Diagsheet

2018 Ford F-250 Super Duty · symptom sheet

Suspension noise, struts or alignment

  • 198owner reports
  • 26,000median miles
  • $800median quote
  • 1involved a crash

Newest report Jul 11, 2025 · checked Sep 9, 2026

198 of the 397 complaints on this car describe suspension, which makes it the most reported problem on the 2018 F-250 Super Duty.

Tick what matches of 198 reports

83
6
7
36
4

What got replaced

Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the sway bar link (11 reports) and the struts or shocks (6 reports).

Recalls and investigations

No recall on the suspension system covers the 2018 model year as of Sep 9, 2026.

NHTSA investigations into the suspension system on the F-250 Super Duty

EA08-007opened Mar 14, 2008
Suspension · model years 2005 to 2007

Violent front end oscillation. Closed mar 31, 2009.

NHTSA summary
THIS INVESTIGATION WAS OPENED BASED ON 78 CONSUMER COMPLAINTS OF SEVERE SUSPENSION AND STEERING WHEEL OSCILLATIONS AFTER THE SUBJECT VEHICLES TRAVELED OVER AN UNEVEN SURFACE.ODI WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THESE COMPLAINTS BECAUSE MANY OF THEM ALLEGED LOSS OF CONTROL AND THE LOSS OF CONTROL OCCURREDAT SPEEDS ABOVE 50 MILES PER HOUR.AT THE TIME THESE COMPLAINTS WERE RECEIVED, ODI WAS ALSO AWARE OF THE TSB 07-10-10 AND EARLY WARNING FIELD REPORTS THAT DISCUSSED THE SHIMMY CONDITION ON THE SUBJECT VEHICLES.SINCE OPENING THIS INVESTIGATION, ODI HAS CONFIRMED, BASED ON CONSUMER COMPLAINTS, WARRANTY DATA, TESTING CONDUCTED BY VRTC, AND ODI INSPECTION OF COMPLAINT VEHICLES, THAT THE OWNERS OF THE SUBJECT VEHICLES ARE EXPERIENCING SHIMMY EVENTS ON THEIR VEHICLES.HOWEVER, ODI HAS ALSO CONFIRMED THAT OWNERS TYPICALLY DO NOT MAINTAIN THEIR TIRES AT THE PRESSURES RECOMMENDED BY FORD ON THE TIRE LABEL.FURTHER, ODI HAS FOUND THAT IN ORDER FOR SHIMMY TO OCCUR, TIRE PRESSURES MUST BE SUBSTANTIALLY BELOW (AT LEAST 20%) THOSE SPECIFIED ON THE VEHICLE TIRE LABEL.ODI CONSIDERS THESE UNSAFE TIRE CONDITIONS TO BE THE RESULT OF ONE OF THREE TYPICAL SITUATIONS.THE TIRES ARE BEING IMPROPERLY MAINTAINED, THE OWNERS ARE INTENTIONALLY SETTING THE TIRE PRESSURES LOW TO ENHANCE RIDE QUALITY, OR AFTERMARKET TIRES (NOT DESIGNED FOR USE ON THE VEHICLE) ARE INSTALLED TO CHANGE THE APPEARANCE OR FUNCTION OF THE VEHICLE.THE SUBJECT VEHICLES ARE INTENDED AND DESIGNED TO BE USED AS HEAVY DUTY VEHICLES AND AS SUCH REQUIRE
PE07-057opened Nov 15, 2007
Suspension · model years 2005 to 2007

Violent front end oscillation. Closed mar 14, 2008.

NHTSA summary
ODI HAS RECEIVED 78 CONSUMER COMPLAINTS OF SEVERE SUSPENSION AND STEERING WHEEL SHIMMY AND OSCILLATIONS COMMENCING AFTER THE SUBJECT VEHICLES TRAVELED OVER AN UNEVEN ROAD SURFACE. THE MAJORITY OF THESE INCIDENTS OCCURRED AT SPEEDS OF 50 MPH OR GREATER.THIRTEEN OF THE COMPLAINTS RECEIVED BY ODI ALLEGE LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL AND THAT THE VEHICLE CHANGED DRIVING LANES UNCONTROLLABLY.FOUR OF THE COMPLAINTS RECEIVED BY ODI ALLEGE THAT THE VEHICLE LEFT THE ROAD SURFACE AS A RESULT OF THE VIOLENT SUSPENSION AND STEERING WHEEL OSCILLATIONS.IN ONE CASE THE CONSUMER ALLEGES THAT AFTER THE VEHICLE LEFT THE ROAD SURFACE, IT CRASHED INTO A WOODED AREA.ADDITIONALFACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE OPENING OF THIS EA WERE EARLY WARNING FIELD REPORTS,SUBMITTED BY FORD, DESCRIBING SUSPENSION SHIMMY / OSCILLATIONSAND A FORD TSB (07-10-10) DESCRIBING THE SUSPENSION SHIMMY ISSUE AND HOW TO REPAIR THE PROBLEM.FORD HAS DESCRIBED SHIMMY AS SELF-EXCITED OSCILLATION OF THE STEERING WHEELS WITH ACCOMPANYING WHEEL TRAMP.THIS PE HAS BEEN UPGRADED TO AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS (EA) TO DETERMINE IF THE SHIMMY CONDITION THAT OCCURS ON THE SUBJECT VEHICLES CREATES A CONDITION WHERE THE VEHICLE BECOMES DIFFICULT TO CONTROL OR STARTLES THE DRIVER, THUS PRESENTING A SAFETY RISK.
PE96-052opened Aug 23, 1996
Suspension · model years 1994 to 1996

