10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
50,356 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2005 Ford F-350:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

problem #29

Feb 292024

F-350

  • miles
Twice today, traveling at 75mph on highway [XXX] (northbound and then several hours later southbound) just north of Ardmore OK, I experienced a violent shaking of the steering wheel/front wheel shimmy. The vehicle was difficult to control due to the violent shaking that did not stop until the vehicle slowed to approximately 20mph. Once the shaking stopped the vehicle was okay to drive. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Southlake, TX, USA

problem #28

Jul 042023

F-350

  • miles
My 2005 F350 Diesel Pick up has suffered from the Ford death wobble on and off for the last 15 years. While navigating a left hand corner at speeds over 40 it begins to shake uncontrollably after hitting a small bump or pot hole until speed is reduced to 30mph or less. I have replaced bearings, uppper & lower ball joints, torque arms and other suspension parts without finding a cure.

- Roseburg, OR, USA

problem #27

Apr 052022

F-350

  • miles
Multiple times driving the truck at speed limit and hit small bump or a little bumpy part of road triggers the death wobble. Have to almost come to complete stop on highway to stop wobble.

- Electra , TX, USA

problem #26

May 122010

F-350

  • miles
The contact owns a 2005 Ford F-350. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle started to shimmy. The contact stated that at the time of failure the steering wheel was very difficult to turn. The contact stated that after slowing down the vehicle operated normally. The contact stated that the brake warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that she received notification in the mail of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20E090000 (Steering, Suspension, Equipment) however, her vehicle was not included in the recall. The contact stated that neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

- Scottsdale, AZ, USA

problem #25

Jun 072021

F-350

  • miles
When driving 50 mph or above and hitting a bump in the road such as a bridge apron the truck develops an uncontrollable shimmy in the front end. It requires a firm grip from both hands to control the steering and lasts until the truck is slowed to under 20 mph and often until it is completely stopped. Luckily there hasn-??t been another vehicle in the lanes next to me when this has occurred. If there had been it may have caused an accident. Tires are relatively new and the alignment is spot on. It feels like the same problem I had as a teenager in my 1959 Ford F100 when the king pins were worn.

- Layton, UT, USA

problem #24

Dec 102019

F-350

  • 220,000 miles
Death wobble. Truck shakes violently when traveling +50 mph, empty, or towing or hauling load in truck bed. Downhill braking is extremely dangerous. Turning while braking is the worst.

- Somerset, CA, USA

problem #23

Jul 142015

F-350

  • 35,000 miles
Death wobble. 1st time it happened was entering the highway off the ramp and accelerating to merge into traffic and going over the overpass the bridges in mass. Are a mess, any way, when I drove those series of bumps at about 60-65 mph in a truck it gets bumpy anyway but all of a sudden the steering wheel, and the truck started violently shaking out of control so bad I lost complete vision it was shaking so bad with no capability of steering the truck..instinctively I applied the brakes not even checking to see what was behind me as it was shaking so bad, you cant turn around, you can not see out the mirrors. As I stated you kind of lose vision and everything goes blurry because your shaking in the vehicle so bad. A quick google and you find this happens to many many owners of this very the same truck. In fact Ford sent me a letter stating they knew about it and to make sure we have the correct air pressure. I use a $50 air pressure gauge, the air pressures not the problem. It was still happening anytime you go over big bumps or a series of smaller bumps will set it off while driving on the highway or over 60 mph. It doesn't happen to us at slower speeds. This is an extremely dangerous defect.

- Chester, NH, USA

problem #22

Jul 262005

F-350

  • 250 miles
My 2005 has a violent front end wobble if I hit a bump while turning right. When I took it to the dealer, I was told to over inflate my tires. He also said that it was a common complaint with this model. The dealer called it a " death wobble " and told me to make sure that I was holding the steering wheel tight when it happens. This is a regular occurrence.

- Price, UT, USA

problem #21

Nov 302007

F-350

  • 102,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Ford F-350. While driving 45 mph, the vehicle wobbled. The steering veered to the left when the wheel was turned to the right and vice versa. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the front tie rods, front stabilizer bars, gear box, and multiple parts on the front of the vehicle needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. In addition, while driving 65 mph, the vehicle lost power. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the injectors, cam shaft sensor, and the wiring harness for the injectors needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 102,000.

- Livingston, NY, USA

problem #20

Mar 062015

F-350 4WD 8-cyl

  • 275,000 miles
When ever this truck hits a bumpy part of road (e.g. pot hole, crack in pavement, or debris) the vehicle (and steering wheel) will shake violently back and forth for several seconds (4 to 5 seconds) or until I slow to speeds around 35mph or below. This happens on a regular basis and has happened since I bought the vehicle two years ago. The tires are like new, and the front suspension components have been checked and determined to be in good usable condition. Searching the web for possible causes or fixes of this issue, I have found that many other people also have this same problem, with little to no help coming from service repairs at a dealership.

