2020 FORD F-350 Steering Problems
30 complaints about Steering
High Severity Issue
This component has been associated with crashes, fires, or deaths.
This Problem Across All Years
All Steering Complaints (30)
This has occured multiple times. While driving on freeway at speeds between 65 and 75 MPH and hitting rough asphalt, the vehicle begins shaking violently, almost to the point of losing control. It will only stop if I slow down to under 40 mph or stopping altogether. This has been very frightening when it occurs in traffic on freeways. It seems to occur mainly when on a curve.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-350. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V957000 (FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL), 25V626000 (STEERING), and 25V686000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.
The steering column upper shaft may have been manufactured wrong and can result in losing the steering. I can not drive the vehicle. I live far from Boise and I'm missing family events and hunting for which I paid tags/license. The parts for this will not be in till next year sometime, per the recall letter. The vehicle has not been inspected and the recall letter doesn't ask for it to be. There has not been any problems up until now.
I was driving when the steering column upper sharft sperated from the steering wheel. i was driving without any control of the steering. They still have not inspected this. I had it towed to Capital Ford of Sept 3rd. This is directly related to recall 25V626. This can happen while driving and is terrifying especally because there is zero warrning and you do not expect this to happen.
I WAS DRIVING FORWARD APPROX 5 MPH AND LOST ALL CONTROL OF THE STEERING. THE STEERING WHEEL WAS NOT MOVING THE FRONT TIRES AT ALL. THERE WAS NO WARNING, AND INDICATION THAT THE STEERING WAS GOING BAD. THE TRUCK IS 2020 WITH APPROX 80,0000 MILES. NOT LIFTED, NO OFF ROADING. THE STEERING WHEEL WILL JUST SPIN NO STOP TO IT IN EITHER DIRECTION. MY UNDERSTANING WITH THIS TRUCK IS THERE IS NO INTERMIDATED SHAFT SO IT DIDNT SLOWLY GO OUT. THE NIGHT BEFORE MY FAMILY AND I WERE COMING DOWN FROM LAKE TAHOE WITH A BOAT ATTACHED. HAD THIS HAPPENED AT THAT SPPED WITH A TRAILER IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A VERY DIFFERENT OUTCOME.
The steering wheel all of a sudden got really loose and will pull away from the steering column. I called Ford service at the dealership I bought it from. They said my extended warranty has just expired. They also say there are no active recalls for this issue. This is not something that should ever happen. I have never had this problem with and vehicle I have ever owned in the 30 + years of owning and driving. Is there anything that can be done to have them cover this repair?
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-350. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the steering wheel was loose and had no resistance. The contact stated that the steering wheel failed to operate as needed. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the steering shaft had fallen out of the lower steering column. The mechanic was able to order the part and repaired the vehicle. The dealer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the manufacturer for further assistance. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not under recall for the failure. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 75,000.
Mileage: 75,000
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-350. The contact stated while driving 5 MPH, the steering wheel became inoperable. The contact stated that the steering wheel was turning in a circular motion. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to stop the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the steering drive line drive shaft U-joint needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 125,924.
Mileage: 125,924
The steering column has failed causing steering wheel separation from the steering column. The issue happened simply driving down the road almost causing a loss of control of the vehicle. Vehicle has been at a local dealership currently and they are stating there is no active recall for this model year vehicle and ford is not responsible for repairs due to being outside of my warranty by approx. 2k miles. It is open knowledge that the same issue is happening on newer model year vehicles with a recall in effect.
Steering shaft came apart causing the vehicle to go out of control. Yes inspection is available. Vehicle went into opposing traffic and hit barrier on opposite side of road. Vehicle was inspected by No warning lamp
Truck has death wobble.
Extreame front-end vibration ("aka" death-wobble as described for other F250 and F350 pickups on Google). Driving 60mph on 65mph limit highway. Small bump on road. Truck starts severe vibrations from the front end. No steering control. Slight drift into left lane. Another car in the lane left to me had to break to avoid me. Vibration would not stop until I applied brakes and the truck speed was 30mph. Both the loss of steering, and the necessary reduction in speed was extreamly dangerous. Upon searching the internet it appears this is a common problem with Ford F250 and F350 trucks that neither the NHTSA nor Ford has/is addressing.
While traveling to and from New Orleans from New Jersey I had 12 incidents of the Ford Death Wobble. The first time I was traveling at 70 mile per hour when I hit a bump in the road and the wobble started. I was able to slow to about 30 miles per hour and the wobble stopped. Over the 2500 miles traveled I experienced this wobble at speeds as slow as 55 miles per hour. I will be taking my vehicle to the Ford dealer I purchased it from to see if they can help. Right now I am afraid to drive faster that 55 mile per hours for fear I my hit some kind of bump that will start this wobble and cause me to loose control of my truck.
