In monitoring our technical service inquiries and technical service bulletins from Ford, there is the potential for moderate to severe steering wheel oscillation (wobble) to occur. After extensive testing and outside feedback, the following details have been established to correct or prevent steering wheel oscillation occurrences in lifted 05-16 Ford Super Duty 4wd pickups.
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗2015 Ford F-250 steering problems
moderate 125 complaints filed with NHTSA · avg repair $700 · see steering across all vehicles →
Failure mileage
Complaints
125
Recalls
0
Avg fix
$700
When does it fail?
Of the 125 steering complaints filed for the 2015 Ford F-250, here's the actual mileage breakdown — failures cluster heaviest at 50,000-75,000 mi.
0-25k
25-50k
50-75k
75-100k
100-125k
125-150k
150k+
Each bar shows the share of total complaints filed at that mileage range. Peak failure window highlighted. Some owners report problems earlier; some make it well past 150,000 miles symptom-free. Maintenance habits and driving conditions shift the curve as much as mileage alone.
What stands out
Steering accounts for 43% of every owner complaint on file for this vehicle — the dominant problem area across 10 categories tracked.
Owners have filed 125 steering complaints with NHTSA against this vehicle, but no formal recall covers the issue — the federal record reflects what manufacturers have admitted, not everything owners are reporting.
Is there a fix? Manufacturer service bulletins
The manufacturer has issued service bulletins covering steering on this vehicle — documented repair instructions, service campaigns, or warranty extensions sent to dealers. A TSB isn't a recall (it's not a free safety remedy), but it's the manufacturer acknowledging the issue and how to fix it.
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications. Bring the bulletin number to your dealer or shop.
The failure pattern owners describe
The 2015 Ford F-250 steering system exhibits a severe, intermittent shaking condition called "death wobble" that owners describe as violent and uncontrollable. It typically initiates at speeds above 50 mph, often triggered by hitting bumps, potholes, bridge expansion joints, or road seams. Once triggered, the steering wheel and front end shake so violently that drivers lose control and must brake hard or come to a near stop—usually under 30-40 mph—to regain stability. This creates dangerous situations on highways where rapid deceleration risks rear-end collisions.
Owners report the failure starting at mileages as low as 5,000 miles and recurring throughout the vehicle's life, sometimes years apart, sometimes repeatedly within weeks. Repair attempts include replacing steering dampers, tie rods, drag links, track bars, ball joints, bushings, shocks, and stabilizer bars—often multiple times on the same truck with temporary or no relief. Some owners have spent $1,500–$2,600 trying various repairs. Tire replacements, alignments, and rebalancing provide only temporary fixes or no improvement.
Dealers and independent shops struggle to diagnose a root cause; some mechanics tell owners the front end is unusually tight despite the failure occurring, while others say they cannot identify the problem. Ford dealers acknowledge the issue exists but offer no permanent solution, and the manufacturer has not issued a recall despite owners reporting this as a widespread, well-documented problem across multiple model years and online forums.
Same Ford F-250 steering reports on nearby years: 2013 · 2014 · 2016 · 2017 · 2018
Failure modes owners describe
Death Wobble - Front End Oscillation at Speed
Violent, uncontrollable shaking of the steering wheel and front end initiated by bumps, potholes, or bridge expansion joints at speeds above 50 mph. Owners describe extreme side-to-side steering movement, loss of directional control, and inability to maintain lane position. Shaking stops only after speed drops below 30-40 mph or vehicle stops completely.
When: Typically 5,000 to 150,000 miles; often first occurrence between 20,000–50,000 miles; recurs intermittently throughout ownership
Symptoms owners cite: Violent shaking of steering wheel and entire front end; Uncontrollable side-to-side steering motion; Truck wobbles across lanes; Interior items shake and fall; Loss of directional control requiring hard braking to recover; Trembling felt throughout vehicle suspension
Repairs/costs cited: Owners report dealer/shop replacements of: steering damper/stabilizer (multiple times, ineffective), tie rod ends, drag links, track bars, ball joints, bushings, shocks and struts, wheels and tires, and suspension components. Costs range $800–$2,600 per repair attempt. Some owners replaced steering shock, stabilizing bar assembly, track bar assembly, and front shocks out-of-pocket. Many repairs provide only temporary relief or no improvement. One owner's husband replaced steering shock, stabilizing bar assembly, track bar assembly, and front shocks with temporary success.
