2009 Ford F-250

I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF A 2009 F250 SUPER DUTY PU. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN WELL MAINTAINED OVER THE 61630 MILES I HAVE ACCUMULATED. RECENTLY THE TRUCK HAS STARTED EXPERIENCING WHAT CAN ONLY BE DESCRIBED AS A LOSS OF POWER STEERING. THIS SEEMS TO MOST OFTEN OCCUR AFTER STARTING FROM A STOP, AND TURNING LEFT. THE WHEELS SEEM TO BE "STUCK" IN THE TURNED DIRECTION, AND NEEDS TO BE MUSCLED BACK INTO A STRAIGHT PATH. THIS IS USUALLY FOLLOWED BY AN UNUSUAL SLIGHT TUGGING OF THE WHEEL IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. THE OTHER DAY IT WAS STICKING FROM ONE DIRECTION TO THE OTHER DIRECTION. FORTUNATELY WE HAD JUST STARTED TO MERGE ONTO A ROAD THAT TYPICALLY IS 45 MPH (WE WERE ONLY DOING ABOUT 20 MPH). MY PARTNER THOUGHT I WAS HORSING AROUND BY "YANKING THE STEERING FROM SIDE TO SIDE, BUT IT WAS THE TRUCKS STEERING THAT WAS DOING IT, AND I WAS TRYING TO STRAIGHTEN IT OUT. WE PULLED OFF THE ROAD, AND AS I WAS PULLING FORWARD I COULD FEEL A DIFFERENCE IN THE STEERING (BACK TO NORMAL). MY COMMUTE IS A MERE 15 MINS, BUT BASED ON LOCATIONS OF MY HOME AND WORK, I DO TYPICALLY JUMP ON THE HIGHWAY. I HAVE STOPPED DOING THIS BECAUSE I FEAR WITH INCREASED TRAFFIC AND SPEED, I WORRY ABOUT CAUSING AN ACCIDENT, ALTHOUGH I HAVE NOT EXPERIENCED THIS AT NORMAL SPEED. I HAVE BROUGHT THIS TO MY MECHANIC AND HE COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE CONDITION. HE CHECKED THE VEHICLE OVER, AND FOUND NOTHING WORN OR BROKEN. HE HAS BEEN THE ONLY PERSON SERVICING THIS VEHICLE SINCE NOV 2009, SO HE IS VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE UPKEEP. IN FACT HE HAD REPLACED THE BRAKES AND ROTATED THE TIRES AT 59000 MILES. I DO HAUL SINGLE AND DOUBLE AXLE TRAILERS FROM TIME TO TIME, AND WORRY ABOUT THE NEXT TIME I NEED TO.

WHEN I HIT A SMALL BUMP AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS MY TRUCK WILL START TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY AND WILL NOT STOP WITHOUT HARD BRAKING OR AGGRESSIVELY JERKING THE STEERING WHEEL. I FEEL THIS IS A REAL HAZARD AND AM AFRAID TO LET MY FAMILY DRIVE THE TRUCK. I WILL NOT LET MY GRAND CHILDREN RIDE WITH ME IN FEAR OF AN ACCIDENT WHEN THE TRUCK DECIDES TO SHAKE.

I HAD A LOW TIRE PRESSURE WARNING COME ON SO I TOOK MY TRUCK TO THE TIRE SHOP. THE SHOP FOUND I HAD A CRACKED WHEEL ON THE RIGHT REAR OF MY TRUCK. I KEEP MY TRUCK AND WHEELS CLEAN AND HAVE NEVER PULLED HEAVY LOADS SO I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY I HAVE A CRACKED WHEEL. THIS TRUCK IS A DAILY DRIVER ON US HIGHWAYS AND HAS NEVER BEEN OFF ROAD.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 FORD F-250. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE OVER 40 MPH AND THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE COMPUTER NEEDED TO BE UPDATED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THEY WOULD NOT ASSIST UNTIL A RECALL WAS ISSUED. THE CONTACT REFERENCED TSB NUMBER: 11-04-22. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 219,500.

MY TRUCK HAS BEGAN A VIOLENT SHAKING, BOUNCING, AND VIBRATING FROM THE FRONT END WHEN I HIT AN UNEVEN SERVICE ON THE INTERSTATE. FEELS AS IF SOMEONE ELSE GRABS MY STEERING WHEEL AND SHAKES IT AS HARD AND AS FAST AS THEY CAN BACK AND FORTH LEAVING ME WITH LITTLE OR NO CONTROL. TERRIFYING!! THE ONLY WAY TO STOP THE VIOLENCE IS TO SLOW TO A STOP ON THE SHOULDER. THIS BEGAN ABOUT A MONTH AGO AND HAS HAPPENED AT LEAST A DOZEN TIMES. MY FAMILY IS AFRAID TO RIDE IN THE TRUCK.