Separated front suspension. Closed jan 27, 1997.

NHTSA summary
CONSUMER COMPLAINTS REPORT THAT BOLTS WHICH RETAIN THE AXLE PIVOT BRACKET TO THE FRAME CROSS MEMBER CAN LOOSEN OR FAIL, CAUSING THE INBOARD END OR THE AXLE TO BECOME DETACHED FROM THE VEHICLE.OWNERS ALLEGE THAT THIS COULD RESULT IN LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL, HOWEVER THE COMPLAINT DATA SHOWS ONLY ONE INCIDENT WHERE THE VEHICLE LEFT THE ROADWAY FOLLOWING AXLE SEPARATION, WITH NO DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE.IN ADDITION TO THE 225 CONSUMER COMPLAINTS, THERE WERE 4,315 WARRANTY CLAIMS RELATED TO THE FRONT SUSPENSION AND MEMBERS, AND 22 VEHICLES WERE REPLACED FOR GOODWILL.DOCUMENTS SUBMITTED BY FORD, UNDER REQUEST FOR CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT INDICATE THAT THE BOLTS WERE INADEQUATE FOR THE DURABILITY REQUIREMENTS OF THE VEHICLE.ALSO, BOLTS WERE FOUND TO HAVE BEEN INADEQUATELY TORQUED AT ONE OR MORE ASSEMBLY PLANTS.OTHER FACTORS, SUCH AS WAX TREATMENT OF THE FRAME, CONTRIBUTED TO THE PROBLEM.INCREASED BOLT DIAMETER AND INCREASED TORQUE APPARENTLY CORRECTED THE PROBLEM.A SERVICE BULLETIN, 96-20-13, WAS ISSUED TO ADVISE DEALERS OF THIS CORRECTIVE ACTION.IN THESE DOCUMENTS, FORD ALSO REPORTED THAT A VEHICLE, EQUIPPED FOR SIMULTANEOUS CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF ALL PIVOT BRACKET FASTENERS, WAS EVALUATED RESULTING IN A SLIGHT VEHICLE PULL TO ONE SIDE WITH NO LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL.ODI HAS NOT REPLICATED FORD'S VEHICLE TESTING, HOWEVER ANALYSIS OF THE DESIGN OF THE FRONT SUSPENSION INDICATES THAT EVEN IF THE INBOARD END OF THEAXLE BECAME DISCONNECTED FROM THE FRAME, THE OUTBOARD END WOULD REMAIN FIR

None of these investigations covers the 2018 model year.

What owners paid

5 of the 198 reports quote a price. Each dot is one quote. The middle half runs $280 to $800.

$280$800$800
$0k$2k$4k$6k$8k

When it happens

The middle half of failures fell between 17,000 and 38,000 miles, from the 162 reports that gave a mileage.

818
8019
4820
2921
2122
523
624
125

What owners wrote

“I experienced the Death Wobble running around 60 mph. It was one of the scariest moments I have ever experienced. I took my Truck into the Ford dealership and they replaced the Steering Stabilizer. It has really made me scared to drive my Truck.”

Filed Feb 3, 2022

“Traveling at highway speeds(above 55 mph) I’ve hit a small bumps in the road on multiple occasions. The problem has occurred several times where the vehicle shakes violently until I slow down to about 40 mph. Googling the problem informed me this is a problem with Ford superdutys and the phenomen is referred to as “death wobble”. The article provided a link to nhtsa.”

Filed Dec 24, 2021

““Death wobble” at 60mph while on the highway after hitting a small pothole. Controllable when slowed to 35mph on the shoulder”

Filed Dec 20, 2021

“I was driving down the road at approximately 60 mph and the steering wheel and whole truck started to shake violently. I had to slow down to around 20 mph to get it to stop. I had an almost impossible time just keeping the truck under control. This has happened twice now within the past 3 weeks”

Filed Nov 22, 2021

Should you keep driving it?

This page can't tell you that. 1 of 198 reports involved a crash. Owners who file are the ones who had a bad experience, and nobody checks their reports. If the problem affects steering, braking, power or a fire risk, treat it as a safety fault and have it inspected before a long or high-speed drive.

File your own report with NHTSA. Complaint counts are how a problem gets an investigation.

Other problems on this car