62-64mph in a slight turn and it started doing it again. It is still doing it and I know when it is going to start so I'm ready. After research on the web I hear that this is called the "death wobble".

See all problems of the 2012 Ford F-350 🔎.

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.

See all problems of the 2011 Ford F-350 🔎.

Truck violently shook after going over bump in the road going about 40mph on city street to where I almost lost control of my truck. Had no control of the shake and when applied brakes the truck kept shaking until I could come to a complete stop. Contacted repair shop and they informed me that the condition is referred to as the �death wobble�. Ford knows of the issue but has not done anything to remedy this issue. Parts affected and were replaced are track bar assembly and passenger side ball joint.

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I have been dealing with wobble and vibration on my F-350 for years now and it seems to be getting worse. It has always seems to occur between 45-55 mph. They first replaced ball joint, then I was told it's the tires, got new tires. It was always just a little vibration and play in the wheel. Now when I hit a bump, a frost heave or like a bridge joint I get extreme shake and vibration in the steering wheel that makes the vehicle hard to control. They most recently replaced stabilizer but it still occurs. The effect seems to be worse when I have my truck camper on it. Started to do research today on it and discovered this so call death wobble complaint. I am filing a complaint too because it almost caused me to have an accident today as I had no control and was forced to suddenly slow down today after I hit a bridge joint.

Experienced "death wobble" while driving at 70 mph on freeway and crossing a expansion joint in the roadway. Had to slow to under 30 to gain control. Durring rush hour this was very unsafe. Ford has replaced the track bar ball joint under warranty at 15000ish miles due to it being completely worn out causing all kinds of codes and alarms on the dash. Once replaced the clunking and the traction control alarms have not recurred.

See all problems of the 2018 Ford F-350 🔎.

The well known issue called "death wobble". This is documented issue with the Ford f-series trucks where the truck violently wobbles out of control when driving approximately 55mph. Ford denies this is an issue, yet you can find evidence of this issue all over the Ford truck forums. With my truck, this issue is becoming more frequent. When it occurs, I have to pull off to the shoulder and slow down to approximately 15mph before it stops. I have replaced the shocks, tie rod ends, track bar, track bar ball joint, rotated tires, alignment, and it is still occurring. The only thing left to replace are the ball joints then pretty much the entire front end suspension will have been rebuilt at a cost of a couple thousand dollars. This is a significant safety issue and can easily cause an accident, especially when in construction zones on the highway. From what I've read, this has already caused accidents in certain cases and is due to a poor design of these trucks. Ford needs to address this and the NHTSA should force Ford to issue a recall to correct the problem.

Driving down highway around 75 mph and ran over a rough patch in road and my steering wheel started shaking violently. Whole truck shook. Slowed down to 60 and it stopped. Pulled over to inspect under front end and rear. Couldn't find anything out of place. Got back on h. W. And got back up to 75 and no shaking. Hit another spot on a bridge where pavement connects bridge and it happened again. Took to dealership and they told me it that I needed new tires. Which I did. Replaced with factory michelins. They also put a new steering damper on. Got truck back several days later and while driving under 60 there are no problems. Above 60 the steering starts shaking a bit, but not like the death wobble. At 75 mph it is the same, along with what seems to be a rear end vibration. Called dealership and they said a part was on back order and would call. Haven't heard back in months. So, I called and they said the part is on back order. Having to borrow a car from mother in law to get around. I purchased a warranty that will expire at 60,000 and was told that if I go over, it will still be under the original claim and I would not have to pay the $75 deductible. I will get that in writing hopefully this week. With these vibrations, it know it will wear out other front end parts like ball joints and tie rods that hopefully will be replaced at no cost. Doubtful! this is my 4th Ford truck and have not had any of these problems with other trucks. I have only 57,000 miles and this should be a recall and Ford is running from it. Very disappointed. Please help!.

See all problems of the 2017 Ford F-350 🔎.

