2012 Ford F-250 steering problems

STEERING

Over 1 year (2025) steering front end shaking began. Our dealership on oil changes did not tell us to watch for anything and we should have been warned. When the shaking occurred we changed Ford shock asborbers from Ford dealership. Problem still occured. We lost faith in Ford and our regular dealership. We then at Moore's tires purchased 4 Michelin premium tires for F250 heavy duty truck and told them about the severe shaking in front end that we will crash because we can't maintain control only to pull off the road with a prayer. Very difficult when this happens on the route 80 highway going 70 mph speed limit. So, Moore's tires store replaced with new tires and replaced some suspension parts thinking they fixed it but not sure. No recall to alert any Ford owners or repair shops... no warnings to anyone. We spent over $7,000. in trying to solve the front end shaking issue. We are lucky we did not die in an accident caused by the front end shaking and no steering control. We want re-imbursement and full repair as the problem is still happening. our family and all of us have Been a Ford customer for over 60 plus years. But not feeling confident or safe with purchasing a new ford vehicle going forward. This can NOT happen that Ford is allowing this risk to potentially kill people due to their neglegence in quality and recall for safety.

NHTSA complaint #11732808 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STEERING

I bought this truck used from a dealership in 2022-23 haven't really had any problems till about 2 months ago. Front end started a wobble. A friend of mine just sent me information NHTSA put out about the Death Wobble. I believe it expired in 2024. I never received any kind of recall on this. I was wondering if it would still be something I could get looked into. Thank you.

NHTSA complaint #11703811 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STEERING

Driving on Pa turnpike twice this year and at 70 mph my 2012 ford f 250 with 79000 miles on it started shaking uncontrollably , had my wife and granddaughter with me and they cried and screamed till it stopped. Going to the dealer to see what Ford is going to fix for me before someone is killed ! Hopefully a recall or free fix! I have been educated that this has been an on going issue in many F250 Fords.

NHTSA complaint #11656986 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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Today 11/21/24, I notified my husband as I am driving up the ramp going 50 my ford started to shake hard. I had to hold on to the steering wheel and pull over with out pressing the break. I came to a stop and kept him on the phone in case I were to flip over. The vehicle stopped wobbling and I started up again. I was not able to drive but less than 40 and again the wobble coming back. The commute for me was over 1 hour. I would not make it alive home. This vehicle had to go to the shop as if I were to drive home I would not be alive at this moment

NHTSA complaint #11626732 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STEERING

The front suspension randomly shakes when doing speeds above 60 on the freeway. It’s very dangerous especially because we almost experienced running into a semi while driving on I-50 between a cement construction wall and the semi. I find it hard to believe that Ford will NOT own up to this. There is clearly a history of this. I simply want my front suspension fixed to meet safety standards.

NHTSA complaint #11617375 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-250. The contact stated that while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle drove over a bump and experienced the death wobble. The contact pulled over and slowed down to stabilize the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and repaired, however, the failure recurred. The contact stated the vehicle was repaired six times for the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 128,000. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA complaint #11577174 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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The front end suspension and steering suddenly shakes violently after hitting a bump or uneven road at speeds above 50 MPH. The only way to stop it is to quickly slow down almost to a stop. Very scary and very dangerous.

NHTSA complaint #11575131 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STEERING

I was driving on a paved road at 55mph, I did have a passenger in the vehicle. As I steered through the slight curve to the left the steering wheel started to jerk in my hands and the truck started to shake/wobble violently. I removed my foot from the accelerator and started to apply the brake while trying to keep the steering under control. From the violent wobble in the front end of the truck it did cross over the center line slightly, thankfully there were no oncoming vehicles. The wobble in the front end of the truck and jerking of the wheel did not stop until I came to a complete stop. I made sure there was no physical damage, or anything that looked unsafe, and drove the 1 1/2 mile back to my garage at 25mph. The truck is now parked awaiting another inspection. I had an inspection of this vehicle done on January 26, 2024. The wheel bearing on the right front was found to be wearing and in need of replacement. The wheel bearing (hub unit) was replaced to spec on February 11, 2024. Between the time of bearing replacement and incident I had driven this vehicle with no issues for approximately 70 miles.

NHTSA complaint #11572103 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STEERING

I continue to experience violent shaking of vehicle when traveling around 70MPH. I almost lost control before I could safely pull over on the highway. I purchased truck with 55,000 miles on it and I replaced all the tires after it happened the first few times. New tires did not help.

