NHTSA Complaint #11398078 — 2015 FORD F-350

WHEN ENCOUNTERING ROUGH PAVEMENT WHILE TRAVELING OVER 50 MILES PER HOUR THE FRONT SUSPENSION DEVELOPS A MAJOR AND UNCONTROLLABLE VIBRATION. THE STEERING WHEEL SHAKES BACK AND FORTH WHILE THE TRUCK FEELS LIKE IT'S COMING APART. KEEPING THE VEHICLE IN A LANE IS VERY DIFFICULT AND THE ONLY WAY TO GET THE SHAKING TO STOP IS TO SLOW THE VEHICLE DOWN TO BELOW 25 MILES PER HOUR. THE TRUCK ONLY HAS 55,000 MILES ON IT. THIS FIRST OCCURRED IN OCTOBER OF 2020 WHILE MERGING ONTO AN INTERSTATE, THEN TWICE AGAIN IN JANUARY OF 2021. IN RESEARCHING THIS SYMPTOM I'VE READ ABOUT OTHER OWNERS WITH SIMILAR YEAR SUPER DUTY TRUCKS WITH THE EXACT SAME SYMPTOM. IT IS COMMONLY REFERRED TO AS THE DEATH WOBBLE. A SERVICE APPOINTMENT WAS SCHEDULED WITH EPIC FORD IN EVERETT WASHINGTON ON FEBRUARY 4TH, 2021 TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. THIS IS THE DEALER WHO I PURCHASED THE TRUCK FROM. THEIR TECH COULD NOT REPLICATE THE SYMPTOM SO I RETURNED TO THE DEALER ON FEBRUARY 9TH 2021 AND TOOK THE TECH FOR A DRIVE AND WAS ABLE TO RECREATE THE FAILURE. ON FEBRUARY 24TH 2021 THE DEALER CALLED TO SAY THE TRUCK WAS READY TO PICK UP BUT THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO FIX THE DEATH WOBBLE AND SAID I SHOULD REPLACE MY AFTER MARKET DUAL STEERING STABILIZER. I WHOLLY DISAGREE THAT THIS IS AT THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM AS THE AFTERMARKET STEERING STABILIZER IS ONLY 3 YEARS OLD AND SHOULD ONLY REDUCE THE OCCURRENCE OF FRONT END WOBBLE, NOT CAUSE IT. RELUCTANTLY, I AGREED TO REPLACE THIS PART AND PICKED OF THE VEHICLE FROM THE DEALER ON FEBRUARY 25TH 2021. THERE WAS A GENERAL LACK OF CONCERN FOR MY SAFETY, MY FAMILY'S SAFETY AND FOR THE SAFETY OF OTHERS ON THE ROAD. I WILL PURSUE A REPAIR OUTSIDE OF THE DEALER'S SERVICE NETWORK. FROM MY RESEARCH, THIS IS FAR TOO COMMON OF AN ISSUE WITH THESE VEHICLES, PEOPLE HAVE BEEN INJURED AND FORD SHOULD BE DOING SOMETHING ABOUT THE FAILURES BEFORE SOMEONE LOOSES THEIR LIFE.