I've spent about 2 - 3 hours going through the different threads on the death wobble. I don't see any definitive 1 or 2 cures. There seem to be a few things to try so I thought I would consolidate the "fixes" that I've discovered from the various threads. I think the biggest thing I learned from everyone's experience is that usually it is not 1 thing that fixes the issue, most times it’s 2, in some cases 3 or more.

*) Wheels & Tires seem to be the most prevalent issue
Wheels out of balance
Worn or “lousy” tires
Tire pressure

*) Next seems to be the track bar
Track bar nut loose - torque to 400 ft-lbs
Bad ball joint on the track bar – 35 – 45,000 miles seems to be when this puppy gives out
There are a number of companies that make "better" track bars. Most are expensive. Some require the truck be lifted a minimum of 2". Another I read where the person had to cut their cross-member - beware

*) Front end alignment
Make sure front end is aligned correctly
2 degrees’ positive Camber has cured the issue
BD Diesel kit to mess with the Caster - from what I read, this is not "backyard mechanic" installable but has in some cases resolved the issue

*) A couple folks found their pitman arm loose

*) Tie rod ends have been mentioned - although I didn't see where this "resolved the issue"

*) Ball joints did resolve in one of the threads I saw - the lowers on both the passenger and driver’s sides – the person “tested” them and saw they were shot

*) Saw 2 references to control arms but again, didn't see that this actually resolved the issue

*) There were a couple references to Radius Arm Brackets. Don't think I read where this actually resolved the problem.

*) From what I gathered, the general consensus is replacing the steering stabilizer shock or installing one of the aftermarket dual steering stabilizer shocks works initially but after a while the death wobble returns. There are reports of this solving the issue.

*) Blown seal on shocks / replace shocks

Lastly I've seen a few posts where folks just went for it replacing the entire front suspension:

Steering Stabilizer Shock
Drag Link
Track bar Ball Joint
Track bar bushings
Sway bar
Lower driver side ball joint
Upper driver side ball joint
Lower passenger side ball joint
Upper passenger side ball joint
Shocks
Tie Rod Ends

 

If anyone has something that I missed I'll be happy to edit the initial post with what you did.

For me, when I 1st got my '13 it had lousy tires on it. They were actually 3 different brands. I went with new tires and until recently have not experienced the issue. I did notice that my Track Bar is loose. It seems to have been loose for a while and has chewed the bushing a little. I'm going to go for new bushings and a new Track Bar Ball Joint. Anyone know of a "better" Track Bar Ball Joint? SPC seems to make one for the Jeep, couldn't find one for the Super Duty. Moog makes one, not sure it's "better".

 

I do believe that insufficient caster is the root cause of death wobble. I think the trucks run right on the edge all the time and a little wear is a tipping point. This would explain so many different "fixes", depending on the source of the slack. I think anything that "fixes" it, short of increasing caster, actually just masks it. I could be wrong, but it would be the first time

 

On one of my past trucks I had an death wobble develop due to a blown seal in the right front shock.

 

Had death wobble in 2009 and then my 2015 F250's cured both immediately by installing steering stabilizers.

 

Edited post 1 to reflect the blown seal on shocks and steering stabilizer. Kirk, I would be interested to know as your tires reach end of life if the death wobble reappears.

Without question my truck had the death wobble when I 1st got it and it had 3 different brand tires on it. I think the last 2 times it happened is because my track bar is loose. I'm going to order a new ball joint and bushing. I guess I'll go with the OEM Motorcraft ball joint. Gotta love the underneath of my truck - ahh winter in the Northeast.

 

Personally, I've had 3 different scenarios with my 2005 and the death wobble:

1. Tires - low pressure/out of balance, everything else OK.
2. Suspension components need replaced- Ball joints, tie rod ends, steering stabilizer, etc..
3. Everything's good and it happens very infrequently if the road condition is just right to induce it.

The one that gets everybody dialed up is condition 3 and I've not heard of any fix that has absolutely eliminated it 100%.

 

2011 F350 CCLB XL 6.2L 17" wheels,4x4, stock, camper package. 160,000 miles, purchased new.

Owned multiple Crew Cab 4x4s, both Ford and GM.

My '11 was my first experience with Death Wobble. Frankly I was really upset at the time. One will have no doubt when you actually experience death wobble in a Super Duty. It isn't a shimmy or little oscillation..... it scares the tar out of me, every time it happened.

I am a recently retired Mechanical Engineer. Wrenched my whole life, worked turning brakes back in HS in the 70's at the local auto parts store. Raced cars and dirtbikes. Currently have a little side business still splitting cases and doing suspension rebuilding on dirtbikes and MTBs to continue to support my moto and pedal habits.

