Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - WHEEL BEARING | |||||
| 06129 | 06162 | 10020174 | Front wheel bearings - noise. *tt updated on 02-27-07. *kb | 08/03/2006 | |
| SUSPENSION - REAR | |||||
| 0772 | 10022283 | Rear of vehicle is too high/low -5th wheel and goose neck applications. *kb | 07/25/2007 | ||
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUSPENSION | ||||||
| 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. | ||||||
| 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. | ||||||
| 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 | |||
| 11/30/2005 | 700 | 1 | |
| While driving down the road, hit a small pothole in the road and the suspension started to violently shake the truck along with severe steering wheel oscillations. no control of the vehicle until i could get slowed down enough to stop the oscillations. i have had this happen on my truck multiple times throughout the years at speeds anywhere from 30 to 60 mph and contrary to other reports listed on here, the tire pressure was correct and made no difference. i have put on aftermarket suspension and tires since the original time this happened and added a steering stabilizer which helped to keep this from occurring but it still happens on occasion. this problem was brought up to my dealer at the beginning and they said they could find no problems. the shaking and beating of the vehicle when this occurs is unbelievable. i fully believe this is what has caused me to have a broken rim, electrical issues, brake problems, and what i believe is a cracked turbo up pipe or something else that is allowing exhaust fumes into the cab. *tr | |||
| 05/15/2008 | 25000 | ||
| 2005 ford f-250 super duty, started at @ 25,000 miles in 2008 and still happens today. happens when traveling over 60 mph, when you hit any small bump in the road, the front suspension started to shake uncontrollably. it is very hard to control the truck. this happens all the time on the freeway. the tire pressure was correct at the time of the first incident, the tires were balanced and the lug nuts were torqued to ford specs. talked to the ford dealer and they denied any knowledge of a similar problem. after a few hours research online, this problem is well documented and frequent with the ford super duty line from 05-08. it seems to be an engineering defect and ford is well aware of the problem, but it does appear that ford has offered any remedies. the nhtsa also knows of the problem. i viewed four nhtsa videos that demonstrated the identical problem that i am experiencing with my truck. i have found no action on the part of the nhtsa. this problem needs to be acknowledged and corrected before someone is killed. | |||
| 11/28/2011 | 43500 | ||
| While driving on pa interstate 81, my 2005 f250 experienced severe driving loss of control when the front suspension travelled over an area of the road that was uneven. this caused the trucks interior and exterior to shake uncontrollably for a long period of time to the extent that the vehicle was shifting into the other lane of traffic. deaccelerating by releasing the gas peddle did not immediately stop the severe vibrations and applying the brakes seemed to increase the problem. my entire family and a non-family member was in the vehicle at the time and we all feared for our lives. after researching the internet, there is a video posted by another ford owner and is exactly what we had experienced too. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8euq6f8rgt4&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=pldca2ff5512789e5a) it is known as ' ford f250 death wobble', when viewing the video, the death wobble begins around 1 min 30 sec into the video and needs to be seriously addressed and corrected to prevent this from ever recurring again before someone is killed or hurt... | |||
| 12/26/2011 | 71000 | ||
| I was traveling 70 mph on a 3 lane interstate, in the left lane. i went over a bridge expansion joint and the truck started shaking violently and would not stop until i pulled over to the shoulder. i checked to see what may have caused the shaking and found no visible damage, and so proceeded without any further issues. the vehicle is stock with proper tires, sufficient tread, and were inflated to within 2 to 3 pounds of fords recommended tire inflation (i checked the next day). | |||
| 05/19/2010 | 25000 | ||
| Upon hitting a bump at 30 to 40 mph , steering veers from side to side, also known as the death wobblevery unsettling to say the least,after some research online i was shocked to see that other ford 4x4 owners have the same thing. i found a company that says the steering geometry is wrong and have a fix, wc motorsports (508-203-9450)this should not be happening , my truck has under 40,000 miles and i am afraid to drive it. it is obvious that something is wrong and ford has been ignoring for years. what do i do ?do you want to buy it? neal and patti hogquist. | |||
| 02/25/2010 | 52500 | ||
| Betweens speeds of 40-65mph truck will go into death wobble after hitting a pothole, rough spot in road, or dips ( ex. over passes, bridges). truck will shake violently to the left and right almost causing a wreck. once this happens i have to let off gas apply brake slowly till truck stops the shaking. traffic behind me has to brake, almost causing accidents, not to mention how hard it is to control the truck when this happens. i have almost had a wreck every time this had occurred. first started when i bought the truck in feb. 2010 with 52,500 miles. still happens to this day after replacing front end parts, truck now has 68k miles. i've researched online and this seems to be an issue lots of people are having, not to mention it is ongoing. | |||