- Pontiac, MI, USA

problem #19

Oct 042005

F-350 4WD 8-cyl Diesel

  • Automatic transmission
  • 50,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Ford F-350. The contact stated that while driving 50 mph, the vehicle started to jerk violently without any warning. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure was 50,000 and the current mileage was 250,000. Updated 2/26/14

- Emerson , GA, USA

problem #18

Jul 062012

F-350 8-cyl

  • 52,000 miles
While traveling on the highway at 65-70 mph my vehicle will go into a violent shimmy if it hits any sort of road bump (such as bridge expansion). This happens everyday in this vehicle. It will not go away until I slow the vehicle down to 45 mph.

- North Providence, RI, USA

problem #17

Aug 012011

F-350 8-cyl Diesel

  • 66,000 miles
I purchased the truck used from a private dealer in Aug 2011 with 66,000mi. On it! from the dealer this issue started. It has happened at least 2 dz times now and Ford refuses to accept the issue as a Ford issue! they tell me its the tire pressure and I have had it to them 3 times to fix this issue, they have re inflated my tire pressure to " factory recommended pressure" and within 5 miles its shaking so violently I have to pull over and start again, this will cause a death eventually!! I will not let my wife drive this truck and that is what it was bought for, a safe family vehicle.

- Desert Hot Springs, CA, USA

problem #16

Jan 012008

F-350 8-cyl Diesel

  • 32,008 miles
The F350sd has a shimmy when you hit a dip in the road or a bump. This is violent enough for concern that it'll cause an accident. It doesn't go away on it's own you have to come to a stop or get to about five miles an hour for it to reset. This has happened multiple times. I have had the local front end shop replace the front steering components, even though the components came with in spec that Ford says is safe and corrective action needs be taken. This helped for about 10 months but now I'm back to the same old problem. Ford says to take it to a Ford authorized dealer and have them check it out. I'll do it one more time, this is repetitive, they don't see a problem in their product so why am I wasting my time. Everybody says its your tire pressure, wrong, I run it at max and I've even tried running it five pounds higher than recommended. Would someone please help us and get this fixed right. I know Ford wont ever acknowledge that there is a problem for the chance of a lawsuit. So I guess it's up to the highway safety council to help. I'll give all of you a ride and show you how bad it is. And then I can give you all the documents showing Ford says the front end are within spec. You know its bad when it shimmies you off the road, this is as best you can do to avoid an accident.

- Fairview, UT, USA

problem #15

Dec 082011

F-350 8-cyl Diesel

  • 156,000 miles
I was driving my truck normally like any other day, was going down the road around 45mph when all of the sudden the front end shook so violently, that it pulled so hard to where I had to brake very quickly and stop the truck immediately. This problem that exist has not been determined yet. I have it at a mechanic, I also can not drive it, very dangerous. I got online and other people are having the same trouble and have labeled it the Ford death wobble. I took it to a mechanic on 12.14.11 were it is still at and on that same day I received a notice from Ford that there might be a recall soon due to excessive shaking and to check tire pressure. Front end alignment, tire size etc. This needs immediate attention, on the internet back in 2007 they had at least 61 complaints. Whatever is causing this needs to be fixed asap before someone loses control and seriously hurts someone or themselves.

- Fairfield, CA, USA

problem #14

Dec 122011

F-350 8-cyl Diesel

  • 40,000 miles
Our 2005 Ford F-350 Super Duty, (with less than 50,000 miles) continues to have instances of extreme front end shaking when crossing bridges and going over any size bumps in the road, (big or small). When this happens, the vehicle is 'out of control'!!! this is a severe and dangerous problem that Ford needs to recall. It is clear that this is an ongoing issue with this vehicle. Is it going to take a fatal crash to get the attention from the Ford manufacturer"???? or a class action lawsuit???" the local dealerships deny there is any issue with the vehicle, have paid private mechanic to install stabilizer, etc., but problem is only getting worse. Due to this being a severe safety hazard, I would like to see a formal recall process begin.

- Salem, OR, USA

problem #13

Jul 212007

F-350 8-cyl

  • 10,000 miles
Driving straight on a highway at 55 mph when after hitting a small bump in the road the front tires shook uncontrollably. This caused the truck to shift lanes and nearly hit another car. The shaking wouldn't stop until the truck slowed down. Took 2 hand struggling with the steering wheel to keep the truck under control. This has happened numerous times and is extremely dangerous. Today the truck is still totally stock with 33500 miles. Please have Ford issue a recall!

- Walpole, MA, USA

problem #12

Dec 042006

F-350

  • 1,000 miles
Severe shimmy when truck was new. Ford refuses to fix says there is no problem. Can not drive on highway over 45 mph.they need vibration damper on front end.

- Akron, OH, USA

problem #11

Oct 282010

F-350 8-cyl Diesel

  • miles
Lost fan belt traveling 65/mph thereby lost all steering and brakes.was on secondary highway coasted into a small town and used my emergency brake to stop. My wife panicked just lucky I was driving, having been a mechanic for 35 years had enough sense to not panic and use emergency brake to stop.

- Butte, MT, USA

problem #10

Sep 012011

F-350 Diesel

  • miles
2005 Ford F-350. Letter on behalf of regarding her concerns with Ford Motor Company being held accountable for their defective 6.0 liter diesel engine vehicle; reply attn: Kim cordell/blountville, tn office the consumer stated the turbo was replaced four times. She also stated Ford has ignored the front end and steering problems as well.

- Newport, TN, USA

Read the next 9 complaints »