NHTSA Complaint #11187397 — 2017 FORD F-350 SD

EXPERIENCE 'DEATH WOBBLE' OF FRONT STEERING AT ABOUT 17,000 MILES. TRUCK HAS ABOUT 21,000 MILES ON IT AND I HAVE OWNED IT SINCE NEW. TRUCK IS COMPLETELY STOCK WITH ORIGINAL TIRES, WHEELS AND SUSPENSION. LAST WEEKEND I HAD THE DEATH WOBBLE HAPPEN TWICE. THIS HAPPENED ABOUT 10 MILES APART WHILE IN A CONSTRUCTION ZONE ON THE FREEWAY WITH NO PLACE TO PULL OFF OR ROOM AS LANES WERE NARROWED. A SMALL BUMP STARTS IT, BUT IT TAKES ABOUT 2-3 SECONDS TO 'RAMP UP' TO WHERE THE STEERING WHEEL IS VIOLENTLY SHAKING BACK AND FORTH. HAPPEN AT A SPEED OF ABOUT 58 MPH AND HAD TO SLOW DOWN TO UNDER 40 TO REGAIN CONTROL. TIRE PRESSURE OF BOTH FRONT TIRES HAS A READING OF 63PSI WHICH COLD INFLATION IS 60. TIRES ARE ROTATED AT OIL CHANGES. TRUCK IS AN XLT CREW CAB WITH LONG BOX, POWERSTROKE DIESEL, 4X4 WITH FX4 PACKAGE AND MAX GVWR 11,500. DOES HAVE CHROME PACKAGE THAT INCLUDED CHROME 18' WHEELS AND GOODYEAR ALL TERRAIN TIRES. COMPLETELY STOCK AS TAKEN FROM DEALER. MY OPION IS THAT THE SOLID FRONT AXLE HAS A FLAW WITH REGARD TO TRACK BAR LOCATING THE AXLE POSITION AND THE DRAG LINK OF THE STEERING. BOTH OF THESE LINKS ARE NOT EXACTLY PARALLEL OR OF EQUAL LENGTH. SINCE ONE IS ATTACH DIRECTLY TO THE AXLE AND THE OTHER IS ATTACHED TO THE STEERING ARM, WHEN THE FRONT AXLE OSCILLATES GOING OVER A BUMP, THE NON-PARALLEL, NOT EQUAL LENGTH LINKS INTRODUCE A CONDITION SOMETIME REFERRED TO BUMP STEER. THIS THEN STARTS AN OSCILLATION OF THE STEERING ARM AS THE TRUCK WISH TO CONTINUE TRAVELING THE STRAIGHT LINE, IT COMPRESSES ALL OF THE RUBBER BUSHINGS WHICH THEN CAUSE THE WHEEL TO BE JERKED/SPRUNG BACK VIOLENTLY AND THUS WE HAVE THE WOBBLE OF THE FRONT STEERING OSCILLATING AT FREQUENCY THAT CAN NOT DAMPEN OUT UNTIL VEHICLE IS SLOWED DOWN TO A POINT TO THAT NO LONGER SUPPORTS THE NATURAL FREQUENCY. COLLEGE LEVEL KINEMATIC AND VEHICLE DYNAMICS APPROACH COULD SOLVE THE PROBLEM.