Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2012 Ford F-250 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tire size 275/70R 18. I purchased these tires in April of 2020 from Stivers Ford in Birmingham, Al. I have since replaced 4 deflective tires and 2 tires there about to be defective. The major problem with this tire is that 1 of these tires blew out while driving 70mph on I-22 in Graysville, Al exit 87 westbound. This blowout resulted in my truck doing a 720 in the middle of traffic, if I had had a trailer connected to my truck this probably would have resulted in my death and/or others. I have since filed a claim with Continental Tires The Americas Case# 21218001, and sent all of the tires back to them that were defective. Continental Tires claims this was a result of a road hazard condition (6 times??). My vehicle was inspected by Sherrill Auto body and found that there was $5000+ damage that occurred. …
The front suspension randomly shakes when doing speeds above 60 on the freeway. It's very dangerous especially because we almost experienced running into a semi while driving on I-50 between a cement construction wall and the semi. I find it hard to believe that Ford will NOT own up to this. There is clearly a history of this. I simply want my front suspension fixed to meet safety standards.
The front end of the vehicle and wheels start to violently oscillate at speeds between 50-60 mph. Sometimes it occurs after hitting a small bump and often occurs over smooth roads. This has been described as the "death wobble". I have to slow down below 25 mph for the wobbling to stop. This has put me in numerous dangerous situations on the street amd highway.
I was driving the speed limit of 65 MPH on the interstate, when the truck went over a rough spot in the road and began to shake uncontrollably. I could not steer do the steering wheel and the front of the truck shaking so violently. I managed to get the truck slowed down quickly and over onto the median. I stopped and got out to check around and under the vehicle and found nothing. As I attempted to get up to speed and merge back onto the highway the truck started shaking again. After getting up to about 50 MPH it smoothed out. I took the truck to discount tire and had the wheels rebalanced and the front checked with no problems noted. The truck has done this about 4 or 5 more times since and it always after you go over a rough spot in the road. The vehicle shakes so bad that you cannot control it and you have to stand on the brake to slow it down enough to be able to steer it. …
I have a 2012 Ford f-250 with 185K miles. I was driving along la 23 at about 65 MPH in louisiana when I crossed a bridge, passing over where the highway meets the bridge when my steering wheel began to shake violently and lost ability to maneuver the truck. I slowed down to 10 MPH in the right lane where the shake diminished. Experienced this approximately five more times recording the shake on my phone, I searched the internet when I got home and discovered the term "death wobble" occurring at speeds between 55-70. My truck begins to wobble violently when I hit a bump or joist in the interstate. Requires me to slow down to app 10mph on the side of the interstate to make it go away. Death wobble began to occur on Thursday, 17 sep while traveling for work and I had to drive less than 50 MPH the remainder of my way home. …
The death wobble my f-250 truck has been having a death wobble since I bought it ,I first took it in to Ford service department with 10,212 vehicle miles on the truck because of the death wobble , and have taken the truck several times for the death wobble since then . Ford motor company has never fixed this problem , they only make minor changes "bandaid" to the truck and it is still not fixed , they keep putting me off and say there is no solution to this problem. I have several pages of service repairs Ford has performed but they have never fixed the death wobble . My Ford f-250 still has low mileage but is not safe to drive. My family and I have came very close to a roll over at 70 MPH on the interstate from when we hit a bump in the road. Every time the truck rolls over a bump at any speed above 20 MPH it goes into a wobble and becomes very hazardous and scary. …
While driving 60 MPH over highway steering and front wheels starting shaking so violently the truck was out of control and nearly caused major accident, this has happened to us on three occasions. I feel this problem is very dangerous and is a flaw in the design of steering, suspension of front wheels of truck, I am afraid to drive this $67000.00 vehicle with 48000 miles. I have taken this truck in and repair shop says there is no problem, I have it in shop again waiting for another opinion! I feel this vehicle type be recalled, I hope nobody dies from this flaw in my vehicle and it is why I wanted to report this very dangerous vehicle 2012 Ford f-250 king ranch death wobble driving conditions on three different occasions were on highway conditions driving over small pavement bumps at speeds ranging from 60 to 70 MPH straight roads and also turning on curves, the truck shakes so …
When traveling at speeds in excess of 50 mile an hour the vehicle is subject to doing a death wobble when crossing uneven pavement or hitting bumps. The vehicle shakes so violently that it becomes hard to control and has to come to a stop to regain full control. I have this nice truck that I have to avoid interstate travel because of fear of hurting myself or someone else. I have had bearings and track bar replaced, had truck realigned and tires balanced to try to fix the problem with no luck. I'm getting ready to purchase a steering stabilizer to try but I'm running out of options and money to sink in truck but it has to be fixed. After a lot of research and talking to others with similar problem it sounds like Ford needs to step up and have a fix for the problem. They charge premium prices for their products but mine has to set at the house or travel back roads to stay safe. …
While driving at approximately 75mph on an interstate; after hitting a bump or expansion joint the front end wobbles uncontrollably until the speed is reduced by about half. I had a trusted mechanic look at my truck and he said all front end parts were in good condition and tight. He talked to a dealer who recommended replacing the steering damper as a cure for the "death wobble" issue. I had that replaced around the first of February 2021. I had not driven the truck on an interstate at speed since the replacement until Tuesday, March 9, 2021. The wobble happened three separate times within a span of ten minutes scaring the daylights out of me and nearly causing two wrecks. The truck is hazardous to drive to not only myself, but to other vehicles in my vicinity while on the road.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 Ford f-250 equipped with Michelin tires, tire line: ltx/at, (na) tire size: lt275/65/r20, and dot number: b70t003x3011. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH, the contact could feel severe vibration in the tires, which became progressively worse. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that both rear tires exhibited tread separation. The rear passenger side tire was replaced. Most recent the failure recurred however, the rear driver side tire was not replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate vehicle abd tire failure mileage was 28,000.
Wheel & Tire complaints in other F-250 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are wheel & tire problems on the 2012 Ford F-250?
NHTSA has 20 complaints about the wheels & tires of the 2012 Ford F-250, 8% of the model year's 266 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2012 Ford F-250 wheel & tire problems?
No. NHTSA lists no wheels & tires recall for the 2012 Ford F-250, though it has 1 recall 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 2012 Ford F-250 wheel & tire problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 55,000 miles, and 13% 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.