[Driving Hard]

I hope this is not a repost

I just bought a F350 4x4 6.7 diesel and it steers like a boat it gos all over the road with every bump and when you go into a corner you have to start turning (slightly) before you get to the corner or you end up at the out side of the lane. I have about a 3 inch play in the steering before it reacts if you turn the steering wheel slowly.

The truck has the basic standard shocks ( not off road).
The tires are Michilin

LT 275/65R20
Tread Ply 2 polyester and 3 steel
Side wall 2 polyester

The tires seem kind of lite to me I have always had 10 ply

I have talked to the dealer about 9 or 10 times and they tell me that I need to take a tech with me for a test drive to show them what is going on with the truck but every time I go in they are to busy.

I feel that this condition is a dangerous one. And I need some advice.

Do the Pro's out there think that the tires are to lite for this truck. I put about 700 to 800 LBS. of weight in it up front in the bed and nothing changed. I have a 20 ft goose neck flat bed trailer that I tow on rough rock dirt roads as well as highway driving and I am scared to even hook it up.

Can anyone help me

 

[retiredfields]

My F350 came from the factory. way, way out of alignment. Exhibited some of the same symptoms you have. I had the dealer align the truck, under warranty. They even had to change out some front end parts. Now it tracks true as can be.

Too bad the factory would send out my order like that.

 

[fulltimer50]

Take it to the dealer and give them the time to look at and fix it.
You might also check your tire pressures.

 

[Nickelplated5s]

My understanding with modern tires is the rating counts, not the ply number. As in an E rated tire used to have 10 plies but modern construction allows for less layers with the same weight rating. Mine tracks true and you should expect the same.

Some people on this list think the Michelins wear fast. Put a load on any tire close to it's rating and it'll wear fast. I have a friend who went to lowboy, 19.5", tires on her trailer (8K axles and hauling around 15K with an F650) . She stopped blowing the more expensive G rated tires.

 

[Driving Hard]

Thanks Guys I talked to my tire guy and he told me that they are the right tires (E rating)

He told me that some times the tires need more air in them than what Ford says to put in them I went to the dealer (Sunrise Ford) in Fontana Ca. and asked them to fill the tires up to the Manufactures Maximum (80 psi) well I had to argue with the Tech about it as usual.

He took my truck and put 65 lbs all the way around. Even Ford recommends 80 lbs in the back tires.

I really Hate Ford service departments.

 

[Painted Horse]

If I'm running empty 65lbs is plenty of pressure in those tires. I can then bump it up to 80 psi when I put a load on the truck

Having gone thru many sets of tires on various Ford Superduties, pulling the same trailers, I have some expectation of how long a set of tires under load should last. And these Michelins are wearing extremely fast.

 

[Driving Hard]

The air pressure change did not fix the problem. It did help very slightly

Back to square one

When I turn it is like the back of the truck twists side ways and then when I straighten up it twists back like there is no sway bar.

 

[WhiteMule]

I think as the others that you should take it back to the dealer and give them the time to make a proper diagnosis and repair. I would settle for nothing less. I just traded an 06 Dodge for my new F350 due to the same problem of floating all over the road. My Dodge was not safe to drive with a trailer hooked to it. The new one drives liked a dream and yours should too.

 

[wharrell]

The air pressure change did not fix the problem. It did help very slightly

Back to square one

When I turn it is like the back of the truck twists side ways and then when I straighten up it twists back like there is no sway bar.

Try this test. It will sure shock you.

Be going down straight flat road about 45 - 50. Quickly move the wheel back and forth as if you had to avoid an object in the road. That will replicate the 'boat feeling' you are communicating where the back end does not track well and feels like it is going to come unglued from the road.

I noticed it the second day I had my new 2011 F350 4x4 Short Bed Heavy Duty Suspension with the Michelin tires that have now already lost 1/4 of the tread depth after 4700 miles.

Never had this bad suspension feeling problem on my 2008 nor 2005 Superduties.

 

[Driving Hard]

Try this test. It will sure shock you.

Be going down straight flat road about 45 - 50. Quickly move the wheel back and forth as if you had to avoid an object in the road. That will replicate the 'boat feeling' you are communicating where the back end does not track well and feels like it is going to come unglued from the road.

I noticed it the second day I had my new 2011 F350 4x4 Short Bed Heavy Duty Suspension with the Michelin tires that have now already lost 1/4 of the tread depth after 4700 miles.

Never had this bad suspension feeling problem on my 2008 nor 2005 Superduties.

I have already done that and it scared the bajesus out of me. I think I will take my truck in today or monday depends on if they can get me a rental

 

[Dak]

I think you should take the service manager for a ride with you and do that. That should get your truck fixed...

I do not have the same problem or feeling you do. Take it in and leave it with them to fix. I know it is a PITA to be without your truck, but it will be more of a PITA if you wreck because of it.

