Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUSPENSION | ||||||
| PE07057 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 11/15/2007 | 03/14/2008 | VIOLENT FRONT END OSCILLATION | ||
| Odi has received 78 consumer complaints of severe suspension and steering wheel shimmy and oscillations commencing after the subject vehicles traveled over an uneven road surface. the majority of these incidents occurred at speeds of 50 mph or greater.thirteen of the complaints received by odi allege loss of steering control and that the vehicle changed driving lanes uncontrollably.four of the complaints received by odi allege that the vehicle left the road surface as a result of the violent suspension and steering wheel oscillations.in one case the consumer alleges that after the vehicle left the road surface, it crashed into a wooded area.additionalfactors contributing to the opening of this ea were early warning field reports,submitted by ford, describing suspension shimmy / oscillationsand a ford tsb (07-10-10) describing the suspension shimmy issue and how to repair the problem.ford has described shimmy as self-excited oscillation of the steering wheels with accompanying wheel tramp.this pe has been upgraded to an engineering analysis (ea) to determine if the shimmy condition that occurs on the subject vehicles creates a condition where the vehicle becomes difficult to control or startles the driver, thus presenting a safety risk. | ||||||
| EA08007 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 03/14/2008 | 03/31/2009 | VIOLENT FRONT END OSCILLATION | ||
| This investigation was opened based on 78 consumer complaints of severe suspension and steering wheel oscillations after the subject vehicles traveled over an uneven surface.odi was concerned about these complaints because many of them alleged loss of control and the loss of control occurredat speeds above 50 miles per hour.at the time these complaints were received, odi was also aware of the tsb 07-10-10 and early warning field reports that discussed the shimmy condition on the subject vehicles.since opening this investigation, odi has confirmed, based on consumer complaints, warranty data, testing conducted by vrtc, and odi inspection of complaint vehicles, that the owners of the subject vehicles are experiencing shimmy events on their vehicles.however, odi has also confirmed that owners typically do not maintain their tires at the pressures recommended by ford on the tire label.further, odi has found that in order for shimmy to occur, tire pressures must be substantially below (at least 20%) those specified on the vehicle tire label.odi considers these unsafe tire conditions to be the result of one of three typical situations.the tires are being improperly maintained, the owners are intentionally setting the tire pressures low to enhance ride quality, or aftermarket tires (not designed for use on the vehicle) are installed to change the appearance or function of the vehicle.the subject vehicles are intended and designed to be used as heavy duty vehicles and as such require that the tires be capable of handling the loads for which the vehicle is designed and marketed.in order for the tires to be capable of handling these loads, the proper tire pressure must be maintained.in light of the information gathered in this investigation and ford's agreement to notify subject vehicle owners (now and every two years until the vehicles reach ten years from their production date) about the importance of maintaining proper tire pressures on their vehicles, further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that no safety-related defect exists.the agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.for additional information, see the attached closing report. | ||||||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT | ||||||
| PE07057 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 11/15/2007 | 03/14/2008 | VIOLENT FRONT END OSCILLATION | ||
| Odi has received 78 consumer complaints of severe suspension and steering wheel shimmy and oscillations commencing after the subject vehicles traveled over an uneven road surface. the majority of these incidents occurred at speeds of 50 mph or greater.thirteen of the complaints received by odi allege loss of steering control and that the vehicle changed driving lanes uncontrollably.four of the complaints received by odi allege that the vehicle left the road surface as a result of the violent suspension and steering wheel oscillations.in one case the consumer alleges that after the vehicle left the road surface, it crashed into a wooded area.additionalfactors contributing to the opening of this ea were early warning field reports,submitted by ford, describing suspension shimmy / oscillationsand a ford tsb (07-10-10) describing the suspension shimmy issue and how to repair the problem.ford has described shimmy as self-excited oscillation of the steering wheels with accompanying wheel tramp.this pe has been upgraded to an engineering analysis (ea) to determine if the shimmy condition that occurs on the subject vehicles creates a condition where the vehicle becomes difficult to control or startles the driver, thus presenting a safety risk. | ||||||
| EA08007 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 03/14/2008 | 03/31/2009 | VIOLENT FRONT END OSCILLATION | ||