| 09/23/2007 | 44000 | 1 | |
| Front end shakes violently after hitting pot holes or bumps in the road. to the point where a collision is highly possible. *tr | |||
| 08/15/2005 | 12000 | 1 | |
| 2005 ford f-250 sd shaking violently after going over uneven surfaces on highway. we were out of the state working for 10 days and depended on this vehicle so the following day we took it to a ford dealer and all they had to say was the tires needed 80 pounds of air. as soon as we returned home we traded it off and got a 2006 and it is doing the same thing and a complaint has been filed on it as well. done with ford trucks, if ford doesn't think any better of its customers than to put an unsafe vehicle on the road we are going to chevrolet. *tr | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT | |||
| 04/26/2010 | 65700 | ||
| Experienced steering shimmy at highway driving speeds on multiple occassions while pulling a travel trailer and while not pulling a trailer. results in violent vibration of the entire vehicle to the point of being difficult to control. | |||
| 01/25/2010 | 137000 | 4 | |
| I have a ford f250 sd diesel 2wd truck i have replace the front wheel bearing 4 time in 137,000 miles. the dealer says it is water and dirt intrusion. it has not caused any accedents yet but it is only a matter of time. *cn | |||
| 07/03/2009 | 62500 | 1 | |
| I hit a small pothole traveling on i-295 at 65 mph. the truck bounced out of control and drifted into the left lane. i braked to 35 mph and it stopped. a shop mechanic said it was ok. the same thing occurred recently on i-64. hit a road patch and bounced to a stop. my wife was horrified at the violent shaking. a master mechanic could not find anything wrong. this only happens at high speeds above 60 mph. *tr | |||
| 04/26/2009 | 24000 | 1 | |
| I have a 2005 ford f250 sd pickup truck that has 25,000 miles on it. i has begun to experience a violent front end shaking at highway speed when going over even the smallest of bumps. you need to almost stop in the middle of the highway to make it stop. the dealer says they don't know of any problems and so does ford. but looking on-line it is very obvious that this is a real issue and needs to be recalled. it is also referenced as death wobble. *tr | |||
| 05/01/2009 | 1 | ||
| This is a follow up to a complaint i filed on 4/14/09 complaint # 10265310. i have looked into this matter and found other cases. this is a serious problem that should be addressed. here is a link with more information. http://www.topix.com/forum/autos/ford-f-250-super-duty/tohp1m75vbfbft9il. *tr | |||
| 04/01/2009 | 46000 | 1 | |
| Lose of steering do to poor design of ford f-250 and f-350 solid front axle with springs. from 2005 to present. i have new tires and rims,balanced,had front end checked for alignment, my truck like so many others are having sever front end shimmy do to the poor design on ford trucks. i have contacted legal advice from the advice of other government agencies. the attorney generals office,bbb, and the consumer protection agency. this is my second complaint about this matter, and im a little upset to keep getting the only response you and the ford co. can come up with, tire pressure!!! come on you know its the poor design of there front ends. i've spent thousands to help deal with matter to no better results. so from here i will seek legal help to protect my family and myself from possible severe injury or death. i hope ford motor co. will fix the problem with there front ends of there f-250 and f-350 sd pickups from 2005 to present. i hope it doesn't take someone getting killed before ford says they need to fix there trucks. like they did with there bad tire situation on ford explorer. *tr | |||
| 08/10/2008 | 1 | ||
| I have a 2005 f250 when i hit a bump on the high way at 50mph or higher the truck front end and steering wheel shake violently and feels like you are going to loose control of the truck. very dangerous. *tr | |||
| 01/16/2006 | 45000 | 1 | |
| My ford f 250 truck shakes uncontrollably at highway speeds when the front suspension is upset on highway. normally occurs at or above 65 mph, the way to re-gain control is slow considerably. this is consistent with factory and replacement tires. ford stated that there is a problem, but that it doesn't warrant a recall. *tr | |||
| 09/28/2007 | 30000 | 1 | 10/11/2006 |
| 2005 ford f250 sd, gas, front end shakes violently when hitting successive potholes at highway speed, very dangerous, must slam on brakes to get truck to come back under control. *tr *updated 12/12/07 *bf updated 12/12/07 *tr | |||
| 08/22/2007 | 19230 | 1 | 08/09/2007 |
| This failure is on a ford, f250, 4x4 with the 5.4l gas engine. at highway speed, when hitting a rough spot in the road, the front end of the vehicle goes in to an oscillation (death wobble) that can only be stopped by drastic reduction in speed. the oscillation impacts the ability to control the vehicle. the failure has been reported to the dealer and i am awaiting response. *tr | |||