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 2008 Ford F-250 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2008 Ford F-250. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH on a bridge, the vehicle drove over potholes and the vehicle experienced the death wobble, causing the steering wheel to shake uncontrollably. The contact firmly gripped the steering wheel and decelerated to 30 MPH to prevent the vehicle from shaking. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact stated that several independent mechanics had previously replaced the tires, control arms, shocks, struts, steering damper, and pitman arm, as well as performed an alignment; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
Several times steering has been lost while making a turn. Thusfar accidents have been narrowly avoided. I have worked with the Ford dealer and replaced all major components in 2022. But the problem has started again. Most times the steering wheel is difficult to turn in parking situations; other times the steering wont work at all. I have had to swing wide into the oncoming lane during a turn to make the turn.
Clock spring frayed and uncoiled. Unknown steering issue till clockspring checked. Airbag inflator is unoperational. Current clockspring recall for Ford does not cover this vehicle. Widen your recall. Most owners would believe it to be a power steering issue with pump and fluid, like we did.
Experiencing the ford "death wobble". Around 50 mph going over small road transition the vehicle start shaking violently and I have no control. The only way to stop it is come close to a dead stop in the middle of a highway.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Ford f-250. While driving approximately 10 MPH, a popping noise came from the steering column and the steering wheel malfunctioned. The contact was unable to steer the vehicle in either direction and crashed into a parked vehicle. There were no injuries and a police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering shaft was fractured and detached. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 93,000.
While driving on the highway at about 50 MPH, truck seemed to want to wander due to excessive play in the steering box. Steering wheel would turn about 1/4 to 1/2 way before it would react. I took it to my local mechanic and he told me it could possibly be adjusted. He checked all the linkage and steering box bolts for looseness. He tried to adjust the box but there was a flat spot on the steering gear that had worn and could not adjust because it would cause the steering to bind up and not return correctly. He told me this was very unusual for a steering box to be worn out with only 47,000 mile on the truck and that it should be replaced because it would be very unsafe to drive. After returning it to me I drove it for a few days and decided it was best to have the steering box replaced. My cost was over $700. …
Since owning my f250, it has randomly experienced a severe vibration "death wobble" after hitting bumps at highway speed. So bad, that I installed a steering stabilizer to help mitigate the issue (Ford didn't seem to have a better fix). I always keep my load "e "rated tires inflated per recommended pressures yet the problem persisted. On several occasions I thought that I was going to lose control of the vehicle when the vibrations happened. Ford has yet to address this issue other than to say slow down when the severe vibration occurs. For nearly 10 years this has been an accident waiting to happen for many f250 owners and Ford's answer is when it happens ," slow down"? This is not an isolated occurrence unique to my vehicle; there are literally thousands who have experienced the above issue. …
My truck has the 6.4 diesel engine. While turning on a one lane street the vehicle failed to respond to my efforts. After a couple of seconds it responded and I maintained control. My vehicle is currently at mike white Ford in coeur alene idaho getting a new motor installed. Myself and the service advisor walked into the shop to heck progress on the motor install. I asked him to address the steering box recall where from the factory a steering box was installed that doesnt sit flush with the frame. This problem could result in the bolts attaching the steering box to the frame breaking due to the poor fitment. I showed him a hole where a bolt attaching the steering box to the frame was broken off. He stated to me that he didnt thom that there was a recall on the steering box. I stated that yes there was and asked hom to please fix it. …
The truck steering is uncontrollable and dangerous. When driving the truck jerk the steering wheel over into the other lane.this happens all the time when driving on regular city streets.truck turn on its own and goes into the other lane. Very hard to correct wheel will not turn back to straight position. We have taken it into 2 different auto repair shop 4 times and no one can find the problem. We did have gear box changed and had it changed a second time to make sure this was not a defective steering box. Cant find anything wrong with it. No mechanic can find anything wrong with truck and can not fix this issue.has happened over 10 times.happens very time it is drove unknown problem! Not drive able and dangerous.
Have been experiencing the infamous "super duty death shake" for several years now ....have had dealer inspect the vehicle numerous times to no avail ....always told it is due to tire pressure or worn tires....I check pressures regularly and never have to add more than a # or two.....new tires mask the problem but it is still there......several encounters have nearly caused accidents....usually happens at highway speed but occasionally at speeds as low as 35 MPH.....violent oscillation at times have been very dangerous situations ....this problem needs to be rectified .....received a "recall notice related to this issue on 2/6/2018 ....was told by Ford on 2/7/2018 that they have no plans to fix this dangerous issue
NHTSA investigations
Alleged Loss of Steering
The Office of DefectsInvestigation (ODI) opened PE13-014 after identifying five complaints alleging steering gear failure in model year (MY) 2008 Ford F-250 and F-350 Super Duty pick-up trucks and to evaluate the relationship between the design history of the steering gear assembly and the alleged defect.As background, ODI investigated steering gear sector shaft fractures in approximately 1.3 million MY 1999 - 2001…
Steering complaints in other F-250 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are steering problems on the 2008 Ford F-250?
NHTSA has 80 complaints about the steering of the 2008 Ford F-250, 41% of the model year's 196 complaints. The component named most often is hydraulic power assist › pump (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2008 Ford F-250 steering problems?
No. NHTSA lists no steering recall for the 2008 Ford F-250, though it has 5 recalls for other components. 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 2008 Ford F-250 steering problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 78,000 miles, and 7% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 5 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.