| This investigation was opened based on 78 consumer complaints of severe suspension and steering wheel oscillations after the subject vehicles traveled over an uneven surface.odi was concerned about these complaints because many of them alleged loss of control and the loss of control occurredat speeds above 50 miles per hour.at the time these complaints were received, odi was also aware of the tsb 07-10-10 and early warning field reports that discussed the shimmy condition on the subject vehicles.since opening this investigation, odi has confirmed, based on consumer complaints, warranty data, testing conducted by vrtc, and odi inspection of complaint vehicles, that the owners of the subject vehicles are experiencing shimmy events on their vehicles.however, odi has also confirmed that owners typically do not maintain their tires at the pressures recommended by ford on the tire label.further, odi has found that in order for shimmy to occur, tire pressures must be substantially below (at least 20%) those specified on the vehicle tire label.odi considers these unsafe tire conditions to be the result of one of three typical situations.the tires are being improperly maintained, the owners are intentionally setting the tire pressures low to enhance ride quality, or aftermarket tires (not designed for use on the vehicle) are installed to change the appearance or function of the vehicle.the subject vehicles are intended and designed to be used as heavy duty vehicles and as such require that the tires be capable of handling the loads for which the vehicle is designed and marketed.in order for the tires to be capable of handling these loads, the proper tire pressure must be maintained.in light of the information gathered in this investigation and ford's agreement to notify subject vehicle owners (now and every two years until the vehicles reach ten years from their production date) about the importance of maintaining proper tire pressures on their vehicles, further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that no safety-related defect exists.the agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.for additional information, see the attached closing report. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SUSPENSION | |||
| 01/24/2013 | 97000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2005 ford f-250. the contact stated that while driving 55 to 60 mph, a pot hole was hit and caused the vehicle to shimmy and shake out of control. the brake was engaged while at highway speeds to bring the vehicle under control. the dealer advised that the tie rods failed. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 97,000. mah | |||
| 01/24/2013 | 97000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2005 ford f250. the contact stated that while driving at 55 to 60mph a pot hole was hit and caused the vehicle to shimmy and shake out of control. the brake had to be engaged while at highway speed to bring the vehicle under control. the dealer advised that the tie rods failed. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 97,000. li | |||
| 01/02/2006 | 30000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2005 ford f-250. the contact stated that while driving 60 mph, the vehicle started to jerk violently. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who was unable to diagnose the failure. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance and sent a letter advising to check the tire inflation pressure level. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 30,000 and the current mileage was 110,000. kmj | |||
| 09/28/2011 | 60000 | ||
| Tl - the contact owns a 2005 ford f-250. the contact stated that while driving 50 mph the vehicle started to jerk violently. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who was unable to diagnose the failure. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance since the dealer could not diagnosed the problem. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 60,000 and the current mileage was 80,000. kmj | |||
| 01/02/2006 | 30000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2005 ford f-250. the contact stated that while driving 60 mph the vehicle started to jerk violently. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who was unable to diagnosed the failure. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance and sent a letter advising to check the tire inflation pressure level. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage as 30,000 and the current mileage was 110,000. pm | |||
| 09/28/2011 | 60000 | ||
| Tl - the contact owns a 2005 ford f-250. the contact stated that while driving 50 mph the vehicle started to jerk violently. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who was unable to diagnosed the failure. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance since the dealer could not diagnosed the problem. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 60,000 and the current mileage was 80,000. pm | |||
| 12/15/2008 | 12000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2005 ford f-250. the contact stated that the front end of the vehicle would shake whenever he drove over a bump. the failure occurred at all speeds. the vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed. the contact replaced the tires himself, but the failure continued. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and offered no assistance. the failure mileage was 12,000. kmj | |||
| 12/15/2008 | 12000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2005 ford f-250. the contact stated that the front end of the vehicle would shake whenever he drove over a bump. the failure occurred at all speeds. the vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed. the contact replaced the tires himself, but the failure continued. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and offered no assistance. the failure mileage was 12,000. sm. | |||
| 03/14/2007 | 47000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2005 ford f250. the contact was driving approximately 65 mph over a road bump when the vehicle began to jerk violently, causing it to travel uncontrollably across two lanes. the contact was able to regain control and resumed normally. the failure occurred on four separate occasions. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the upper ball joints were replaced. the failure continued to occur after the repair was performed. the manufacturer notified the owners that the vehicle could experience a potential shimmy and recommended that the tires be inflated to the correct pressure to prevent the defect. the manufacturer was made aware of the recurring problem. the approximate failure mileage was 47,000. kmj | |||