First occurrence of death wobble was at about 30k miles. My then GF almost got out of the truck and walked. We were mostly unloaded, running down the interstate in the 60-70mph range. After much research, I decided it was tires or maybe caster angle. I swapped out my wheels and tires for my winter studded setup off my old '06 F350, and had the Ford tech reset caster to minimize wobble. Three weeks later, same road and mild downhill turn, triggered again, with different wheels/tires and caster. Became convinced it was the trackbar. Ordered one. Went to visit my service writer at my purchasing dealer, I was very unhappy and firm... this is a known Ford problem. We went back to see the suspension tech, he put the truck on the rack, and reread the alignment, all the same as he set up a few weeks before. and we wiggled everything, nothing had significant play.... I asked him what to do, he said put a dual steering stabilizer system on it. I was bummed, told him it felt like a band-aid. He said it did solve the problem.

I Amazon ordered an inexpensive pro-comp setup. It came in, but no rubber accordion boots were supplied to protect the shaft/seal. I was bummed called Pro-comp they said that was an extra $20 for boots, but the dampers had a lifetime warranty so I figured would run them bare....

Completely solved the problem. I was prepared to remove the OEM stabilizer mounted up high, worried with three stabilizers steering would be too heavy for my petite GF. Never was a problem.
50,000 miles later, towing trailer through CO at 75 or 80mph, dangit, death wobble reappeared. Climbed under, the factory stabilizer was leaking and so was one of the procomps. Nursed it home back to AZ. Had a few more scares. Called ProComp, they sent me two brand new stabilizers when I promised to send the old ones back, and replaced the factory stabilizer with a Bilstein. Haven't had the problem in the last 80,000 miles. ProComp did give me free boots for their stabilizers, so they have held up much better.

I still have the replacement trackbar and mounts sitting in my garage. And last time I had the truck on a lift for a broken exhaust manifold bolt, I shook and beat on everything and ball joints and all suspension parts are in great shape. And frankly, I can be impatient driving to races on dirt roads and have beat the heck out of the truck. Oh yah, at about 60,000 miles the stock FX4 shocks were crap, I replaced them with KYB, they have been outstanding, and very reasonable costs.

Hope my experience helps! Feel free to message me if you have questions. I am about to order a '18 same vehicle. My '11 has been the most reliable vehicle I have ever owned. the 6.2 and the 6R140 (once ford did the shift flare recall) has been outstanding.

Summary: Seems like you have to have a special combination of factors in some trucks to trigger it. Most F350s are fine. DW is crazy, super oscillation almost uncrontrollable until you slow down enough to drop out of the resonation range. For me it wasn't caster, tires, wheels, shocks, trackbar, but simply not enough steering damping. Additional dual aftermarket cheap dampers completely solved the problem. And I suspect the factory damper has to be a bit defective or worn out to permit DW.

Cheers! Buck in Flagstaff Formerly know as Buckholz on this forum, but couldn't recover my old username/PW/work email thus the rookie post....

 

This. I can't remember the manufacturer off-hand, but there is a company that makes a part that bolts in between the radius arm and the axle and allows for up to 3° of caster adjustment. Even 1 - 1.5° is enough to fully eliminate the problem. No experience with this personally, just research before deciding on buying an older, leaf-sprung truck with no wobble issues.

 

No one thing makes death wobble, it occurs when something is worn out.caster does not always effect death wobble, what causes your death wobble may not cause someone else's, steering stabilizers only mask the problem as any other part you ad. Bottom line is you need to find out what's worn out.

 

I added "in some cases 3 or more" to the top of my description

Buck, I think I captured that "There are reports of this solving the issue." next to the steering stabilizer line, you think it needs more?

Maticuno - I believe it's BD Diesel that makes the kit. And my bad, I had it as Camber above - I fixed post 1 and changed it to Caster

 

While I agree that there is no single part that creates the condition, it definitely does not require a part to be worn out. After the first time I had the joy of experiencing the death wobble I had everything checked. Everything checked out just fine. The truck had less than 40k on it (I bought used at like 33-34k) and was on brand new highly rated tires. There are numerous similar accounts. I will say that worn parts certainly increase the frequency and severity of the death wobble.

 

 

I had my rear driveline balanced on my 1999 super duty. Runs very smooth now.

 

Good morning,
2012 F-250 Crew Cab. Deleted 6.7 but stock everything else. Extremely well maintained. 184K mi

Death wobble ie: almost uncontrollable shaking of steering wheel and extreme vibration of the front suspension while doing 70-80 mph after small bit of rough pavement started it. Happened 2x
Took it in and replaced stabilizer bar. Tires balanced, rotated and alignment done. Had the truck back less than a week - same issue.
Took it back in - track bar diagnosed as the problem. Replaced it. Tires balanced and alignment done again Had it back 1 day - same issue.

I'm in Houston, TX. Anyone know a good shop that actually fixes this problem?

Thanks,

Chuck