NHTSA Complaint #11619897 — 2011 FORD F-350

The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-350. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle experienced a Death Wobble. The contact stated that the front end of the vehicle and the steering wheel were shuddering violently from the right to the left, causing the contact to lose control of the vehicle. The contact stated that he was able to regain control of the vehicle upon decelerating to 10 MPH. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road. The vehicle was taken to Litchfield Auto Repair, where the axle track bar ball joint, the steering damper, the drag link, and the tie rod or the tie rod end were replaced. Additionally, the mechanic performed the front alignment; however, the failure recurred while driving 75 MPH and hitting a bump. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was inspected, and the contact was informed that the previous repair was performed correctly. The dealer replaced the tires because the tires were worn out. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 230,000.