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: Ford acknowledges the issue exists but has not issued a recall. Some dealers have provided case numbers (e.g., CAS-22221345-C3V0P4) but offer no permanent fix. Ford dealers tell owners dealerships are unaware of recalls or have no remedy. One service manager stated no solution exists. Ford Customer Experience Specialists direct owners to dealers for diagnosis. One owner reports Ford recognizes a steering dampener as the problem, but their 2015 model lacks this component. Some owners cite Customer Satisfaction Program 20N04 or Campaign 20E090000 but repairs under these programs do not resolve the issue.
Synthesized from 125 NHTSA owner complaints — unverified consumer allegations, summarized for patterns. The verbatim filings appear below.
What owners are reporting 9 most recent
While driving between 50 and 60 mph the steering wheel begins to violently shake until you slow below 50 MPH. This is known as the Death Wobble.
While driving on the freeway at approximately 60-70 MPH I drove across a bridge transition point when out of the blue my truck began to wobble excessively to the point I had to merge to my right and slow down to under 40 MPH to get the wobble to stop. Cars behind could see I was in some sort of trouble and they would not pass me. Once the wobble stopped I proceeded to merge back onto the…
Twice driving on freeways doing about 70mph the entire truck began to shake/vibrate violently. The steering wheel shakes, and the entire cab shakes like an earthquake. I had to slow down to about 40mph to get it to stop shaking.
While driving down the interstate under normal conditions, the truck unexpectedly starts what is called the "death wobble". The steering wheel and the truck starts to shake uncontrollably, and the only solution to fix the problem is come to a very slow speed or a dead stop. This is very unsafe, especially when it happens on a major interstate. There are a ton of complaints out there regarding…
Steering gear is moving about 2 inches wear on left front tire.
Starts a bad wobble and shake with no warning at highway speed and feels like it is going to come off of the road. You have to slow to below 30mph for it to stop.
While driving at highway speeds and encountering road irregularities, truck enters into "death wobble" condition whereby truck shakes violently until speed is reduced to <30 MPH. Suspension was rebuilt 3 months ago by Ford dealer and condition has returned. In these situations the vehicle is extremely difficult to control and could easily result in total loss of control of the vehicle at speeds…
I recently purchased a 2015 f250 super duty. It was a clean title no accidents. Shortly after purchasing the truck I was driving between 43 -55 MPH on a county road when my steering wheel and in fact the entire truck started shaking so violently I was having trouble maintaining control. I managed to slow down quickly and it stopped. After several more occurrences all at the same speeds I took…
A common, but irregular violent shaking of the steering after I go over a bump in the road of come off an overpass. Sometimes it happens once in a week, sometimes it will happen 2 times in 2 miles. The problem doesn't occur under 45 MPH. It is so dangerous that I don't want anyone driving my truck except me, in case this happens again. Very scary. Very dangerous.
Had steering trouble with your 2015 Ford F-250?
File a complaint with NHTSA → It's free, official, and how every report above got here — owner filings are the federal safety record this page is built on.
Common questions
How serious is the steering problem on the 2015 Ford F-250?
It's a documented issue but not catastrophic. 125 complaints have been filed. Repairs average $700 and most owners catch it before it causes a breakdown.
At what mileage does the steering typically fail?
Across the 72 complaints that reported odometer mileage, most steering failures cluster between 38,000 and 97,500 miles, with the median around 70,000. A quarter of owners report trouble before 38,000; a quarter make it past 97,500. Maintenance history matters more than the odometer alone — this is the reported failure window, not a guarantee.
What does it cost to fix?
Independent shops typically charge around $700 for steering repairs on this vehicle. Dealer pricing tends to run 20-40% higher. The exact figure depends on the specific failure mode, parts availability, and your local labor rates. If you're outside factory warranty, an extended service contract often covers this category.
Are there any recalls related to steering?
No active recalls currently cover steering issues on this vehicle. The complaints filed represent owner-reported failures that haven't risen to the level of a manufacturer-issued recall — but they're still worth knowing about before you buy or budget for repairs.
Related
Complaint and recall data sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
public records database. Verify the raw federal record at
nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2015/Ford/F-250.
Severity ratings are derived from reported crashes, fires, injuries, and fatalities. Repair cost estimates are
independent-shop national averages and may differ in your area. Some links on this page are affiliate links.