Symptom explainer · every vehicle on the site
Steering wheel shakes or the "death wobble"
Most reported: 2019 Ford F-250 Super Duty with 729 reports. Across the 93 model years on this site with at least five, owners filed 4,454.
- 4,454owner reports
- 93model years affected
- 23,300median miles
- 42involved a crash
- 0involved a fire
This is the violent one. Owners describe the steering wheel shaking hard at highway speed, often right after the front end hits a bump or an expansion joint, and it keeps going until they slow way down. Six in ten complaints in this group use the word wobble, and plenty of owners call it the "death wobble."
Which cars report it most · By model · When it happens · What it is and what to do
The 25 vehicles with the most reports
Each row is one model year. The bar is its count of death wobble reports; the share is how much of that car's complaint file this problem takes up. Bigger sellers draw more reports, so read the share alongside the count. Red dots mark crashes and fires in these reports; amber marks a recall on the same system.
- 12019 Ford F-250 Super Duty5 crashesrecall72963% of its complaints20k mi
- 22017 Ford F-250 Super Duty6 crashesrecall66758% of its complaints28k mi
- 32018 Jeep Wranglerrecall51728% of its complaints8k mi
- 42017 Ford F-350 Super Duty1 crashrecall27548% of its complaints27k mi
- 52019 Ford F-350 Super Duty2 crashesrecall24452% of its complaints21k mi
- 62018 Ford F-250 Super Duty2 crashesrecall23860% of its complaints28k mi
- 72021 Jeep Wranglerrecall18219% of its complaints20k mi
- 82019 Jeep Wranglerrecall15621% of its complaints12k mi
- 911338% of its complaints72k mi
- 102016 Ford F-250 Super Duty1 crashrecall10436% of its complaints71k mi
- 119045% of its complaints25k mi
- 122014 Ford F-250 Super Duty2 crashesrecall7747% of its complaints88k mi
- 136933% of its complaints45k mi
- 142020 Jeep Wrangler3 crashes6811% of its complaints28k mi
- 152015 Ford F-350 Super Duty1 crashrecall6330% of its complaints74k mi
- 162022 Jeep Wranglerrecall6115% of its complaints16k mi
- 172021 Jeep Gladiator2 crashesrecall4817% of its complaints19k mi
- 182020 Jeep Gladiator1 crash439% of its complaints25k mi
- 19372% of its complaints29k mi
- 202023 Jeep Wranglerrecall3710% of its complaints14k mi
- 21315% of its complaints3k mi
- 22228% of its complaints46k mi
- 232022 Jeep Gladiator1 crashrecall2118% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 24181% of its complaints18k mi
- 252019 Volkswagen Atlasrecall184% of its complaintsfew mileages
Where it dominates the complaint file
Model years with at least 25 reports, ranked by the share of all their complaints that describe death wobble. That takes most of the sales-volume effect out (small sellers still swing more).
- 12019 Ford F-250 Super Duty5 crashesrecall72963% of its complaints20k mi
- 22018 Ford F-250 Super Duty2 crashesrecall23860% of its complaints28k mi
- 32017 Ford F-250 Super Duty6 crashesrecall66758% of its complaints28k mi
- 42019 Ford F-350 Super Duty2 crashesrecall24452% of its complaints21k mi
- 52017 Ford F-350 Super Duty1 crashrecall27548% of its complaints27k mi
- 62014 Ford F-250 Super Duty2 crashesrecall7747% of its complaints88k mi
- 79045% of its complaints25k mi
- 811338% of its complaints72k mi
- 92016 Ford F-250 Super Duty1 crashrecall10436% of its complaints71k mi
- 106933% of its complaints45k mi
By model, every year together
The 12 models with the most reports. Each chip is a model year; the darker chip is its worst year.
- Jeep Wrangler1,075
- Ram 150042
When it happens
2,951 of the 4,454 reports state a mileage. The middle half fall between 13,000 and 38,000 miles; the median is 23,300. Each column is a 20,000-mile band.
Reports by model year
Every report of death wobble, grouped by the model year of the car. 42 involved a crash and 0 a fire. 31 people were hurt.
What owners describe
Share of the 4,454 reports that use each phrase. One report can use several.
What got replaced
Reports that name the part, across every vehicle.
What it is and what to do
The pattern in the complaints is consistent. About two thirds mention highway speed, roughly half mention a bump, a pothole or rough pavement, and one in five mentions slowing down. It also comes early. The median mileage owners give is about 22,000, among the lowest on the site. Three vehicles dominate: the 2017 and 2019 Ford F-250 Super Duty and the 2018 Jeep Wrangler.
Recalls in the data keep pointing at one part, the front track bar and the brackets that hold it to the frame. FCA's 18V-675 inspected and repaired track bar bracket welds on some 2018 and 2019 Wranglers because a separated bracket reduces steering ability. Earlier, 15V-541 and 16V-559 reinforced or replaced track bar frame brackets on some 2013 to 2015 Ram 2500 and 3500 trucks. NHTSA also folded reports of steering shimmy and wobble into its investigation of Wrangler frame welds, PE19-012, which closed in 2023 after finding the steering cases were covered by the recall.
Beyond the track bar, the parts owners name are the steering damper or stabilizer (in about 15 percent of reports), tie rods and ball joints. Firestone's guide to wobble names tie rods and ball joints for a shake felt through the wheel, and bent wheels, suspension parts or worn bearings when it builds at highway speed. That's the checklist a shop should work through, looking for play in each part.
The recalls describe this as a loss of steering response, so treat the first episode as a warning. Slow down smoothly to make it stop, then have the front end inspected before the next highway drive.
Tell the mechanic the speed it began at, what set it off, how you stopped it, and whether the truck has a lift, bigger tires or other changes up front. Check the VIN on NHTSA's recall site; if a track bar recall applies, the repair is free. Otherwise report it during the warranty period and get a repair order, since the FTC says a defect reported then must be fixed even if the warranty expires before the repair.
Sources
- NHTSA recall 18V-675, Jeep Wrangler front track bar bracket
- NHTSA recall 15V-541, Ram track bar frame bracket
- NHTSA recall 16V-559, Ram track bar frame bracket
- NHTSA investigation PE19-012, frame weld deficiencies, 2018 to 2019 Jeep Wrangler (NHTSA investigation file)
- Why is my tire wobbling? Causes, symptoms and solutions, Firestone Complete Auto Care
- Warranties, FTC Consumer Advice
- Complaint counts, mileages and phrase shares: NHTSA complaint files as tallied on this site
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints on the 1,040 vehicle model years that have a page here, grouped by the word patterns described on the method page. A vehicle needs five matching reports to be counted in this ranking. Checked Sep 27, 2026. All problem explainers.