| 03/14/2007 | 47000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2005 ford f250. the contact was driving approximately 65 mph over a bump in the road. the vehicle began to jerk violently causing it to travel uncontrollably across two lanes. the contact was able to regain control and resumed normally. the failure occurred on four separate occasions. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the upper ball joints were replaced. the failure continued to occur after the repair was performed. the manufacturer notified the owner's the vehicle may experience a potential shimmy and recommended the tires be inflated to the correct pressure to prevent the defect. the manufacturer was made aware of the recurring problem. the approximate failure mileage was 47,000. js | |||
| 11/23/2005 | 23000 | ||
| I just recived from ford another notice about the out of control shimming that takes place concerning the 2005 f- 250 . ford has does nothing to correct this problem other than to blow smoke at everyone about the tire pressure. since i bought this unit new, the tire have always been corrected to the proper amount or the correct tires been replaced. still this isuue takes place . its an unbelieable terrifing shaking that takes place , and only stops when the trcuk gets to about 20-25 miles an hour. this occured most recently, last that a car following me , pulled me over to tell me how it looked from the rear, to the point the person behind me was fearful for their safty as well. i refuse to let any member of the family drive this truck ,other than myself. there is certainly more to this issue than what ford is making out to be and all ford wants to do is blow smoke at us about the tire pressure. i've tried to sell this unit to no avail, as the dealers don't want to touch this unit and others have checked on line to have found out about it and asked me about it , and wanting to be honest i told them about it. so now i have a truck that i can't even sell at a deep discount. thanks ford. | |||
| 09/24/2011 | 50035 | ||
| Cruising along the highway, if i hit a bump in the road doing any speed over 55 mph the truck begins to shake very badly!! so bad that i can hardly control the truck. only way to make it stop is to slow to 40 mph. very unsafe to drive on any highway!! there is no bad parts on this truck... | |||
| 09/15/2005 | 125 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2005 ford f-250. the contact stated that when the vehicle is traveling 55-60 mph and hits a bump in the road the front end starts to shake really bad. the contacts mechanic replaced the shimmy shock on the front end of the vehicle, but the vehicle continued to shake. the dealer had not looked at the vehicle at the time of the complaint. the contact received a notice from the manufacturer a year ago stating to keep the tires inflated, but that did not work. the contact stated it is a very violent shake and you have to slow the vehicle down 35-40 mph to get the shaking to stop. the vin was not available at the time of the complaint. the failure mileage was 125 and the current mileage was 47000. rl | |||
| 05/11/2010 | 45000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2005 ford f-250. the contact stated that the front end starts to shake between 55 and 65 mph. the vehicle shakes so bad that the vehicle cannot get over that speed. the contact had not had the vehicle inspected at the time of the complaint. the vehicle will also shake badly when it a goes over a bump. the dealer stated that they have not heard of the issue and that the vehicle is out of warranty. the failure mileage was 45000 and the current mileage 50000.rl | |||
| 06/14/2007 | 25000 | 1 | 08/01/2005 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2005 ford f-250. while driving 60 mph, the vehicle shakes violently. the failure initially occurred when she hit a small bump in the road. the vehicle is currently at the dealer for service. the dealer has not yet diagnosed the cause of failure. the vin, engine size, and # of cylinders were unknown. the current and failure mileages were 25,000. | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT | |||
| 04/01/2006 | 4000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owned a 2005 ford f-250. while driving approximately 70 mph the front end of the vehicle began to violently shake. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was told that the vehicle was out of alignment. the vehicle was repaired. the failure continued to occur intermittently while driving at a speed of 50 mph. the failure mileage was 4,000 and the current mileage was unknown. the vin was unavailable. | |||
| 04/01/2006 | 4000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owned a 2005 ford f-250. while driving approximately 70 mph the front end of the vehicle began to violently shake. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was told the vehicle was out of alignment. the vehicle was repaired. the failure continued to recur intermittently while driving at speed in excess of 50 mph. the failure mileage was 4,000 and the current mileage was unknown. the vin was unavailable. sm. | |||
| 02/08/2010 | 26000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2005 ford f-250. while traveling 65 mph and over a bump or crack in the surface of the road the contact noticed that the front end of the vehicle would began to shake. the vehicle was taken to a local mechanic where the contact was informed that the vehicle was performing normally. there were no prior warnings. the failure mileage was 26000 and the current mileage was 28000. bml | |||
| 06/21/2007 | 30000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2005 ford f-250. while traveling 40 mph the contact noticed that the front end of the vehicle and steering wheel will begin to shake and vibrate without warning. the vehicle was taken to a local mechanic where the contact was informed that the front shocks needed to be replaced. there were no prior warnings and the vehicle has not been serviced. the failure mileage was 30000 and the current mileage was 74000. bml | |||
| 06/26/2008 | 30000 | 1 | |
| Front end shakes violently when traveling faster than 50 mph when you hit a small imperfection in the road. *tr | |||