Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (struts, shocks, control arms, ball joints, springs).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2017 Ford F-350 SD owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-350. The contact stated that while driving at highway speeds, the vehicle experienced a death wobble. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer for wheel balancing and alignment; however, the failure persisted. The contact returned the vehicle to the dealer who diagnosed that the front stabilizer and the drag links needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 36,000.
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-350. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made an abnormal thumping sound. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the front passenger's side wheel bearing was faulty. The mechanic replaced the front passenger's side wheel bearing. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was 45,912.
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-350. The contact's husband stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle started shaking violently. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a local dealer to be diagnosed. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 41,000.
Third time returning my Ford F350 to the Friendly Ford dealership where it was purchased because of death wobble. Vehicle is driving at high speeds all three times has been on the freeway and all of a sudden it shakes violently and almost loses control of vehicle. The first time happened in January 18 of 2020 the second time happened June 25 of 2022 and then just three days ago October 12, 2022. The vehicle was almost crashed the last two times it happened. The shaking was so violent on the last time did it caused my fuel line to come loose and spell diesel fuel all the way back into town. again it has been to the dealership three times now to fix the problem and was told this last time that everything looked OK and that I had to test drive it and re-create the situation in order for them to diagnose it. Extremely dangerous to re-create the death wobble. …
Okay, been hearing a lot of noises up underneath it, got under there and looked at my heat shields, that are just flaking off everywhere. I'm scared that my truck is going to catch on fire at this point. All of the heat shields around pretty much everything are disintegrating and falling apart. I've already filled out several of these and I went and tried to turn the truck in and to no avail. They have done everything in their power to not fix nothing on my truck. Nothing. I need some help. Please give me a call [redacted] The linkage, the power door locks and the door handles leaking, are all problems that I have and every one of them they know about and I'm scared that the front end is going to fall apart because of that linkage problem.. I can't get them to do nothing for me. …
I experienced a violent shaking that happened to the front end of my 2017 Ford F350 Super Duty truck (with 25600 miles on the odometer). It typically occurs at speeds over 50 miles per hour. It's also happened after going over bumps or grooves in the road. I brought my truck into a local repair shop because an appointment with my local dealer wasn't available until Mar 16th (60 days). The repair shop shared with me that they noticed abnormal wear and loosening of the track bar bushing, damper bracket, ball joints, control arms, shocks and struts. Additional they shared its not safe to drive the vehicle in it's current state. Ford has yet to issued a recall for this hazardous defect. Lastly because they haven't admitted to the underlying issue, OEM parts are my only option. This leads to me spending thousands of dollars with no resolution. …
I have a 2017 Ford F-350 Super Duty. I've experienced numerous "Death Wobble" issue with this vehicle since I've owned it. It has been at the dealership eight times where Ford has stated the problem was diagnosed and repaired. I just returned from a road trip where I experienced six Death Wobble issues at highway speeds on Interstate 80 from Elko NV to Reno NV. When I pass over uneven pavement the truck front wheels begin to shake violently which forces me to reduce my speed to about 20 miles per hour. Luckily, only two semi trucks had to change lanes to keep from rear ending me. This is an inherent problem with Ford Super Duty trucks. When will the NHTSA force Ford to recall these potentially deadly vehicles? I have several videos of this problem if you would like to see them. I can only download photos.
Steering wobble - I was driving on I-5 at 70 mph and ran over a small pothole. The steering started violently and uncontrollably shaking. It caused the truck to drift into the left lane but fortunately no other vehicle was along side. I was able to regain control by cautiously slowing down to about 35 mph. At that point the shaking stopped and steering went back to normal. Checking the tpms, the tires were properly inflated at the time. I went on to drive another 200+ miles without further incident. The 2017 F350 truck had 28,328 miles at the time and has only been driven on paved roads. I have noticed in the past that hitting a bump in the road seems to resonate rather than just an initial "bump" like other vehicles I've owned. The truck is well taken care of and has never been in an accident.
The front end of my Ford F350 can cause a forceful wobble when going over small bumps. The last time this occurred was on 11/26/22 while driving on the highway at 65 mph and I drove over one of the seams in the pavement. The front end began to wobble so forcefully, I had to slow down to around 30 mph, putting me and anyone behind me at risk of a rear end collision. I haul a travel trailer and if this were to happen while hauling, it could have more catastrophic effects. I've not been able to get it in to Ford to troubleshoot due to their long delays (7 to 9 weeks) in servicing vehicles. I'm trying again this week to take it in. It's not been inspected by anyone yet. There's no warning when this occurs. The first time this happened was either in the Fall of 2021 or early Spring of 2022.
Death Wobble started to occur around August 2021. No prior incidents. After the first time it would continue to happen anytime driving between 45-60 MPH and hitting a bump in the road. Once you found a bump that would trigger the death wobble, you could EASILY recreate the problem. Once the death wobble starts you have to slow down to 5-10 MPH before it'll quit. During the wobble it is IMPOSSIBLE to control the vehicle as the steering wheel shakes violently and it feels like all wheels are bouncing opposite of one another creating a very scary and violent situation. I had a repair shop go in and replace anything that could be related and had 2 different alignment shops look into the problem. Ultimately nothing solves the issue.
Suspension complaints in other F-350 SD years
Frequently asked questions
How common are suspension problems on the 2017 Ford F-350 SD?
NHTSA has 219 complaints about the suspension of the 2017 Ford F-350 SD, 38% of the model year's 574 complaints. The component named most often is front (3 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2017 Ford F-350 SD suspension problems?
No. NHTSA lists no suspension recall for the 2017 Ford F-350 SD, though it has 13 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 2017 Ford F-350 SD suspension problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 26,000 miles, and 46% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 0 injuries to suspension 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.