Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (wheels, lug nuts, original-equipment tires, TPMS).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2018 Ford F-350 SD owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-350. The contact stated that while driving 60-65 MPH, the TPMS warning light illuminated. The contact stated that air was added; however, the failure reoccurred shortly after. The contact became aware that the TPMS warning light would frequently illuminate shortly after adding air to the tires. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that there was corrosion between the rim and the valve stem, and that the valve stem was no longer sealed. The independent mechanic replaced the metallic valve stem with a rubber valve stem; however, the failure had been reoccurring on 5 of the 6 rims. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who informed the contact that they did not have the equipment to repair the vehicle. …
Driving at normal highway speed while going over a bridge on highway 290 Worcester, mA the vehicle went over the metal plate that connects the bridge to the road, the front end of the vehicle started to shake. Slowly at first and quickly becoming uncontrollable. The vehicle would not stop violently shaking until I brought the truck to an almost complete stop on an extremely congested highway two days before Christmas at noon time. Many vehicles around me at the time swerved to avoid hitting me, just avoiding accidentally striking my almost completely stopped vehicle in the fast lane of the highway. My confidence in the vehicle has dropped to zero and will not allow my wife or two junior operators to drive that vehicle on the highway anymore until the vehicle problem has been corrected.
Ongoing problem originally reported 4/12/18, NHTSA ID 11084859. Originally reported failure of one aluminum wheel/valve stem causing loss of air pressure. Since then, all four outer aluminum wheels/valve stems have been subject to ongoing air loss. Ford has replaced all the valve stems because of air loss/leaking 3 times! They have also replaced all four outer aluminum wheels because of air loss/leaking. Truck is out of warranty now and I have had an independent tire seal leaking valve stems on multiple occasions and add air to tires frequently because of this ongoing SAFETY PROBLEM.
Lug Nuts "swell" up and are not easy to remove. I have not had a flat on the side of the road, yet, but I can forsee huge problems trying to remove these Swollen Lug Nuts in a bad situation. Contacted Ford Service since I have an extended warranty, but they would not cover giving me replacement Lug Nuts. Bad Design + Bad Service policy = Stranded Customer in Bad Situation
I first had a death wobble at 9000 miles. I was unsure of what happened, thought I hit something or blew a tire at 60 MPH. After the first time it didn't happen for another year. At 15000 miles it became more and more recurring and I started asking around and heard of the death wobble. It happens when you are driving at speeds of greater than 50 MPH and is such a violent shake it May put you into another lane. You can not drive through it and must slow down to under 25 MPH. The last time I had to hit my breaks on a freeway with a semi behind me going 70 MPH and nearly was rear ended or causing a huge crash. I was terrified to drive it and fortunate enough to have a company vehicle to use as my daily commuter. I contacted my dealer and they heard of it and scheduled and ordered parts for the repair. I since have had it repaired on a brand new truck with 16000 miles. …
The aluminum wheels on this truck keep losing air pressure due to galvanic corrosion between the aluminum wheels and stainless steel valve stems. Prestige Ford in garland texas replaced defective stem with the like part in January 2020. I now have a second wheel with the same issue. Ford has a current TSB regarding this issue but has taken the stance of no repair unless the stem fails. This truck hauls a 16,000 pound trailer and a tire failure May cause lose of controls with injury or death. Due to safety issues the nthsa should make this a mandatory recall before someone get hurt or there is a loss of life from an accident that could be avoided by Ford doing the right thing. Consumer stated corrosion is happening due to dissimilar metals contacting which is known as galvanic corrosion.
Tl* the contact owns a 2018 Ford f-350 SD. The contact stated that the tire pressure monitoring system indicator illuminated when the vehicle was started. The vehicle was taken to phil long Ford of denver (7887 w tufts avenue, denver, co 80123) where it was determined that the rear passenger dual exterior tire had a faulty tire pressure sensor and needed replacement. The contact also stated that the rear driver side dual exterior tire monitoring system was repaired on September 6, 2018. In addition, there was a failure with the front driver side tire's tire pressure monitoring system. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failures. The approximate failure mileage was 14,295.
Aluminum wheel valve stem leaking - tire loosing approximately 10 psi per day. TPMS alarm notified me of a problem on highway when pressure reached 50 psig (spec =65) but identified the wrong tire because the sensors are incorrectly mapped. Apparently a this is a common failure on the 2017 and newer Ford f350 drw trucks as indicated here and in other online forums: https://www.Ford-trucks.com/forums/1495539-2017-drw-recurring-valve-stem-leaks.html based on this I am expecting leaks in the other three aluminum wheels soon. The inner steel wheels apparently do not get the same problem. The frequency of this defect detracts from the effectiveness of TPMS because it's always in alarm.
Death wobble on freeway going about 75mph, went over a small bump when going over an overpass and it was shaking so hard I almost crashed with my two children in the truck and I had to pull off the road and completely stop before I could get it to stop , truck has less than 18,000 miles on it. Took it in to Ford and they show the caster being out of alignment. Just had it aligned at a different Ford dealership a few weeks ago. Now I'm being told I have to pay to replace some sort of bolts and it'll take about 2.5 hours to replace, which means a few hundred dollars?!
I noticed the steering was getting sloppy at about 35,000 miles when driving at highway speeds on uneven road surfaces and going over bridge joints. Two nights ago I was driving at 57mph when I came off a bridge and the truck began to shake violently causing me to slow down quickly and pull to the road shoulder to avoid being rear ended. At about 30mph the shaking subsided. Researching the issue on line has LED me to believe I have a truck inflicted with 'death wobble'. It will be going to the dealership tomorrow.
Related recalls
Tires
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 F-150, 2018-2020 F-250, F-350, and 2019 Escape vehicles equipped with Continental tires. On the affected vehicles, it is possible that one or more tires were cured for too long during tire production.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the tires, and replace them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on March 27, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332.
Wheel & Tire complaints in other F-350 SD years
Frequently asked questions
How common are wheel & tire problems on the 2018 Ford F-350 SD?
NHTSA has 26 complaints about the wheels & tires of the 2018 Ford F-350 SD, 13% of the model year's 203 complaints. The component named most often is valve (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2018 Ford F-350 SD wheel & tire problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 21V-155 (tires, Mar 10, 2021). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2018 Ford F-350 SD wheel & tire problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 15,000 miles, and 70% 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.