NHTSA Complaint #10415585 — 2006 FORD F-250 SD

SEVERE SHAKING OF THE FRONT END OCCURRED 3-4 TIMES AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS (70 MPH) AFTER HITTING A ROUGH SPOT IN THE ROAD. THIS CONDITION WAS SO SEVERE AND FRIGHTENING THAT I HAD TO HOLD THE TRUCK STRAIGHT AND COME TO AN ALMOST COMPLETE STOP. THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED I GOT OUT TO CHANGE THE TIRE AND DISCOVERED THAT NONE WERE FLAT. I THEN REMEMBERED THAT FORD HAD SENT ME A LETTER DESCRIBING A PROBLEM WITH "SHIMMY", A SEVERE VIBRATION AND OSCILLATION IN THE STEERING WHEEL. THEY THEN BLAMED IT ON PRESSURE. I DON'T RECALL THE PRESSURE IN MY TIRES AT THE TIME BUT I BELIEVE THEY WERE NOT TOO LOW. I HAVE MY TRUCKED SERVICED REGULARLY AT THE FORD DEALERSHIP. MY TIRES WERE WORN (OVER 50000) BUT STILL HAD A LITTLE TREAD LEFT. BTW- I BOUGHT THE TRUCK NEW WITH THESE SAME TIRES. I HAVE NOT MODIFIED MY TRUCK. I DO NOT BELIEVE IN "LIFTING" A 4WD VEHICLE. I DO HAVE A CAMPER ON MY TRUCK BUT IT ONLY WEIGHS 1300 LBS. MY TRUCK IS AN 2006 F-250 WITH A CAMPER SUSPENSION (I BELIEVE THIS IS AN EXTRA 300 LB. RATING) WHICH SHOULD EASILY ACCOMMODATE THIS WEIGHT. I BELIEVE AT THE TIME THE DEALERSHIP BLAMED IT ON THE TIRES (WORN AND UNDER-INFLATED). I HAD THEM PUT NEW TIRES ON (SAME EXACT KIND). AND DO A GOOD BALANCE JOB. NORMALLY I WOULD NOT HAVE BOUGHT TIRES AT THE DEALERSHIP. THIS FIXED THE PROBLEM. I STILL HAD THIS ISSUE IN THE BACK OF MY MIND AND WANTED TO RESOLVE IT. I WOULD NOT WANT TO SELL A VEHICLE WITH THIS CONDITION. I JUST GOT BACK FROM A 2 WEEK TRIP TO MONTANA AND HAD THE ISSUE COME BACK (I NOW HAVE 95000 ON MY TRUCK (40000) ON THIS SECOND SET OF TIRES. IT HAPPENED TWICE IN UTAH COMING DOWN STEEP HILLS WITHIN MILES OF EACH OTHER. THIS TIME IT SEEMED TO BE A RESULT OF HEAVY BRAKING AND WAS NOT AS SEVERE, AS I DIDN'T HAVE TO COME TO A COMPLETE STOP. I PUT AIR IN THE TIRES PRIOR TO THE TRIP. RIGHT NOW I JUST MEASURED THE PRESSURE @ 70 PSI ON BOTH FRONT TIRES (SPEC SAYS 80) AND MEASURED .185 INCHES OF TREAD LEFT.THIS CONDITION SHOULD NOT OCCUR EVEN IF THE TIRES ARE WORN.I NEED THIS FIXED. *TR