How do we see the results?

 

All the responses are compiled and displayed on the master survey file which I will upload; either the file itself or screen shots of the different questions.

We need every single owner operator to respond to the survey in order to get the best possible info. We currently only have 10 or so responses so at this time our data is incomplete and is not of much use.

You can copy and past the survey link so send it to all your friends who own or operate 2017-2019 F250, F350 and F450 trucks.

THE MORE RESPONSES means BETTER INFO!!

 

that chit will losen up a front end quick .. what a shame , especially since death wobble is easily fixed , a little spendy for a co , but they know how to fix it . just don't want to spend the coin . rather deal with only the constant bitcher . screw the rest .. they will live with it . ITS NORMAL FOR A STRAIT AXEL TRUCK . make sure you tell that to the family you just killed cause youre truck shook so violent you crossed the center line ,, just bullchit .. easy fix just to expensive for them to do the truck right .. and yes ive experienced death wobble , as stated, you will know what death wobble is ,when it happens . why you think its called DEATH WOBBLE ..

 

I think if every Ford SD owner who experienced the Death Wobble opened an incident with NHTSA it would go towards their ability to intercede as the issue is widespread and multipole year models. Wicked2018 mentioned this earlier in this post. I did report mine. Here is the website. https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/VehicleComplaint/ Ford is not going to self report this due to the cost to fix and likely admission of engineering deficits, so the NHTSA can only act once they see the trends.

 

why would a dealer push back ? they get paid by ford . only reason is ford is pushing back ? good news easy fix . get a duel front stabilizer , take it to a shop that knows how to alighn a straight axel truck ..

 

the nhtsa knows all about death wobble trust me !!!!

 

 

I would also ask that after your visit to the NHTSA that you please visit Death Wobble Survey so we can get some data on this issue as well. We have 35 responses most have not experienced DW so if you have it is very important to report it and then help us collect data that may be useful in getting the issue resolved.

 

I think the hardest part is the qualify what "death wobble" actually is. It is, in fact, a normal characteristic for solid front axle trucks suspended with coil springs and located with radius arms longitudinally and a panhard rod laterally to experience occasional front end shake felt through the steering wheel when hitting something like a bridge expansion joint. There are ways to reduce or mitigate the effects of these impact which Ford has mostly undertaken, such as employing a steering damper and tightening the steering box, as well as using large bushings in the radius arms. This problem is not limited to Ford vehicles - RAM trucks with a similar front suspension arrangement also report this. My older model Range Rover would occasionally exhibit this behavior as well.

I don't doubt some people have experienced the scary type of death wobble where it feels like you don't have full steering control of the vehicle. This is usually the result of badly worn bushings in the radius arms or panhard rod. Improper lifts greatly exacerbate the problem. But I also suspect some people are feeling normal characteristics of a solid front axle and think they are experiencing death wobble.

One suggestion would be to purchase a GM truck...they don't have this issue. But enjoy the new problem opportunities that open up with independent front suspension.

 

Death wobble can be fixed by changing the harmonic frequency it occurs. I'd estimate most death wobble I've seen occur in the 3-5 Hz range.
But how can you change the natural frequency of the system? As said before, you can change the caster angle. The goal is to get a resonant frequency that is either too low or high to match a wheel excitement from hitting a bump.

In addition to the caster angle, you can also change it by wheel offset, tire size and weight, and the steering damper force. Isn't it interesting how dually trucks hardly ever get death wobble?

I do think Ford is getting more cases of this oscillation due to the new boxed frame as the energy is no longer being dissipated through the C-frame on the previous model year. These frames are incredibly stiff and non-forgiving. The force simply bounces right off the track bar mount since the frame now has a high inertial moment and high yield strength.

It is difficult to calculate and measure the inertial forces that cause death wobble. We're talking 4th and 5th order Diff Eqs plus vector analysis from the road movement. Most people (and engineers) would use guess and check to figure out what method works.

 

After considering taking the truck in for the TSB, I decided that since a level kit is in the future and it will need realigned, we purchased a King steering stabilizer. We took it over our normal DW trigger location, and the DW was gone. The truck feels totally different over bumps, it is awesome...

 

With all due respect DSLTRK60, you should consider becoming a Ford engineer. Based on your comments, it is possible that your knowledge of physics and mathematics might just give you a shot at solving the Death Wobble issue.

In regards to DW, I am encouraged that no one with a 2019 has reported it yet, unless I missed something. If I did, I have no doubt that a member will chime in.

 

Initial survey results are attached.

NEED MORE RESPONSES!!!

https://goo.gl/forms/ui3qS7kPKJ0I1XLA3

 

2017 f350xlt srw 6.2 4.30 snow and camper package. Never happened to me but followed my dad driving my truck pulling a 20' bass boat running 85 coming onto a bridge in a slight turn when it happened to him. truck had under 10k miles. currently has 17k and i have never personally had it happen to me