While traveling freeway speed, hitting a bump on the road causes an uncontrollable shake in the front end and causes the truck to go towards the left, that only goes away after hitting the brakes and slowing down 10-15 mph. A representative from Ford calls it the "death wobble. " I had the truck into Ford before the warranty expired and they replaced a steering stabilizer shock, but the problem never went away totally. Ford confirmed the problem, and diagnosed it as track bar ball joint worn, excessive play, shimmy shock worn. The dealer is aware of the defect in their trucks, but refused to take responsibility for it and said it's just because the parts were worn out. They didn't say anything about any parts being worn when they replaced the steering shock, less than 10000 miles before. Vehicle was unsafe to drive with the "death wobble. " ken garff Ford was willing to pay for the oem parts to be replaced, and now the death wobble is gone. However, Ford has known about this problem for 15 years and refuses to take responsibility for the defect.

See all problems of the 2016 Ford F-350 🔎.

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.

My 2017 Ford f350 has now experienced three events referred to as "death wobble" or shimmy which causes severe shaking of the entire truck and especially the steering wheel. First event in bakersfield calif where I hit consecutive bumps in the freeway while traveling 65 mph. Had to slow to less than 40 mph to get it to stop. Second event was towing my 5th wheel down a 6% grade into verde valley arizona. Heavy braking caused the same death wobble in addition to the truck pulling to the right. Speed was 65 mph. Third event was leaving mccarren airport in las vegas nevada where hitting a freeway bridge transition caused the death wobble again. Truck has been to local Ford dealership. Alignment checked ok, tracking bar torque ok, wheels ok, ball joints ok. Brake hose did not pass pressure test and was replaced under warranty. Dealership cannot find cause. I sincerely believe this is a design issue or oem parts installed at factory were defective at time of installation. This is my fourth superduty 4x4 supercrew. My other three never had this issue. In investigating this issue I found two automotive related websites where 35 plus late model superduty owners complained about this same problem.

My low milage 35,876 truck has bad wear on the right front tire took to a place to have safety check and they found wear in the following: ball joint, track bar bushing, and track bar replacment.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-350. While switching lanes at 65 mph on the freeway, the vehicle shook violently and experienced the "death wobble". When the contact released the accelerator pedal, the vehicle stopped shaking and was driven to its destination. The contact called hoffman Ford (5200 jonestown rd, harrisburg, PA 17112, (717) 657-1600) and was informed to have an independent mechanic observe the suspension from underneath the vehicle while turning the steering wheel aggressively from side to side. The dealer stated that the track bar attached to the ball joint should turn from side to side. The manufacturer was contacted and provided a case number. The failure mileage was 150,000.

Front end suspension bouncing at med-high speeds upon hitting a bump. Described in other searches as caster wobble or "death wobble" truck has less than 100,000 miles, unable to correct the problem even after replacement of over $2000 worth of parts. Multiple other complaints found online from other owners. Parts replaced include, tie rod ends, tie rod tube, ball joints, track bar, steering stabilizer and end bushings. The issue creates an undrivable and extremely dangerous condition for driver, passengers and other motorists. Upon reaching speeds of 40 mph+ any disturbance (bumps) in the road creates the start of the front end violently bouncing and it will not stop until the vehicle comes to almost a complete stop. I was required to stop 6 times within 3 miles of a busy 5 lane interstate (I-285 in atlanta) quite literally in the middle of the interstate. This has been worked on with 2 different dealerships , sunbelt Ford in albany GA, & angela krause Ford in alpharetta GA. It's my feeling that a $65,000 vehicle with less than 100,000 miles should never have a dangerous issue like this. There should absolutely be a fix and/or recal ahgainst this vehicle before someone gets killed.

Tl the contact owns a 2014 Ford F-350. While driving 25 mph, the front end of the vehicle shimmied. The vehicle had to be restarted to gain control. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to sheehy performance center (600 n frederick Ave, gaithersburg, MD 20877, (301) 548-9132) where it was diagnosed that the ball joints, tie rod, shocks, and the tires needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was contacted and provided case number: 12943941. The failure mileage was 50,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-350. On several occasions, while driving 55 mph, the vehicle violently shook when making contact with a bump. The contact stated that the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver when the shaking occurred and the check engine warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to phil long Ford of motor city (1212 motor city dr, colorado springs, CO 80905 (719) 694-3487) where the failure was diagnosed as the (death wobble). The ball joints, tracking bar bushings, spring mouth, steering stabilizer shock, and all four tires needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified and advised the contact to take the vehicle back to the dealer. No further assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 53,000.

