newer F250 death wobble

Iraqvet05 · 01-20-2019, 08:36 PM

I have heard about the "death wobble" from Ram/Dodge owners and some older Ford owners but it happened to me today in my 2017 F-250.

I was traveling about 70 mph on a busy Kansas City highway (I-435) today and entered an area where all lanes shifted to the left. I was in the far left lane and had to drive over about 40-50 yards of rumble bars when the front end of the truck began to violently shake. Thinking I had a blown front tire, I threw on my flashers and merged across 4 lanes of traffic, reducing my speed and trying to pull up my tire pressure in the DIC. A mile or so down the road I found a place to pull over and checked the tires visually. The DIC indicated my tire PSI was normal (I run 55 PSI in the front and 65 in the rear when not towing). I gathered my wits and proceeded home but the shake did not return.

After some research, I found a Ford TSB for this: TSB # 18-2268

I'm curious if anyone with a 2017-2019 F-250/F-350 has experienced this and/or has had the TSB applied.

**Crabman** · 01-20-2019, 08:46 PM

Several threads on the Ford truck enthusiasts Super Duty forum on the issue in the 2017+ section. It's happening far too often it seems.

TCNashville · 01-20-2019, 08:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crabman

Several threads on the Ford truck enthusiasts Super Duty forum on the issue in the 2017+ section. It's happening far too often it seems.

Agreed although I've yet to experience it on my last 4 Super Duties and I hope I never will. Lots of fixes on the FTE Forum which seems to be random as to be able to address an individual's problem. It seems premature wear on certain front end components exacerbates the issue. Take it to your dealer and have the front end looked at. Problem with this is they'll have to replicate the problem to get anything done. Best of luck.

2nOZ · 01-20-2019, 10:03 PM

This is the first I have heard of this. So far I have not experienced that on mine and hope I don’t from what is described. My 2017 F250 has about 15,000 miles on it so far. Does the mileage make a difference? Any thoughts on whether it is more prevalent on a diesel or a gasser?

Iraqvet05 · 01-20-2019, 10:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2nOZ

This is the first I have heard of this. So far I have not experienced that on mine and hope I don’t from what is described. My 2017 F250 has about 15,000 miles on it so far. Does the mileage make a difference? Any thoughts on whether it is more prevalent on a diesel or a gasser?

I have 34,200 miles on mine. There are a number of YouTube videos on this, a few showing the 2017-up Super Duty trucks with the issue. A few posts I found mention it occurred with low mileage trucks. I'm not sure if there is a correlation between this an the type of engine installed...I've seen posts to indicate it could effect either gas or diesel.

jbrnigan · 01-21-2019, 06:31 AM

Appears to happen frequently enough for Ford to issue a TSB and infrequently enough that is recall is not necessary........whatever that means

**Crabman** · 01-21-2019, 07:57 AM

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/s...rchid=27568183

Iraqvet05 · 01-21-2019, 08:13 AM

Thanks. I was on that forum for a few months then stopped using it...way to many rude (to put it mildly) people on it. I wished all forums would be as civil the JOF.

**Crabman** · 01-21-2019, 08:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crabman

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/s...rchid=27568183

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iraqvet05

Thanks. I was on that forum for a few months then stopped using it...way to many rude (to put it mildly) people on it. I wished all forums would be as civil the JOF.

Yeah it can get a bit rough there but there's some good info to be gleaned. What's so disconcerting is the death wobble is occurring on so many low mileage vehicles, not something that's been dogged for 200k and is wore out. That suggests an inherent design problem. Also the frozen locks and latches issue is becoming a nightmare with no proven resolution yet despite recalls and TSBs

curver900 · 01-24-2019, 03:06 PM

replace the steering stabilizer with a Rancho rx7000 ...
Take the one from the factory off and see if it is any good... likely it is not..

there are other solutions including a double stabilizer... I had the same trouble on my '10 and my Rancho went out after 10k miles and they sent me a brand new one no hassle.. and it worked great... so good it blew the seals out on the first one...

I also had to replace all the corner shocks as at 12k miles the OEM ones no longer worked.. no rebound.. they just sat there...

good luck read those forums people really have good ideas... but none of them may fix your issue... hopefully there will be a solution.. look GM just kept making 1500's that shake and they still do.. until the new model in '19 came out... some had luck getting them fixed others not so much... a crap shoot but man an expensive one...