NHTSA complaint #11560607 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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Death wobble--great oscillation and shuddering of steering wheel and vehicle itself after hitting patches of rough road at highway speeds. This has happened 5 times now. Truck is currently being inspected for any faulty equipment. This occurred on interstate 10 in LA, and if not for quick thinking, I would have swerved into other traffic or lost control completely. This is a known problem with Ford F250s and is very dangerous. No warnings, no lights, and no way to predict that this might occur driving over rough pavement.

NHTSA complaint #11539843 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STEERING

The front end of the vehicle and wheels start to violently oscillate at speeds between 50-60 mph. Sometimes it occurs after hitting a small bump and often occurs over smooth roads. This has been described as the "death wobble". I have to slow down below 25 mph for the wobbling to stop. This has put me in numerous dangerous situations on the street amd highway.

NHTSA complaint #11531854 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STEERING

Inconsistent Death wobble when traveling at speeds 50+mph. The vehicle will begin to shake violently. I will have to come to stop to resolve issue. A licensed mechanic has diagnosed this issue and replaced most of the front end suspension parts. The inconsistent death wobble continues and the vehicle shakes violently and is difficult to maintain control. This is a huge safety issue.

NHTSA complaint #11525024 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STEERING

WHILE DRIVING THE TRUCK GOING OVER 50 MILES PER HOUR, IT GOES INTO A WOBBLE, SHAKING, VIBRATION MODE. I FEEL LIKE I'M IN A EARTHQUAKE. SOME TIMES IT COMES ON JUST NORMAL DRIVING AND MOST OF THE TIMES HAPPENS DRIVING OVER BUMPY UNEVEN SURFACE AND POTHOLES ROAD DOING OVER FIFTY MILES PER HOUR. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALERSHIP RED MCCOMBS IN SAN ANTONIO TEXAS ABOUT THREE OR FOUR TIMES BEFORE WITH THIS PROBLEM. THEY CAN'T FINE THE PROBLEM. THE SURVICE ADVISER DID STATE THAT ONE OF THERE TECHNICIAN DID KNOWDICE A SLIDE VIBRATION WHILE TEST DRIVING IT BUT OTHER THEN THAT NO PROBEMS. THEY DID REPLACE A PART AT ONE TIME BUT IT DID NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. I HAVE AN APPOINTMENT [RED MCCOMB] ON 6TH OF FEBRUARY TO DROP OFF THE TRUCK TO CHECK OUT AGAIN. I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO ANY MORE. THIS LAST TIME THE VIBRATION WAS REAL BAD. HAD HARD TIME GETTING IT UNDER CONTROL ON A MAJOR CITY HIGHWAY. I THOUGH I WAS GOING TO GET KILL. I FEAR FOR MY LIFE AND SAFETY DRIVING THAT TRUCK. I DON'T WANT TO SELL IT AND PUT SOMEBODY ELSE LIFE IN DANGER. I CALLED FORD MANUFACTURE ON AROUND THE 17 OR 18 OF JANUARY AND INFORMED THEM ABOUT IT. THE CONVERSATION WAS RECORDED ACCORDING TO THEM. THEY ACTED LIKE THERE HAS BEEN NO PROBLEM WITH THOSE TRUCKS. THEY CONTACTED ME BACK WITH THE DEALERSHIP. THATS WHEN I MADE THE APPOINTMENT. I BOUGHT THAT TRUCK NEW IN TEMPLE TEXAS FROM THE JOHNSON BROTHERS DEALERSHIP IN JUNE 2012. RED MCCOMB HAS MAINTAIN ALL OF THE REQUIRED MAINTANACE AND MECHANICLE PROBLEMS SINCE I BOUGHT IT NEW. JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING IS DOCUMENTRED THERE.

NHTSA complaint #11502769 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STEERING

The truck will shake violently and uncontrollably at speeds above 45mph...thought I was going to crash into on coming traffic...very scary and life threatening not only for myself but also my passengers oncoming traffic ... I'm pretty sure I would have been the one with a lawsuit if I was to crash into something or someone...instead of ford ..please fix

NHTSA complaint #11494592 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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Known Ford Superduty "death wobble"...violent shaking of truck's front end at highway speed. Happens randomly and usually after hitting a bump or going over uneven road surfaces. Only way to stop wobble is to slow down to below about 50 mph, putting myself and others on the road at risk. Known Ford issue.

NHTSA complaint #11490105 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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Today, September 6, 2022, is the first time I experienced the so called death wobble. I was traveling along at 55 mph when I went over a bump in the road and my truck began to shake like a dog shaking water off. I slowed down to 40 mph before it stopped. The shaking caused the turbocharger intake hose to break away from the engine causing an undrivable condition.