 

[Driving Hard]

Up date on the problem


I took my truck back to Sunrise Ford in Fontana Ca. and had one of the Suspension Technicians drive the truck with me in it.

1st thing is that the Tech. was very polite during my whole visit at the dealer.

He told me that the truck handles better than most of the 2011 F350 trucks that he has driven.

I asked him what was going to happen when I put a trailer behind it and he said that the drifting of the truck was going to get worse and that there was nothing that he could do for the problem. He told me that he would look up any TSB's for the problem.

I talked to the service Rep. and the Tech. when we got back to the dealership and I asked about the safety issues of going out of control do to the steering being so sloppy and they told me that there was nothing they could do. I told them that I could not have a truck with such bad steering and that I was going to give it back and they told me that I would loose so much money that it would not be worth traiding in that all of the truck steer the same way.


Did I mention how much I Hate Ford Service Departments.

I am going to call ford corp. and ask what I can do to fix the problem before I die in an accident.

 

[lari2001]

Is there another truck on the lot that you can drive to compare? Most everyone that has driven an 11 says they ride and drive better than any other truck they have ever had yet this technician says yours is better than most that he has driven. Is there another dealer you can go to? I agree, you should start calling some people that r more important at Ford to make some noise. Good luck.

 

[Driving Hard]

Is there another truck on the lot that you can drive to compare? Most everyone that has driven an 11 says they ride and drive better than any other truck they have ever had yet this technician says yours is better than most that he has driven. Is there another dealer you can go to? I agree, you should start calling some people that r more important at Ford to make some noise. Good luck.

I just tried using the professional help line on this forum and want $38 to answer any questions.

I will take your advice and test drive some other 2011 trucks it is my only option at this time.

My 2003 and 2006 6.0 trucks handled like a dream. the 2003 2x4 was a race car it would go 90 miles an hour in 9 seconds and corner like a Nascar race car. The 2006 was not as fast but it did corner very well for a 4x4

Thank you for the advice

 

[EKUgrad]

I wonder how much the over boosted power steering is playing into it. I noticed the same thing on multiple test drives - it's not so much that it wanders like an old wore out front end as much as there is too much boost and too little feedback on center at highway speeds IMHO.

 

[panhead5]

You need to drive some other 11's .I drive these periodically and can't believe yours is really that bad.

My older ones wander a bit but not to the point of feeling unsafe .

Sorry you hate Ford service departments .Maybe if they buy it back the Chevy ones will treat you better.

Personally ,I hate seeing products with a fairly good track record flamed in front of millions on the internet .

 

[Driving Hard]

I went for a test drive in an F250 2x4 today and it steered the almost the same way.

The salesman told me that I needed to find an F350 4x4 to compare the streering with properly.

The F250 reacted quicker but it was still slushy. the higher profile 4x4 by design would be even more slushy do to the height of the truck.

I did notice the F250 rocks side to side when you turned it almost like it nose dived on one side as you turned.

I personally do not think that the service departments can or will do anything for me until people start having accidents in the trucks and Ford Corp. fixes the problem if they can even do it.

Does anyone out there think that heavier off road shocks or air bags will stiffen the truck up enough to help the steering or maybe something else I am real nervous about pulling my trailers and I may start doing that before this week end .

I really appreciate all of the help you guys have given me at least you have turned me in some good directions Thanks!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Driving Hard]

You need to drive some other 11's .I drive these periodically and can't believe yours is really that bad.

My older ones wander a bit but not to the point of feeling unsafe .

Sorry you hate Ford service departments .Maybe if they buy it back the Chevy ones will treat you better.

Personally ,I hate seeing products with a fairly good track record flamed in front of millions on the internet .

I only have one problem with other trucks and that is my stubbornness.


I have ridden in the Dodges , Chevys and Toyota trucks and even with my bad experiences with Ford Service dept. I keep going back to Ford. If I can not learn how to drive this one It may be my last Ford.


I have owned 6 ford trucks and this one has me at a loss at why I can not steer it.

 

[chris1450]

Mine tracks straight and true.... for a 8,325 lb vehicle. These aren't sports cars. Towing I am like a chalk line down the road. I have no complaints with the steering.

 

[EpicCowlick]

Have you taken the truck in for an alignment? What you describe is similar to a problem I created when I leveled the front end two inches on my truck. Lots of wandering due to improper caster angle after the lift. Many have heard me preach this before, but too little caster angle will cause the front tires to act like shopping cart wheels flopping back and forth. I'm exaggerating of course but the principle is true. A good alignment shop can not only correct such problems but also compensate for local roads. In my case they added extra caster angle and my steering was very nicely corrected.

It is conceivable that something may be out of whack under the front end of your truck even thoug it's brand new.