Friday, June 28, 2013

Is your Ford Truck a Lemon? - "Death Wobble"

Do you have a 2011-2013 Ford F150, F250, or F350 with a "death wobble"?  If so, you may be surprised to know that you're not alone. 

A quick "Google" search online reveals various online forums, blog postings, and similar postings specifically related to a "death wobble" in Ford trucks.   In fact, an excellent video on youtube shows a Ford truck "death wobble" from both outside a truck and inside.  If you think that you may have experienced a "death wobble" in your Ford truck, or just want to see what it looks like, then click on the video to the left.

From where I sit as a Lemon Law attorney in Ohio, I am also seeing an alarming number of these trucks come through my doors.  Typically, the consumers experience the "death wobble" or "death shake" after going over a small bump in the road or a bridge.  When it occurs, the vehicle is extremely hard to keep on the road, making the "death wobble" clearly a safety concern.      

Given the widespread existence of a "death wobble" in Ford trucks, and the fact that the problem is obviously a safety concern, one would expect the problem to be addressed immediately at an authorized Ford dealer.  However, most consumers that I am in contact with are simply told that the Ford dealership was "unable to duplicate" the concern, or that there was "no problem found", and the vehicle is returned to the consumer unrepaired and unsafe to drive.  Why?  Because Ford, like most manufacturers, requires its authorized dealers to verify or witness a defect occur before they can do any repairs under warranty. So, if the mechanic does not verify the "death wobble" in a short test drive, then the vehicle will inevitably be returned to the consumer unrepaired with "no problem found" written on the repair invoice.  It is no surprise that this can be both frustrating and frightening for a consumer, given the severity of the "death wobble" defect.
 
If your Ford truck has a "death wobble", you've been to the dealer for repairs, and it is still not fixed, consider taking your vehicle into the dealership and requesting that the service representative ride along with you.  Take the vehicle to a bump or bridge where you have experienced the "death wobble" before.  If that doesn't work, then consider talking to a lemon law attorney in your state. You may be able to get out of that"lemon" truck yet. Click here for a free online 50 state list of consumer law attorneys.

Beth Wells
Helping Consumers Get Rid of Lemons, 9 Years Running



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