NHTSA complaint #11483156 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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The truck is experiencing what is commonly referred to as the "Death Wobble." At around 55 mph, the vehicle starts to violently shake. It shakes the whole vehicle, especially the steering--the steering wheel severely shakes until I slow the vehicle slows down below 40 mph. From my research, I've found this is a common issue among other Superduty owners. It seems like there are faulty front end suspension and/or steering parts at play: pitman arm, drag link, tie rod ends (and their bushings/ball joints), etc. The shaking happens on the freeway and is frightening to experience as it could potentially lead to losing control if unable to slow down in time to stop the shaking. Being at freeway speeds, my family and I are at risk as well as other vehicles on the road if we were to lose control. This issue did occur 1.5 years ago. I took it into a Ford dealership where they replaced the steering dampener/stabilizer. Now the death wobble is happening again. From what I've learned, this is a band-aid fix that doesn't address the root cause of the death wobble. No warning lamps or error codes are present before, during, or after the shaking.

NHTSA complaint #11482798 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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I have not had an accident. I have experienced a violent shaking of the steering after going over a bump at highway speed (50 +MPH). The truck shakes so that control is very difficult until one can reduce speed. I have heard this shaking called the “Death Wobble” An appropriate name.

NHTSA complaint #11475002 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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While traveling at 55mph I hit a bump which caused the front of the vehicle to shake very violently. Rapid speed increase made it worse. It was only resolved when I braked hard slowing to 30mph. Thank goodness there was no traffic behind me as this would have resulted in my being rear ended by another vehicle.

NHTSA complaint #11464190 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STEERING

Front end death wobble. It began slightly about 6 months ago but progressively has gotten worse. Today driving from 40mph to interstate speeds of 70mph. It is scary and dangerous. Please do whatever is necessary to have FORD recall and fix for this issue.

NHTSA complaint #11461920 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STEERING

DEATH WOBBLE IN THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. at speeds greater than 40mph, the vehicle becomes almost impossible to steer due to a major 'wobble' in the front end.

NHTSA complaint #11448697 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STEERING

While driving at highway speeds and going over a bump, steering wheel will oscillate violently. Will have to slow down to nearly a stop to get it to stop. This happens between 60 and 65 MPH hitting the right bump truck gets death wobble, has to get on the brakes hard to stop it, had dealer look at it. It has been at the Ford dealership where I bought it and an independent shop and each time it has gotten a little better at each shop but still not completely fixed.

NHTSA complaint #11423746 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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Death Wobble. Truck was uncontrollable, shook so bad that I thought I was going to run off the road. has happened 3 times. Ford claims it is an expected issue.

NHTSA complaint #11423151 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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The vehicle starts shaking violently and uncontrol able until you slam on the brakes and your speed almost drops to nothing, only until then do you have control of the vehicle. I have been lucky because nobody has been beside me or else I would of slammed into them. Components in the front end have failed, i have replace the steering control arms, had the tires rebalanced, put a Rancho stabilizer, and had the ball joints checked.

NHTSA complaint #11418643 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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Going 70-80mph on Rt119 North bound after going over a bridge truck started violently shaking with no control. Slowed down and kept going. After about 7 miles and going below 50mph the truck did the same thing.

NHTSA complaint #11418656 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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Death wobble in steering which pulled truck onto on coming traffic .. dangerous and Ford should correct ongoing problem with people’s safety

NHTSA complaint #11417998 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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DEATH WOBBLE AROUND 45 MPH

NHTSA complaint #11413397 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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THE DEATH WOBBLE MY F-250 TRUCK HAS BEEN HAVING A DEATH WOBBLE SINCE I BOUGHT IT ,I FIRST TOOK IT IN TO FORD SERVICE DEPARTMENT WITH 10,212 VEHICLE MILES ON THE TRUCK BECAUSE OF THE DEATH WOBBLE , AND HAVE TAKEN THE TRUCK SEVERAL TIMES FOR THE DEATH WOBBLE SINCE THEN . FORD MOTOR COMPANY HAS NEVER FIXED THIS PROBLEM , THEY ONLY MAKE MINOR CHANGES "BANDAID" TO THE TRUCK AND IT IS STILL NOT FIXED , THEY KEEP PUTTING ME OFF AND SAY THERE IS NO SOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM. I HAVE SEVERAL PAGES OF SERVICE REPAIRS FORD HAS PERFORMED BUT THEY HAVE NEVER FIXED THE DEATH WOBBLE . MY FORD F-250 STILL HAS LOW MILEAGE BUT IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE. MY FAMILY AND I HAVE CAME VERY CLOSE TO A ROLL OVER AT 70 MPH ON THE INTERSTATE FROM WHEN WE HIT A BUMP IN THE ROAD. EVERY TIME THE TRUCK ROLLS OVER A BUMP AT ANY SPEED ABOVE 20 MPH IT GOES INTO A WOBBLE AND BECOMES VERY HAZARDOUS AND SCARY. WE BOUGHT THIS F-250 KING RANCH TO DRIVE AND ENJOY ON VACATIONS AND OTHER FAMILY TRIPS , BUT AT THIS TIME MY FAMILY AND I DON'T FEEL SAFE RIDING IN IT, NOR HAVING IT ON THE ROAD WAYS IN FEAR OF IT BEING A DANGER TO US AND OTHER DRIVERS OR PEDESTRIANS. THIS F-250 GOES INTO A DEATH WOBBLE WHEN ENCOUNTERING A BUMP IN THE ROAD , ON PUBLIC COUNTY ROADS, CITY STREETS , STATE HIGHWAYS AND ESPECIALLY INTERSTATES AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. I HAVE CONTACTED OUR LOCAL DEALER SEVERAL TIMES ON THIS ISSUE WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS UNDER WARRANTY. I HAVE CONTACTED FORD MOTOR CORPORATION ON THIS ISSUES AS WELL. YET NEITHER ONE OF THESE ENTITIES OF FORD MOTOR COMPANY HAVE ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY . REGARDS

