NHTSA Complaint #10274673 — 2005 FORD F-350 SD

I OWN A 2005 FORD F-350 4X4 6.0 DIESEL. IT HAS 63,000 MILES ON IT. ON MANY OCCASIONS THE STEERING WHEEL HAS SHIMMIED OR OSCILLATED VIOLENTLY TO THE POINT I ALMOST LOST CONTROL OF THE TRUCK. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS. WHEN THE FRONT WHEELS HIT A BUMP OR POTHOLE, WITH A VERY SMALL AMOUNT OF TURNING THE VEHICLE TO THE LEFT OR RIGHT SUCH AS GOING AROUND A CURVE, THE FRONT WHEELS HAVE STARTED TO VIOLENTLY SHIMMY OR OSCILLATE CAUSING THE STEERING WHEEL TO VIOLENTLY SHIMMY BACK AND FORTH. THIS USUALLY OCCURS AT SPEEDS ABOVE 40 MPH. FOUR TIMES I HAVE ALMOST LOST CONTROL OF THE TRUCK. ONCE THE TRUCK TURNED LEFT INTO AN ONCOMING LANE BUT FORTUNATELY THERE WHERE NO ONCOMING VEHICLES AT THAT MOMENT. I HAD TO SLOW DOWN TO ABOUT 25-30 MPH AND MOVE TO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD TO GAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE ESPECIALLY IN HEAVY TRAFFIC OR ON TWO LANE MOUNTAIN ROADS. I ORIGINALLY COMPLAINED ABOUT THIS AFTER I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE IN FEBRUARY 2005, AND WAS TOLD THE TRUCK WAS WITHIN SPECS AND THERE WAS NOTHING TO BE DONE. I REQUEST THE NHTSA LOOK INTO THIS. I HAVE DISCUSSED THIS WITH OTHER OWNERS AND THEY TOO HAVE HAD SIMILAR LOSS OF CONTROL PROBLEMS FROM STEERING WHEEL SHIMMY OR OSCILLATION. I BELIEVE THERE ARE OTHER TRUCKS THAT HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR