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 2009 Ford F-250 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
While driving at freeway speeds (typically above 50mph) the vehicle will have extended steering oscillation (violent shaking of the steering wheel) after going over normal expansion joints in the roadway and other roadway bumps. It is impossible to control the vehicle steering when oscillations start. Sometimes the only thing that stops the oscillations is slowing, and leaving the freeway. No warning messages or lamps appear. When brought to dealership for repair, was told to contact manufacturer customer service.
I was driving down a city street and my 2009 f250 started to violently shake and I could barely control the steering wheel, it was like I had blown all 4 tires or the suspension had fallen apart. I was talking to my sister on the car speaker when it happened and she could even hear the shaking and started yelling to make sure I had not wrecked my vehicle. I pulled over in a parking lot and everything looked fine, all tires in tact, suspension still on the vehicle. This has happened 3 more times while driving on a city street and also once on a packed interstate. I called a Ford dealer and they acknowledged this was known as the "death wobble" but would need to charge me $120 to diagnose the issue. This is not only scary but also very dangerous and could cause injury or even death. …
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.
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.
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.
While driving on a highway at 65-70 miles per hour, if your front tires hit a small bump, especially on curves, the pickup front end wil go into an uncontollable wobble and you must immediately hit your brakes to get it to come to an almost dead stop before it will quit. You can end up in the other lane or cause the person following you to rearend you or end up in the ditch. So far, we have been lucky when this has happened as we live in a farming area and not heavily populated but are afraid to haul cattle to sale with this pickup which is what we need it for. This started around at around 88,000 miles on speedometer. We have reseached this and talled to others and found it is called the "death wobble".
While in motion, this vehicle has had violent shaking at highway speeds 60-70mph and at low speeds of 30-40mph. The steering wheel violently shakes from side to side along with the entire truck shaking violently. It nearly caused an accident twice while traveling on the highway with very light load in the bed (approximately 110lbs). This has been coined the "death wobble" from other f-250 owners that have experienced this issues as well. It seems that hitting a bump causes issues within the suspension and steering.
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.
I have had multiple episode of death wobble. I have had the front end suspension rebuilt twice and have had the problem return, mechanics say its the worse they have ever seen. I've had to replace body mounts because they were destroyed by the violent wobble. This happens at speeds over 45 miles an hour and only stops when slowed down to about 35 miles an hour, which is very dangerous on the interstate
When driving speed between 35 and 40 MPH, the steering starts wobbling back and forth. Have to slow down and pull over. Road is a 4 lane straight street. Has happened twice. Truck as 43,000 miles. Taking to a mechanic today for assistance in diagnoses. Looked up on the internet and this seems to be a common issue with this model. Having the stabilizers checked.
Steering complaints in other F-250 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are steering problems on the 2009 Ford F-250?
NHTSA has 32 complaints about the steering of the 2009 Ford F-250, 59% of the model year's 54 complaints. The component named most often is gear box (other than rack and pinion) (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2009 Ford F-250 steering problems?
No. NHTSA lists no steering recall for the 2009 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 2009 Ford F-250 steering problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 68,000 miles, and 3% before 25,000 miles.
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.