2011 Ford F-250 SD Suspension Problems

Which parts fail

• Front
  2

Components named in complaints (struts, shocks, control arms, ball joints, springs).

Mileage when the problem started

• Under 25k
  1024%
• 25k–50k
  1843%
• 50k–75k
  37%
• 75k–100k
  614%
• 100k–150k
  410%
• 150k+
  12%

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2011 Ford F-250 SD owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

When driving on a freeway at 65 MPH, the truck encountered a slight bump and the front end started shaking violently, including the steering wheel shaking back and forth violently. The truck wandered out of the lane due to loss of control of the steering. The shaking only stopped after slowing to about 35 MPH. The failure repeated itself a few minutes later before I could pull off the highway. This occurred previously (6 months / 3000 miles ago). The Ford dealer suggested I take the vehicle to an independent suspension mechanic. He inspected the truck and said all the front end components were fine but he noted that the steering damper had about a 1" dead zone. On his recommendation I replaced the steering damper and the factory shock absorbers. This video attributed to NHTSA describes the failure pretty well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gt8ckiqsxje

2011 f -250 sd4x4 had 08 king ranch never a prob in 87K miles.the 11 is dangerous!!!!!!!!! This truck will be doing fine on the road, hit a bump or rough spot in the road and truck goes into (death wobble mode ) the whole truck starts bouncing and shaking and viloently wobbling. Have had it back to Ford store 4 times. They replaced steering stablizer shocks and ball joints at my expense duh!!! First 3 times they couldnt find anything wrong.it kept doin it . I took it back and they did the repairs I stated. Well I thought it was fixed ...wrong, 22 miles after repair it did it again in a curve,, I couldnt control the wobble and ended up goin thru a fence into a field..have terrible cut on legs and face....filed lawsuit yesterday..will keep you posted...Ford has a major engineering prob. They continue to ignore,,,I intend to get their attn,,,,,jc

We have had about four occasions where our truck suddenly begins to shake and vibrate, cannot control the shimmy until you can slow it down under 30 MPH. It happened three times at about 33,000 miles. Two times it was coming off bridge, hitting a steel channel at the junction and one time a large hole. All three times it was one wheel hitting the hole or depression before the other wheel hit. We took it to Ford dealership.....no ideas there. They rebalanced the left tire and no more problems until today when it happened again when coming off a bridge. About 38,000 miles and it was the same thing. Cannot control the shimmy until the vehicle has slowed to about 30 miles per hour. Most frightening! I refuse to drive it again until this is figured out! Big, out-of-control truck is not my cup of tea.

Purchased 2011 f-250 86000 miles on it. Going home on the highway right after I bought the truck we went over a rough patch of road and the truck vibrated and shook so bad we nearly lost control. Had to stop on a busy highway shoulder and look to see if we had a flat tire. Nothing obvious but brought it to our mechanic anyways a couple days later. Every bump on the road will now cause this reaction and at highway speeds could be devastating. Our mechanic is going to try a new steering stabilizer and front axle joints but I fear this truck has the dreaded "death wobble". Very dangerous issue that Ford will not address.

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 Ford f-250 SD. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced the 'death wobble' when driving highway speeds and over unleveled Land. The vehicle was unsafe to drive over 35 MPH due to the violent shaking and vibration. An independent mechanic diagnosed the failure as the 'death wobble' and replaced the tract bar, ball joints, steering stabilizer, steering damper, and performed an alignment; however, the failures continued intermittently. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 45,423.

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 Ford f-250 SD. While driving various speeds, the vehicle wobbled uncontrollably. The brake pedal had to be depressed and the vehicle had to almost come to a complete stop to keep it from wobbling. The dealer confirmed that there was a wobble in the front end of the vehicle and that a wobble bar would need to be placed on the vehicle; however, there was no guarantee that the failure would not recur. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000. Updated 01/26/17 updated 7/12/18

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 Ford f-250 SD. While driving at an unknown speed, a loud clunking sound emitted from the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The technician diagnosed that two leaf springs fractured on the passenger and driver side. As a result, the leaf springs needed to be replaced. A year later, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The first broken spring $385.00 on 12/18/15. Both rear springs were replace at the cost of $1365.15. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 80,000. Updated 03/15/16

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 Ford f-250 SD. While driving over uneven Land and bumps in the road, the vehicle shook violently. Also, the steering wheel vibrated and there was a strong vibration felt in the front of the vehicle while driving highway speeds. Germain Ford of beavercreek (2356 heller dr, dayton, oh 45434, [phone]) was notified of the failure and could not determine the cause of the failure without guidelines from the manufacturer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 58,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 Ford f-250 SD. While driving various speeds over a bump in the road, the front end of the vehicle wobbled very violently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer on numerous occasions for a diagnostic testing and repair. The contact stated that the ball joints, shock absorbers, and other unknown components were replaced or repaired by the dealer, but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 200,000.

The truck will experience really bad wobble/bounce at 35-55mph speeds. I installed a dual steering stabilizer thinking maybe it just needs an upgrade. The rear end seems to be the problem. Every bump is felt. The cab moves and rotates back and forth as if someone is shaking the seat. The tail bed is visibly bouncing up and down the interstate or any speeds over 40mph. The rear end has too much play in it!!I believe that it is causing the frame to bend and suspension parts to go bad over time.

Suspension complaints in other F-250 SD years