Here’s the deal,

2019 XLT 6.2L
been getting the death wobble since 13,000 miles, she now has 24,000. Had the wobble about 4 times.
1st trip to the dealer, the replaced a stabilizer. This worked for about 1,000 miles
2nd trip, ford replaced stabilizer, track bar, drag link, ball joints, etc..., this worked for 1,000 miles.
3rd trip to dealer, got a new stabilizer and was told my tires failed a road force balance test, has to pay 200$ for 2 tires up front, this worked for about 1,000miles.
I got fed up and installed a PMF dual stabilizer and this has solved my issue, no more bump steer, no more shimmy on the highway.
Dealer called this morning and said Ford has come up with a new design on the steering stabilizer (PART NUMBER KC3Z), the old one has about an inch of play both ways which allows the tires to “shimmy” and initiate a “wobble”. This should do the trick.
I understand a bad track bar or bushing or joints or caster can be an issue on some other trucks but @13,000 miles I knew there was no way that could be the issue. YES if parts are worn out you certainly can get DW but I believe for the 2017+ this isn’t the same DW that old jeeps or dodges or older super duties have. This is straight up tires wobbling because they can’t be controlled to stay straight. I’m new so once I figure out how to upload a video I will show that the tires are wobbling but the axle isn’t oscillating. I hope this helps y’all. Thanks

 

Also save it, i know that DW isn’t just a “shimmy” on the highway but that’s what starts it. First time I had it I almost got rear ended by an 18 wheeler cause I had no other choice but to put on my brakes doing 80. There was a turn coming up and I literally couldn’t steer my truck, sounded and felt like there was a helicopter on the roof of my car. Big *** pothole in Pearsall, TX was my first perpetrator 😂

 

have you considered putting a dial gauge on your hubs and checking for run-out?

 

I don’t even know what that is, haha I’m not very savvy as far as being a mechanic goes. All I know is that I got rid of the DW. This is just my opinion. Thought I’d share in case anyone went through the same nightmare as I did.

 

Thanks for the info Song Dog; How many miles DW free since the install? (8000 by my simple math)

Anyone out there in FTE land that has DW AFTER installing one of the after market steering stabs?

 

DW free for about 2,000. If anything changes I will let y’all know!

 

THANK you!

 

Do you know or not if the 2020 models have this new part you reference? the KC3Z?

 

Im not sure . Obviously 2020’s have Already been in production but maybe this part is going to be standard from here on out.

 

I installed dual steering stabilizers on 3 trucks and never had death wobble or bump steer on any of them

 

putting a FOX ATS SS and ReadyLift trackbar on soon...will report back. Consistant DW every 22k miles since new.

 

Thanks for posting your experience. My dealer called and said they got my new upgraded ford steering stabilizer in so I’m headed in tomorrow to have it put on. Really hoping it works or I’ll be looking at going the route you took. This will be the 6th time taking it in for death wobble. Just about everything up front has been replaced at this point once, if not twice!

 

My truck goes in tomorrow. I'm now getting wobble on local streets. Is there a TSB for the new stabilizer? I'd like to know EXACTLY what to tell them tomorrow. Thanks.

 

I have posted many times in several threads on this forum about Sustained Steering Wheel Oscillation (SSWO)/Death Wobble (DW). I have also read most of the posts by truck owners on this forum as well as doing other research to try and understand the various probable causes of this nefarious malady which, in my opinion, strangely affects only a limited yet significant number of vehicles. I drive a 2019 F-350 4x4 diesel CCLB with the strongest springs (5990lb) springs up front which were necessitated by Ford when I chose the electronic locking differential. I am pretty sure that my truck came with the second generation OEM steering stabilizer because it was built in November 2018.

My truck first exhibited SSWO/DW at 15k miles. It was a mild experience, occurring at about 45mph, because I knew what was happening and I got the truck slowed down quickly. I promptly took the truck in for service at a dealership in Tucson in October 2019 where they replaced the SS with one of the last second generation models available before Ford pulled all the remaining ones out of the supply chain in November or December. That second SECOND GENERATION SS lasted about 3k miles and less than 2 months. Failure of this second SS was evident when my truck wobbled while I was traveling 65mph. Again, I got the truck under control by quickly slowing slightly to about 45mph. That second bought with SSWO/DW was enough; it scared the crap out of me. After that frightening experience, the truck drove like a rattletrap. The steering felt loose, the steering wheel felt like it was constantly vibrating, and my nerves were frayed as I negotiated bumpy roads, railroad tracks or bridge abutment transitions. Having lost all trust in Ford to solve the causes of SSWO/DW, I decided to try some solutions that I’d been reading about for the last year.

I decided to purchase a dual stabilizer and chose a Kelderman that employs a very strong bracket that wraps securely around the axle and uses two FOX 2.0 stabilizers. These FOX stabilizers are different than the OEM steering stabilizer which appears to function by resistance alone. In other words, the shaft stays where you put it. The FOX stabilizers are under pressure and expand to their maximum extent when sitting in a static unattached condition. So when you put them on the truck, they against each other, one naturally expanding and the other resisting expansion. I installed the Kelderman dual stabilizer myself, and it was relatively easy. After installing it, the performance of the truck was immediately noticeable. All of the rattletrapness was gone, and the truck stably crossed RR tracks and bridge transitions. I was confident that my truck was no longer susceptible to SSWO/DW. But I wasn’t done doing what I believe Ford and its engineers should have been doing given the known and existing products available that have been proven by SD truck owners to correct SSWO/DW in trucks that have developed it. Call me a glutton, for expense and punishment if you wish.