The contact owns a 2008 Ford F-350. While driving 65 mph over a pothole, the vehicle began to vibrate violently. The failure recurred on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where the track bar ball joint was replaced. The failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 22,000.

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Hit road bump & the 'death wobble' occurred causing the truck to shake uncontrollably & force us to the side of the road. I took it to Ford dealership & they quoted me over $7k to fix virtually everything suspension related. I took it 2 local diesel mechanics who eventually fixed it after replacing apx $700 in parts. The part that fixed it was the track bar ball joint & track bar bushing. In searching online amongst Ford enthusiast as well as other diesel truck owners. . . . This is a scary, dangerous & somewhat common problem. Fords response in a lot of instances is that tire pressure, tire wear, etc. . . Is their comon response. All I know is with as many guys that I've seen had this, this is a design flaw that is dangerous. If someone hasn't been killed because of this already, I'd be shocked.

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At 55 miles an hour on rough pavement, the truck begin to violently shake back and forth. This shaking and jerking caused me to enter into the oncoming lane of traffic. In order to regain I had to slam on the brake pedal control thereby getting the speed down to 40 miles an hour. Ford suggested I checking the ball joints and the steering stabilizers. After spending over $600 in parts (not covered by warranty)and replacing the whole front end linkage, the vehicle then drove fine until I reached another 45 thousand miles or approximately 90 thousand miles total on truck. Now it has repeated the same process all over again throwing me into the opposite lane of traffic. The reason for purchasing a new truck is to have a save vehicle to use for preform ing my job. This truck has all original equipment and has not been altered in any way prior to this experience. This is definitely a safety issue that needs to be addressed by Ford. I have found an aftermarket stabalizer bar that corrected the problem, however I feel that Ford should recall and repair this problem with the proper equipment before someone looses their life of it.

Driving at 65 mph on ih-10 houston TX, hit a bump in the road and truck entered into a death wobble, had to veer across 3 lanes and a on ramp to the shoulder and slow to about 5 mph before the shimmy stopped. Very scary actually a little scared of my truck now. Went to a front end shop today and was told I have no loose parts and the steering stabilizer was fine. He told me the ball joint on the track bar is usually what it is and only Ford can fix it. They did not charge me.

I am the original owner of a 2009 Ford f350 srw diesel crew cab. At approximately 70,000 miles I began to experience a strong front end vibration; death wobble. When I go over uneven roads at speeds above 55 mph. The vibration is so great that the steering wheel requires a tight hold to keep control of the truck. The vibration continues until I slow down to around 40 mph. This becomes even scarier when I am on a freeway fly over that turns and I hit an expansion joint. The truck shakes and tries to push away from the turn. I took my truck to the dealer on four occasions. The first visit they said they could not duplicate the problem and that I needed new tires. I bought new tires and it did not correct the problem. I took it back the second time and they changed out the ball joints, tie rods, steering damper, did a front end alignment and balanced my wheels. It seemed to work for a short time until a part fell off the front end of my truck and hit another one behind me in the car pool lane. I took it back to the dealer to find out what I lost. I was told a part fell off but they did not work near it. Funny thing, it began to vibrate again after that. I recently took it back and talked to the technician before I left the truck so he would understand what it was doing. He took it for a drive but did not get it to vibrate as I reported to him. He told me that my truck drives just like all f350's without a load. I have put my slide in camper in the bed of my truck, 3,500 lbs. And it still vibrates violently. I think that would be considered a load and it truly feels like a death wobble as described by many internet postings. The Ford rep I spoke to said they are not aware of any problems. I am in the process of filing a formal complaint with Ford.