Racinforthefinish · 01-24-2019, 03:48 PM

I had this problem on a 2000 F350 PSD at about 250,00 miles. Replaced the steering stabilizer and all is well. Not a shake or wobble since.

scuba0331 · 01-24-2019, 10:30 PM

Dodges have had the same issue. Thuren Fabrication is known in the Ram world for their top notch suspension components. Here is a nice write up on death wobble.

https://www.thurenfabrication.com/te...-in-depth.html

Iraqvet05 · 01-25-2019, 08:08 AM

I took the truck in yesterday. They replaced a wiring harness that's part of some block heater recall and inspected the front end. They replaced the steering stabilizer with a new one under the TSB. They have the replacement camber sleeves that's part of the TSB that tweak the alignment but they are undergoing some shop maintenance and told me to come back in two weeks to complete installing the parts. Their new Hunter alignment rack was in a pile awaiting assembly. The front end already feels firmer when I hit pot holes with just a replacement of the steering stabilizer.

Shall36 · 01-25-2019, 08:45 AM

Steering stabilizers just treat the symptoms of Death wobble. On the Fords, the culprit seems to be alignment settings but I’ve also seen people report that different tires fixed the issue. On high mileage vehicles, worn suspension components can lead to death wobble. Death wobble is not just a vibration (Some of the GM trucks seem to have incurable vibration problems). When you have an episode of death wobble, you first think you are going to die and then you have to slow down to almost zero to stop the wobble. Changing your shorts is optional but highly recommended.

WinnieView · 01-25-2019, 09:33 AM

A version of the "death wobble" has occurred on some GM vehicles equipped with the 4 cylinder engine and electronic power steering when towed.
We have a GMC Terrain towed and have not had the problem however some Terrain and Equinox owners have experienced the "death wobble".

GM released a bulletin with a 'Revised Towing Procedure' (#17-NA-348) but in it they stated that if the owner has not experienced the problem to stick with the original procedure as outlined in the owners manual.

Merrick · 01-25-2019, 09:38 AM

That's scary. Never heard of it until now. One guy described the effect like hitting a bell that continues to resonate, with multiple possible causes and approaches to fix it. Saw a bunch of jacked up Jeep Wranglers doing it on the internet.

Chiggins · 01-25-2019, 10:35 AM

Its not uncommon in high milage trucks due to worn out front end parts. In newer trucks is normally defective front end parts. BUT VERY common is tire issues from poor balancing to misalignment. This is why I only take my trucks for tires at certain places, you may get a great deal at a big box store or what not. But I rather have a REAL mechanic put the tires on my truck and make sure they are balanced correctly not some kid that was trained at Walmart in 1 day.

Bowlingdad · 01-25-2019, 11:11 AM

I have been in the auto and diesel industry for over 45 years. I teach at a tech school now......I had not heard of this issue with 250 and 350 pickups. I looked into the TSB and it does appear that part of the correction is the stabilizer, this simply a shock on the steering to help minimize this vibration. This has been a problem on may different makes of vehicles in the past. The other parts to this repair looks like it deals with caster issues..... I am sure that installing better stabilizer with help, but I would suggest that you talk to your dealer and ask about where the caster should be, to also help top this.....My thoughts anyway.....good luck

firerescue712 · 01-25-2019, 12:41 PM

Two months ago, my 2017 F250 did this exact thing. I all but lost control. Was driving on a paved highway at 65 mph. Hit a slight dip in the orad. Truck literally bounced across two lanes of traffic before I could recover. Had to come to a complete stop for the hop to cease. Took it to the local Ford Dealer. There replaced the steering stabilizer, along with a few other front end components. They did NOT use Fore OEM parts. Apparently it is a known issue with Ford parts. Truck rides much better. THe left front had a rattle since I bought the truck new. I did not noticed the issue until about 7000 miles. It was intermittent and mild, so I was not concerned. Just over 10,000 miles, the wobble became a regular issue when hitting uneven pavements. I am just glad it never happened when I was towing. I filed a NTSB report, since these are used to help determine possible safety issues that are occurring.

jasum · 01-25-2019, 02:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iraqvet05

I took the truck in yesterday. They replaced a wiring harness that's part of some block heater recall and inspected the front end. They replaced the steering stabilizer with a new one under the TSB. They have the replacement camber sleeves that's part of the TSB that tweak the alignment but they are undergoing some shop maintenance and told me to come back in two weeks to complete installing the parts. Their new Hunter alignment rack was in a pile awaiting assembly. The front end already feels firmer when I hit pot holes with just a replacement of the steering stabilizer.

Replacing the steering stabilizer seems to take care of the problem on most Superduties.
Some guys replace with the dual system, but they seem like they mount pretty low.

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