With all the hype about how the Ford F-150 is America’s favorite truck, it may begin to feel as if the Ford F-250 is the truck that Ford has forgotten. 

There isn’t nearly as much propaganda geared towards the F-250 as some of the other F-series trucks, making it something that only devoted Ford fans are familiar with.

This doesn’t mean that the F-250 is beyond recognition, however. Many consumers choose to drive the F-250 over its more well known little brother and love it. It’s especially popular as a used vehicle. If you’re in the market for a used F-250, according to Car Complaints, the 2011 F-250 has the worst ratings from consumers, and may not be your best bet.

2011 Ford F-250 problems

Car Complaints reports that one of the biggest problems facing the 2011 F-250 is what is known as the death wobble. Perhaps the creativity in the name gives some credence to how extremely bad the problem really is.

Some car problems are called failed fuel pump relay, oil leaks, and failure to start. Then you have the death wobble.

If you haven’t experienced this, count yourself lucky. According to Shock Warehouse, “The “Death Wobble” is a very dangerous vibration that occurs in the front end of a vehicle. When a vehicle experiences death wobble, the entire steering system rapidly turns back and forth, making controlling the vehicle very hard.”

Shock Warehouse goes on to report that once your vehicle begins the death wobble, you must reduce your speeds in order to make it stop. It typically affects vehicles with a coil spring suspension that uses a track bar, as well as a solid front axle.

Ford and Ram trucks are plagued by the death wobble, as well as Jeeps.

According to Consumer Reports, many consumers have reported having multiple parts on their F-250 repaired in order to fix this, and nothing works. For most, it all begins with a small bump. Only slowing down to 25 to 35 mph will rid the truck of the death wobble. 

One driver was on the highway when he suddenly found himself forced to slow down to 30 mph. 

Another driver was forced to come to a stand-still before the wobble would quit shaking his truck. Not only did this occur during a heavy commute time, but it was pouring rain as well. 

How do you fix the death wobble?

This is where things get really tricky. There’s no actual ‘cure’ for it, or no way to repair it. Some drivers of the 2011 Ford F-250 reported that they replaced the front shock and the steering stabilizer, purchased new tires, replace the brakes, and much more. Nothing fixed it.

It can start anywhere from 7,000 to 300,000 miles.

It is important that note that we recently reported about how Jeep has stepped up to the plate and seems to have found a solution for the death wobble in the Wrangler. Ford has yet to find a solution, and many consumers report that Ford won’t even admit that the death wobble exists. Most drivers report they turned in their keys for a Ram or Chevy.

2014 Ford F-250

The 2011 Ford F-250 may be riddled with issues, but all is not lost for the F-250. The 2014 model has been around long enough to know what issues it has, and most aren’t that bad.

The biggest problem, according to Car Complaints, revolves around the AC and heater, and there were only three complaints.

One was because the A/C core evaporator leaked. It cost the owner $2,200 to repair. It was the only complaint recorded.

Another owner complained the AC stopped working. The third said the heater started blowing cold air. 

Cars.com reports that 97% of reviewers recommend the 2014 model and gave it 4.7 out of 5 stars. 

According to another article by Cars.com, there have been zero recalls on it. Say what you want, but that’s pretty impressive. The 2014 has been out for five years now, and the fact that the NHTSA has yet to make a single recall really says a lot about the quality of this vehicle. 

The only complaints Cars.com had were that Ford didn’t offer a manual transmission, and the ride quality isn’t that great. Other than that, it had a solid review. So if you’re looking for a used truck avoid the 2011 Ford F-250 and go for the 2014 instead.