CHARLOTTE — Jason Kincaid said he was driving down Interstate 485 when his Ford F-250 suddenly started shaking violently.
"You know the feeling when your stomach drops out," he told Action 9's Jason Stoogenke.
Kincaid said he pulled over safely, went home and went online to investigate the problem.
"I saw account after account of people labeling it as the ‘death wobble,'" he said.
Justin Hill, in Texas, sent Stoogenke a video of his experience.
"It just starts jostling the whole front end and then where you can barely hold onto the steering wheel," Hill said. "You don't expect to spend 40 to 50 grand and that this happens."
Stoogenke found more videos on YouTube and a Facebook group dedicated to the issue.
He also came across a potential class-action lawsuit, which accuses Ford of selling 2005 to 2019 F-250s and F-350 trucks with the “death wobble" and knowing it.
The lawsuit claims 12 people had "accidents and injuries" and that more than 1,200 people filed complaints with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
A Charlotte driver's complaint said it felt like an earthquake, that it was "the worst violent shaking I have ever felt in a vehicle" and that it felt "like all four tires exploded."
Stoogenke did a quick NHTSA search of his own and got more than 150 hits: 112 for the F-250s and 40 for the F-350s.
Hill and Kincaid are hoping for a recall.
"If it's not safe to drive, it shouldn't be on the road in the first place," Hill told Stoogenke.
"Any time, even one life's in jeopardy, it should be addressed across the board nationally," Kincaid said.
Ford said it won't comment on pending litigation.
In the meantime, Stoogenke said if you have the death wobble:
- Take the truck to the dealer, if even if it’s just to document the problem.
- If you spend any money because of the vibration, save your receipts in case there’s a recall, lawsuit or some other way for you to get reimbursed later.
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