"Death Wobble"- At a speed of run 50 miles per hour. Going around the curve my steering will begin to shake violently. Also a handful of other times it shook in the same way after hitting a bump in the road. Once I slowed down it corrected itself.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-350. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45–55 MPH and driving over a bump in the roadway, the contact experienced the death wobble. The contact was unable to hold onto the steering wheel. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the dealer and was informed that the repair was not covered under recall or warranty. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000.
Mileage: 45,000
Severe steering wheel shaking at Interstate speeds. Appears to be the Ford Super Duty "death wobble".
The steering begins to shake uncontrollably. This happens randomly, at highway speeds.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-350. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, there was a loss of power steering, and the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle failed to restart. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact used an OBD scanner to retrieve failure codes for the powertrain control module (PCM) and the engine control module (ECM module). The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the fuse box and wiring harness needed to be replaced. The vehicle remained with the independent mechanic awaiting the repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 164,000.
Mileage: 164,000
Repeated “death wobble” where the steering components oscillate rapidly left and right causing a lack of steering control. One repair attempted. Later occurrence and another repair. A third event, this time while pulling a 14,000 pound 5th wheel trailer. At about 63 mph the wobble started. I braked, the truck pulled left and I could not maintain my lane. An 18-wheeler behind me moved to the left lane due to my braking and we almost collided due to my not being able to steer. I did get it under control to get back in my lane and avoid the collision. This has been worked on by two different dealers and is about to be looked at again by the original dealer. Almost every front-end component has already been replaced.
My truck starting shaking really bad while driving after 45 miles per hour. I went to the repair shop today and they told me it was the death wobble. Could have lost control of truck as it was very terrifying.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-350. The contact stated while driving 5 MPH and while going up a hill, the vehicle started to jerk, and the contact felt the vehicle would lose steering. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and they stated that the steering columns needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure milage was 146,000.
Mileage: 146,000
Steering - my steering wheel kept becoming really loose that it felt like it was going to fall off. I have had it fixed at FORD twice. It was difficult to drive or want to turn as it was extremely wobbly making me feel at any moment I can lose control. This also caused my Lane Keeping Assistance to fail. The first time FORD tightened the steering wheel but the same problem came back then parts were actually replaced.
Death wobble. The truck shakes very bad that it is unsafe to drive and causes a threat to other motorists. You literally have to reduce the speed of your truck to about 20 miles per hour to stop it when you on a freeway or not when it starts shaking.
While travelling down the highway at approximately 65mph, came in contact with a rough patch of road, causing the front suspension and steering to shake violently, nearly resulting in a loss of control. This persisted for approximately 30-60 secs, until slowing vehicle down to about 50mph. This is the second time this has happened, within the past 3 months. The vehicle has all new tires, and is serviced and maintained regularly.
TRUCKS HAVING A VERY BAD CASE OF DEATH WOBBLE, ONLY 7,500 MILES ON THE TRUCK
Mileage: 7,500
VEHICLE HIT A ROUGH SPOT IN THE HIGHWAY AND THE STEERING WHEEL STARTED VIOLENTLY SHAKING CAUSING ME TO NOT BE ABLE TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE, BRAKES WERE USED TO SLOW THE VEHICLE AND THE ISSUE STOPPED. COMMONLY CALLED THE DEATH WOBBLE
Mileage: 52,000
THE VEHICLE UPON STARTING WILL GIVE TWO WARNINGS: PRE COLLISION NOT AVAILABLE AND STEER ASSIST FAULT SERVICE REQUIRED. THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN ALL THE TIME I TURN VEHICLE OFF AND IT RESETS. I WILL NOT THIS MESSAGE FOR AWHILE AND THEN WILL OCCUR AGAIN I HAVE ALSO NOTICE THAT MY THROTTLE APPEARS TO RAISE ON ITS OWN WHILE DRIVING. THE TAIL GATE ALSO JUST OPENS ON ITS OWN.
