NHTSA Complaint #11463267 — 2011 FORD F-350

UNKNOWN OR OTHER issue reported to NHTSA

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Complaint Details

ODI Number 11463267
Vehicle 2011 FORD F-350
Component UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Date of Incident
Date Filed
Mileage N/A miles
Crash No
Fire No
Injuries 0
Deaths 0
Vehicle Towed No
State NC

Consumer Description

My low mileage 2011 F350 has what has been called a "DEATH SHAKE". If while driving at highway speeds I hit a bump the wrong way the front wheels seem to go in non-parallel directions, causing the vehicle to bounce from side to side. During this time there is no control or steering possible. The goal is simply to hang on and not get thrown from the seat. (The bouncing from side to side has destroyed my relatively new shocks.) Braking hard to slow the vehicle will eventually realign the wheels and allow me to regain control. This has been happening for over a year. In September 2021 I paid over $2,500 to Capital Ford, Hillsborough, NC for the problem to be repaired. They replaced a rod and ball joint in the front end, aligned the front wheels, and told me the problem was fixed. I still have the problem. I am very surprised, and apparently lucky, that I have not been involved in a major accident or run off the road into something while my truck was bouncing from side to side and I had no control. (I have ended up off the road but have been lucky enough to have not hit anyone.) When this happens, vehicles around me get as far from me as they can as it is quite clear something very dangerous is happening. My wife's internet search turned up many F350s with EXACTLY the same problem. This is where I learned this was called a "death shake". Her search also showed that Ford does not seem to know what to do about the problem, as they have no standard fix for the repair and many "fixed vehicles" still exhibit the death shake. At this stage I don't know what to do with the vehicle. Its book value is over $20,000, yet I don't dare sell the vehicle as it may kill someone. I clearly can't afford to junk it. Ford apparently doesn't know how to fix it. It's that or Ford isn't willing to admit this is a major design flaw and is unwilling to incur the cost of a recall. My only hope at this stage, is for the NHTSA to order Ford to recall and fix the F350 front ends.

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