Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power steering, steering column, rack and pinion).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2005 Ford F-250 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
While driving at 65 Mph, towing a fifth wheel camper, encountered a mildly rough section of highway when entire front end began to wobble and shake violently. Slowed the vehicle, maintaining control. When going back up to speed, the same shaking occured again. Also noted a less violent shaking at 45 mph. Took vehicle to have new tires rebalanced but did not change condition much. Inspected front end components. Currently replacing steering damper and shocks in hopes of correcting issue. All other components new or nearly new (3 years) with no issues. Vehicle and components can be inspected, and all replaced parts will be kept for inspection if required. Safety of my vehicle and others on busy highway could have been compromised had I not slowed and maintained control. The problem is being dealt with by me, as I do most maintenance on vehicle. …
In 2014, I got the "Ford death wobble" in the right front. VERY scary and dangerous. Trying to quickly slow down to stop it in traffic is almost as dangerous as the wobble itself. You have very little to no control with the steering when it happens. I had to repair the problem out of pocket because Ford won't do anything about it. Now, two weeks ago, I had the same death wobble happen at 70 mph on the left front. So frightening. My passengers thought we had a blowout and we're about to crash. I successfully slowed it down but this problem is a road hazard to me and everyone else on the road. So now, once again, it's on me to shell out to fix a problem that should have been a recall a long time ago but Ford won't step up and do the right thing. Please give us some relief here.
Driving on the freeway at apps 65 miles per hour, the truck hit a numb in the road and started to shaking causing the truck to shake violently. I was able to get to the side of the road and slow down which eased the shaking. I started driving again and after reaching speeds this happened two more times, then I got off the freeway and drove backroads home under 40 miles per hour.
towing a trailer, traveling at 70 mph, I hit a pothole and vehicle violently shook. The episode lasted for approx 30 seconds. It was very Difficult to maintain control and I almost ran off the road. It happened several times before I took it for repairs. The stabilizer bar was replaced, however the violent shaking has still continued.
Front end suspension shimmy> My granddaughter and I were driving at 60mpa and hit a bump and could not control shaking of truck until pulling over to stop. This happened without warning. Had to drive back roads to get home.
The back bed rails rot/rust very quickly and trying to buy new beds run 4500$ along with o2 sensors ir intake sensors go out of blue no reasoning let alone the power steering lines rusting very very quickly
Wrench light comes on, but truck goes into limp loses power very dangerous don't know if it's going to cause me to be rear-ended, steering goes back and forth right to left can't hardly hold it in road
The Ford 250 initiates a 'death wobble' or intense shimmy in the front wheels at speeds greater than 50 MPH anytime any small bump is encountered on road. This instance initiated 5 times in a 500 mile highway trip at such an intense rate that the vehicle lost significant steering control and had to be immediately decelerated to nearly 20 MPH for it to stop. Initial speed was close to 63 MPH. The shimmy initiated when a small bump is passed over and on three of these instances it initiated with the crossing of a expansion gap or transition from the highway to a bridge or bridgelike structure. The wobble shook truck so much that directional control was lost. Approaching (traffic from the rear) had to swerve out of they way to avoid a rear collision. If deceleration is not immediately imposed the vehicle maintains the shimmy and directional control is severely compromised. …
2005 Ford f250 with approximately 19,100 miles. Original factory tires, suspension- no modifications. Tire pressure set to factory door label specs. On Monday, 8-19-2019 while on I-95, travel speed at about 60 m.p.h., I drove over a bridge expansion joint & the entire truck started shaking violently. Steering wheel was vibrating/shaking making it difficult for me to maintain control of the truck in my established lane and nearly took out several cars in the adjacent lanes nearly causing multi-vehicle collision. Went on the internet & found thousands of similar complaints regarding this same issue I just experienced. Later found out it is called harmonic resonance a.k.a. The death wobble. This dangerous situation affects not only the driver and the passengers in the defective vehicle, but to other unsuspecting motorist's and their passengers whom share the same roadways.
On my 2005 Ford diesel f250,after 126000 miles, steering became very loose. Had entire front end replaced including gear box. Rebuilder purchased motocraft rebuilt steering boxes from Ford. Four of these rebuilt boxes were tried on the truck. None were any good. Builder said that this was a common problem with Ford gear boxes. They indicated that the gear box rebuilders only replaced the bearings, not the worn-out gears within the box. The forth gearbox installed was even worse, it was dangerous. When driving on the freeway the truck would veer without warning into another lane and would be very difficult to correct. The truck is back in the shop again. This time to buy an after market (non Ford) gear box. This vehicle's front end problem has so far cost me over $4000. In repairs, but , what is worse these gear box replacements could cause an accident.
Steering complaints in other F-250 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are steering problems on the 2005 Ford F-250?
NHTSA has 39 complaints about the steering of the 2005 Ford F-250, 27% of the model year's 144 complaints. The component named most often is linkages › tie rod assembly (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2005 Ford F-250 steering problems?
No. NHTSA lists no steering recall for the 2005 Ford F-250. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2005 Ford F-250 steering problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 60,000 miles, and 30% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 0 injuries to steering problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.