The following tale involves the new, THIRD GENERATION, steering stabilizer that Ford came out with in December 2019. I read on this forum and was also told by a Ford Customer Care representative that the stabilizer was in very short supply with a 4-8 week delivery time, probably more like 8. I also read that at least one owner had gotten Ford to agree to pay for installation of an aftermarket stabilizer and reimburse him for it since he purchased a FOX unit and gave it to the service department to install. So I decided to try that approach. I purchased a FOX ATS SS, model 983-02-143, and went to a dealership in Yuma, AZ to have them assess my failed second SECOND GENERATION OEM SS. This was after driving the truck for about 2500 miles after installing the Kelderman dual stabilizer and leaving the defective SS on my truck. Before taking the truck in for service, I removed the Kelderman Dual SS so that Ford wouldn’t have a reason to abuse me under a warranty claim relative to the truck no longer being stock. It was easy and relatively quick to remove the dual SS. They confirmed that the OEM SS was defective, and they told me that they had 20 trucks waiting on a new Third Generation stabilizer! So I handed them the FOX ATS, and they agreed to install it with no labor charge. When I drove my truck off the lot, the improvement in stability and steering was equal to that which I experienced after installing the dual stabilizer.

So I’m convinced of a few things. Contrary to several people’s opinions, and there are many, I always believed that the primary, if not sole, cause of SSWO/DW was the steering stabilizer either being defective or incapable of mitigating oscillation in the tie rod in 4x4 diesel trucks. My personal experiences prove this to me so far. I may be proven wrong as time passes and mileage on my truck increases, but I doubt this given that quite a few people have employed these solutions, either a dual SS or a FOX ATS. I am also skeptical that Ford has developed a functional SS in their THIRD attempt since the new Third Generation SS is essentially the same style as the previous two, both of which failed miserably. For those of you taking the route of having Ford install this new Third Generation SS on your trucks, either to preserve your warranty or spend no money under warranty or both, please let us know how it goes. I’m unwilling to take any more chances trusting Ford. I spent $1000 ($400 for the FOX ATS and $600 for the Kelderman) and sacrificed my warranty coverage on my SS to test what I believe Ford should have been doing. I would like to ask that the readers of this post refrain from rendering opinions about my decisions and accept the results of my research as useful information.

I will add that the service manager at the dealership in Yuma told me that they (Ford?) are monitoring the Internet forums for information on what is working to mitigate SSWO/DW. They have decided/ determined that three SS’s are ineffective, two Rancho models (5000’s I believe) and a McPherson. I’m only repeating what I was told; I have no other confirming information in this regard. What I am confident of is that either a dual stabilizer setup, either a Kelderman or a PMF using two opposing FOX shocks, or a FOX ATS stabilizer will effectively mitigate SSWO/DW. Some of you might be interested to know that FOX came out with a new ATS stabilizer late in 2019, model 985-02-132. It is nonadjustable and is 2” shorter than the “race” adjustable model 983-02-143 but both have the same travel distance of just over 8”. Given where the clamp mounting bracket of the 143 model is situated on my drag link bar, I’m not sure that I’d prefer it to be located 2” farther from the hole in the drag link bar where the OEM stabilizer attached.

To conclude, I am still awaiting an answer from the Ford Customer Care department regarding reimbursement for the FOX ATS. I have made three calls to the Western Region Manager following two calls by my service advisor and one by the service manager. NONE have been responded to! His message, for he refuses to answer his phone, says, “I will return calls today if you leave a message before 4pm EST.” Each of my calls were made in the morning hours PST. As a first time Ford owner and customer, I am appalled at this degree of disrespect. If they want to deny me, that’s fine. I don’t think it’s understandable given what they’ve put me through. To be clear, I’ve experienced TWO disturbing and frightening episodes of potentially life endangering SSWO/DW and two time consuming service visits, each of which involved multiple days of being without my only vehicle. The least Ford could do is reimburse me the $400 for the FOX ATS. However, it is becoming all to evident that they have something else in mind in terms of “LEAST” which has been their approach to the steering stabilizer also in my opinion.

 

I have one of the "new" steering stabilizers as the first bout of dw happend at 31000 miles and december of 2019. My dealership was able to get one in for me in about 2 weeks which I thought wasn't horrible to see if the new design was able to stop the shaking. After installation the truck feels better, but not the way it did back at 25000 miles. It still has a slight shake when I hit bumps at speed but it quiets down really quick now which leads me to believe that the problem is elsewhere and the better the stabilizer is just the better it is at hiding the problem. I took it in again last weekend and left it with them all week and they put 100 miles on it and could not replicate the problem, which I think is their way of saying 36000 miles is coming up really quick and we will keep putting you off until you are out of warranty. I am at 34000 right now and I need to do an oil change soon so I will be heading to my fathers shop to throw it on the lift and go over the front end with a fine toothed comb. Hopefully I can figure something out, but I really believe that this is a caster or toe issue for the most part and I do not have an alignment machine. I will try to let everyone know my findings once I figure things out but I don't drive the truck much anymore as I bought a chevrolet spark for my daily commute so it may be a couple weeks until I have it in the air.