The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-350 sd. While driving 55 mph, the contact stated that the vehicle began to shake violently. The contact applied the brakes to slow the vehicle down and the shaking subsided. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection and they were unable to diagnose the failure. The contact stated the trac bar, bushings, ball joints, steering and tie rod ends were all replaced. The tires on the vehicle were replaced and balanced but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 25,000. Updated 03/05/lj the consumer stated he experienced steering wheel oscillation for the last 70,000 miles. The consumer had numerous components replaced, but to no avail. The dealer infromed the consumer the oscillation was normal.

The initial occurrence in December 2011 was a steering stick in the direction of the turn and required force to turn opposite the direction of the turn. The problem ceased and did not reoccur until mid-may of 2012. The problem manifested itself as a severe oscillation of the vehicle steering accompanied by directional sticking and "indexing" in the steering. The first attempt at repair was to flush the power steering system. This actually resulted in a worse oscillation. The problem was still intermittent but occurring more frequently. The dealer was unable to duplicate the problem and I asked for the steering gear to be replaced. This did not solve the problem. The next step was to replace the steering damper. This also did not result in elimination of the problem. During the damper replacement it was noted that there existed a very small amount of play in the dragling ball joint. While not particular out of the acceptable range we agreed to replace the drag link. The drag link has been replaced and the vehicle continues to demonstrate a "walking" motion requiring the operator to actively steer the vehicle to remain in a lane. In addition, the vehicle will demonstrate relatively good stability in a sweeping turn until the wheel is displaced beyond roughly 5 degrees at which point the steering displays an active pull in the direction of the turn. The vehicle is being returned to the dealer for continued evaluation. The Ford technicians have examined and passed the power steering pump, the hydroslave system, front tires, front tire pressure, front ball joints as well as the front axle u-joints. At this point, they have no further suggestions as to the cause of the problem.

See all problems of the 2006 Ford F-350 🔎.

2006 F-350 lariat super duty- in March while driving on I-70 I hit a bump in the road at 65mph and the front end and steering wheel shook violently and I was immediately thrown into the passing lane. I took the truck to summit Ford in silverthorne, CO where they called my description the "death wobble" and they replaced the track bar, ball joint and steering dampener. I felt fortunate that no traffic was near me and I survived the uncontrollable event! now with the $600. 00 "repair" expense I left the service center satisfied that I would be safe on the road. Two weeks ago while on a trip, the same "death wobble" happened again and I was out of control and in the other lane again, thankfully no traffic was beside me or oncoming which would have caused an accident. So now I have lost all confidence in the safety of my truck and drove conservatively to get home avoiding all bumps and slowing dramatically when approaching any imperfect road surfaces. Even with my new cautious approach to driving the "death wobble" happened again at only 50mph. I have since discovered numerous complaints and you-tube videos of others with the same problem as well as complaints on the national highway traffic safety administration's website. I have found 2 documents issued by Ford motor company regarding this problem, a technical service bulletin 04-26-1, and a letter dated April 2009 (literature program 09l02) addressed to mr. John sample regarding "shimmy, a severe vibration and oscillation in the steering wheel. . . . . . . . . . . ". I am running the truck at the label specified tire pressure and there are no suspension modifications . I am considering replacing the F-350 with another vehicle that I can be assured of not having this problem. My question to Ford is, what am I supposed to do now? sincerely, matthew clark.

Consumer states: the consumer heard a squeaking and clunking noise from the ball joints while turning corners. The ball joints failed because there were no grease fittings. The dealer installed new ball joints and grease fittings.

See all problems of the 2003 Ford F-350 🔎.

Blue smoke coming from tail pipe. Form letter reply. The tail latch was sticking, the rotor had to be machined, the windshield had to be re-sealed due to it leaking, the ball joints and serpentine belt were replaced, the valve cover gasket was leaking and had to be replaced.

See all problems of the 2000 Ford F-350 🔎.

While driving vehicle severely pulls to right or left and extreme vibration occurs, causing loss of vehicle control. Replaced steering gear box. Consumer states all the ball joints and bushings in front end also had to be replaced. Rear brake pads were replaced.

See all problems of the 1999 Ford F-350 🔎.