NHTSA complaint #11403898 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STEERING

MY LOCAL TIRE MAN DESCRIBED THIS AS A " DEATH WOBBLE" AND THAT IS AA GOOD DESCRIPTION. AS I DRIVE USUALLY AT 55 MPH THE TRUCK SUDDENLY STARTS TO SHAKE, NO PRIOR WARNING, SO HARD IT IS HARD TO HOLD ONTO THE STEERING WHEEL. O FAR I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PULL OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND SLOW TO A STOP WITHOUT A WRECK. I CAN THEN PROCEED AS IF NOTHING HAS OCCURRED. THIS SEEMS TO BE GETTING MORE FREQUENT. AND MAKES ME NERVOUS WHEN I DRIVE.. I HAVE LEARNED FROM MY TIRE MAN THERE ARE OTHER OWNERS IN MY ARE HAVING THIS SAME PROBLEM WITH THEIR FORD TRUCKS. WE HAVE HAD FORDS SINCE THE '70'S AND NEVER HAD THIS PROBLEM WITH ANY OTHER ONE. I UNDERSTAND THERE IS A PART OR SOMETHING THAT CAN BE DONE TO FIX THIS PROBLEM; HOWEVER IT COSTS $400-$500 AND I THINK THIS IS SOMETHING THAT FORD SHOULD FIX, NOT THE OWNER, WHEN IT SEEMS TO BE A FORD PROBLEM.WHETHER IN DESIGN OR WHATEVER. I EVEN HAD A FORD SERVICEMAN TELL ME THAT THIS IS A PROBLEM SOMETIMES WITH FORD . THIS IS A FRIGHTENING THING AND I ABOUT HAD A HEART ATTACK THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED.. LUCKILY I WAS ALONE AND DIDN'T FRIGHTEN ANYONE ELSE. THIS HAS HAPPENED NUMEROUS TIMES FIRST IN 2014 . I WILL PUT THE LAST TIME IN THE SPACE BELOW AND I DID HAVE A FRIEND WITH ME THAT TIME.

NHTSA complaint #11403942 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STEERING

WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 75MPH ON AN INTERSTATE; AFTER HITTING A BUMP OR EXPANSION JOINT THE FRONT END WOBBLES UNCONTROLLABLY UNTIL THE SPEED IS REDUCED BY ABOUT HALF. I HAD A TRUSTED MECHANIC LOOK AT MY TRUCK AND HE SAID ALL FRONT END PARTS WERE IN GOOD CONDITION AND TIGHT. HE TALKED TO A DEALER WHO RECOMMENDED REPLACING THE STEERING DAMPER AS A CURE FOR THE "DEATH WOBBLE" ISSUE. I HAD THAT REPLACED AROUND THE FIRST OF FEBRUARY 2021. I HAD NOT DRIVEN THE TRUCK ON AN INTERSTATE AT SPEED SINCE THE REPLACEMENT UNTIL TUESDAY, MARCH 9, 2021. THE WOBBLE HAPPENED THREE SEPARATE TIMES WITHIN A SPAN OF TEN MINUTES SCARING THE DAYLIGHTS OUT OF ME AND NEARLY CAUSING TWO WRECKS. THE TRUCK IS HAZARDOUS TO DRIVE TO NOT ONLY MYSELF, BUT TO OTHER VEHICLES IN MY VICINITY WHILE ON THE ROAD.

NHTSA complaint #11402763 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.