ON 3 OCCASIONS SINCE I BOUGHT THE PU NEW ON JULY 24TH, 2020 I EXPERIENCED WHAT THE FORD DEALER NOW CALLS DEATH WOBBLE. THE FIRST TIME HAPPENED ON SEPT 2ND WHILE DRIVING DOWN HILL PULLING MY TRAILER AT ABOUT 50MPH. WHEN I STEPPED ON THE BRAKE THE STEERING WHEEL AND BRAKE PEDAL STARTED TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY. I HAD LITTLE CONTROL UNTIL MY SPEED DROPPED. I TOOK THE PU TO THE DEALER SEPT 16TH. THEY SAID THEY COULD FIND NO PROBLEM AND STATED IF THEIR AGENT COULD NOT EXPERIENCE THE PROBLEM WHILE DRIVING THE PU THEY COULD NOT FIX IT. ON THE SECOND TIME I WAS DRIVING THE PU EMPTY AT HIGHWAY SPEED AND AGAIN WHILE BRAKING THE STEERING AND BRAKES SHOOK VIOLENTLY. UP TO THIS POINT I WAS THINKING THE BRAKES WERE THE PROBLEM. I STARTED TRACKING THE BRAKE TEMPERATURE WHICH SHOWED A LARGE VARIETY OF TEMPS FOR SIMILAR DRIVING CONDITIONS. I PROVIDED THE NUMBERS TO THE DEALER. I WAS TOLD A FEW DAYS LATER ON OCT 29TH THAT THE TEMPS WERE NORMAL AND MY DRIVING STYLE NEEDED TO BE ADJUSTED FOR A VEHICLE OF THIS TYPE. ON THE THIRD TIME NOV 15TH I WAS AGAIN PULLING THE TRAILER BUT THIS TIME AT 40MPH IN WET AND SNOWY CONDITIONS WHEN I STEPPED ON THE BRAKE I EXPERIENCED THE SHAKING TO THE POINT OF LOSING CONTROL. WHEN I TOOK THE PU TO THE DEALER WITH JUST 8000 MILES ON THE TRUCK THEY AGAIN SAID THEY COULD DO NOTHING WITHOUT THEIR AGENT SEEING THE PROBLEM THEMSELVES. BUT THIS TIME ON THE PAPERWORK THEY DESCRIBED THE PROBLEM AS 'DEATH WOBBLE'. I CHECKED THE NHTSA SITE FINDING SEVERAL COMPLAINTS SIMILAR TO MINE. THE INTERNET IS ALSO LOADED WITH COMPLAINTS AND POSSIBLE FIXES SINCE FORD WON'T OR CAN'T FIX THE PROBLEM. FORD CLEARLY KNOWS THIS PROBLEM EXISTS BECAUSE THEY HAVE PUT A NAME TO THE PROBLEM BUT THEY ARE DOING NOTHING ON MY PU (AND MANY OTHERS) TO FIX THE PROBLEM.
Mileage: 3,200
BROUGHT THIS TRUCK ON NOVEMBER 5,2020. IT IS A FORD F-350 SUPER DUTY DUALLY . ON NOVEMBER 25,2020 THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT COULDN'T STEER TRUCK THEN WITHIN A FEW MINS. LOST THE BRAKES ON THE TRUCK. HAD TO HOLD BRAKES TO FLOOR TO GET TRUCK STOPPED BESIDE OF ROAD. LOOK LIKE LOST FLUID FROM POWER STEERING . WAS A GOOD THING ON A TWO LANE ROAD WITH LITTLE TRAFFIC. WAS ABOUT TO GET ON INTERSTATE HIGHWAY WHERE THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN BAD WITH ALL THAT TRAFFIC AND GOING SPEED LIMIT . WHY WOULD BRAKES GO OUT IF POWER STEERING QUIT?
Mileage: 1,666
STEERING RETURNABILTY OR "RETURN TO CENTER" IS IMPEDED BY ELECTRIC POWER STEERING ASSIST. ACCORDING TO FORD THE NEW ELECTRIC OVER HYDRAULIC SYSTEM INSTALLED ON SOME SUPER DUTY TRUCKS ASSISTS THE DRIVER DURING CROSS WIND OR HEAVY ROAD CROWN SITUATIONS. BUT WHEN THERE IS NO WIND OR ROAD CROWN THE SYSTEM CONTINUES TO "ASSIST" AND HOLDS THE STEERING COLUMN FROM IMMEDIATELY RETURNING TO CENTER. THIS VEHICLE IS NOT EQUIPPED WITH A "LANE KEEPING' OR "AUTO STEER" SYSTEM. UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS THE VEHICLE REQUIRES CONSTANT LEFT AND RIGHT INPUT TO MAINTAIN LANE.WHEN DRIVING BETWEEN 30 MPH AND 50 MPH THE VEHICLE WILL CONTINUE TO NAVIGATE TURNS AFTER THE STEERING WHEEL IS RELEASED. THIS CONSTANT INPUT IS VERY FATIGUING AND WHEN ROAD CONDITIONS ARE SLIPPERY, ICY OR ROUGH MAINTAINING LANE IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT AT TIMES.
Mileage: 1,250