WHEN DRIVING AT 65 MPH, AND THE FRONT TIRES HIT A LARGE BUMP OR POT HOLE, THE FRONT END GOES INTO A VIOLENT SHAKE. THIS HAS HAPPENED (3) TIMES IN 2-WEEKS. ON THE INTERNET, IT IS KNOWN AS THE "DEATH WOBBLE." THE SHAKING IN THE STEERING WHEEL WAS SO GREAT THAT IT VIBRATED ME INTO THE NEXT LANE AND I ALMOST CAUSED A SERIOUS ACCIDENT ON THE FREEWAY WHEN I HAD TO COME TO A COMPLETE STOP. I TOOK MY TRUCK TO FORD AND THEY DO NOT RECOGNIZE MY COMPLAINT. ALL THEY COULD OFFER WAS TO REPLACE MY BALL JOINTS, SHOCKS, STEERING STABILIZER, AND TRACK BAR "AT MY EXPENSE." I HAVE RESEARCHED THIS CONDITION ON THE INTERNET AND SEE A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF COMPLAINTS PERTAINING TO THE DEATH WOBBLE, AND UNANIMOUSLY, EVERY PERSON SAYS THAT FORD DOES NOT RECOGNIZE THIS AS A PROBLEM. MY TRUCK IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE AND IS PARKED UNTIL I CAN AFFORD THE COSTLY RECOMMENDED REPAIRS.

THE FRONT DRIVER TIRE BOUNCES/SHAKES LIKE A BASKETBALL AFTER HITTING A BUMP WHEN TRAVELLING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. VEHICLE IS UNCONTROLLABLE AND MUST PULL OVER AND STOP VEHICLE TO STOP THE BOUNCE/SHAKE. FORD COMPANY REPLACED TRACK BAR WHEN THIS PREVIOUSLY HAPPENED AND GUARANTEED IT WOULD FIX THE PROBLEM. SAME PROBLEM HAPPENED 2 DAYS AFTER REPAIRS WHEN TRAVELLING OUT OF TOWN AGAIN.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 FORD F-250 EQUIPPED WITH NITTO, TIRE LINE: NITTO, TIRE SIZE: LT305/55R/20, DOT NUMBER: 73R8K3R212. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FELT AS THOUGH IT NEEDED AN ALIGNMENT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE BELTS WERE SEPARATING ON THE INSIDE OF THE FRONT DRIVER TIRE. THE TIRE WAS REPLACED HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED ON THE PASSENGER SIDE TIRE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 20,000.

DRIVING 2009 FORD F-50 SUPER DUTY FX4 ON INSTERSTATE AT 65 MPH, AS I EXITED TO ANOTHER INTERSTATE I EXPERIENCED A VIOLENT WOBBLE IN THE FRONT END WHICH ONLY STOPPED WHEN I BROUGHT THE PICKUP TRUCK TO A COMPLETE STOP. I TOOK THE TRUCK TO THE DEALER I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE FROM AND THEY GAVE ME A SHOPPING LIST OF $3300. THIS INCLUDED WINDSHIELD WIPERS. THEY ALSO DID NOT KNOW WHAT CAUSED THIS PROBLEM. FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE SAID THEY DID NOT KNOW OF THIS PROBLEM AND COULD NOT HELP. LOOKING INTO THIS ON GOOGLE, I FOUND HUNDREDS OF SIMILAR PROBLEMS COMMONLY CALLED "DEATH WOBBLE" ON THE INTERNET. THIS VIOLENT SHAKING HAS OCCURRED ONCE MORE TWO WEEKS LATER. I AM PARKING THE VEHICLE UNTIL I DECIDE WHAT I NEED TO DO. I AM AFRAID FOR MY FAMILY'S SAFETY AND OTHER MOTORISTS. *JS

I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, HIT A BUMP AND THE FRONT TIRES STARTED TO HOP, INCREASING IN INTENSITY THE ENTIRE TIME. THE EXPERIENCE WAS VERY SCARY, AND I FELT LIKE I WAS GOING TO LOOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. I HAD TO PULL OVER ON THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY, VERY CAREFULLY, SINCE I HAD HARDLY NO CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AT THIS POINT. SINCE THE FIRST INCIDENT I HAVE NOTICED THE HOPPING OF THE FRONT TIRES EVERY TIME I HIT A LITTLE BUMP IN THE HIGHWAY OR A POTHOLE. IT TENDS TO HAPPEN AT SPEEDS ON THE HIGHWAY AND IS LESS FREQUENT TRAVELING ON LOCAL ROADS AT A SLOWER PACE. THE ONLY WAY TO MAKE THE TIRES STOP FROM HOPPING IS TO EITHER GRADUALLY PULL OFF THE ROAD, OR JERK THE WHEEL IN ONE DIRECTION OR THE OTHER VIOLENTLY. EITHER WAY I DO NOT CONSIDER IT SAFE.