2006 Ford F-250 SD Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often describe a violent front-end shake or oscillation that begins after hitting a bump, pothole or bridge seam, usually at highway speed, and that only settles once the truck slows substantially. Many say dealers could not reproduce or diagnose it, and several mention a manufacturer letter advising tire pressure checks rather than a repair. A smaller group of complaints covers 6.0L diesel engine and cooling problems such as stalling, hard starting, smoke and coolant loss.

1. 1
   Suspension

   Front-end shake or wobble after hitting a bump

   • 166 complaints (61%)
   • median 35,000 mi at 3.4 yrs old (149 state mileage)
   • 6 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $1,000 (median of 6 quotes)
   • filed 2006–2017

   Complaints describe the front of the truck shaking or hopping violently after a bump, expansion joint or rough pavement, with the steering wheel jerking and the whole vehicle vibrating hard enough that items move inside the cab. Owners say control returns only after braking down to roughly 30-40 mph or stopping entirely. Many report repeated dealer visits where the condition was not reproduced or was attributed to tire pressure, and some say replacing dampers, bushings, track bar parts or tires helped only briefly. Reported from very low mileage up through six figures, most commonly between about 20,000 and 90,000 miles and at highway speeds of roughly 50-70 mph.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Drive the truck at highway speed over bridge seams and patched pavement and watch for any shimmy or oscillation. Ask for service records covering front-end bushings, ball joints, track bar, steering damper and tire condition, and whether any steering oscillation bulletin work was performed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I have on several occasions had my f250 super duty 6.0 diesel shimmy very violently. These occurrences happened at speeds of 50 to 65 MPH. On one occasion on the interstate I actually pulled over thinking I had a blowout. Now at 75000 miles, it is starting to shimmy on rough pavement even at slower speeds of 35 to 45 MPH.”

   NHTSA complaint #10286250, filed 2009-10, 50,000 miles

   “2006 Ford f250 hd diesel has violent shaking or death wobble after hitting some bump in the road. Took to Ford and had it checked, aligned, new tires, and steering damper, isn't any better. I'd like to know what I'm suppose to do, a friend of ours had a wreck and was killed in his truck, which was just like ours?”

   NHTSA complaint #10303033, filed 2010-01, 88,348 miles
2. 2
   Engine

   Diesel stalling, hard starting, smoke and power loss

   • 23 complaints (8%)
   • median 89,000 mi at 4.7 yrs old (23 state mileage)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2006–2016

   Owners of the 6.0L diesel describe hard starts and long cranking, stalling without warning at any speed, sudden loss of acceleration with heavy smoke from the exhaust, and check-engine lights with boost-related codes while towing or climbing at highway speed. Complaints mention repairs to injectors, turbocharger, EGR valve, oil cooler and head gaskets, and several say the problem returned after repair. Mostly reported between about 35,000 and 155,000 miles, often during highway driving, towing, or cold starts.

   6 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask for records of injector, EGR cooler, oil cooler and head gasket work, and check for a tuner or delete kit that may affect legality and resale. Start the engine cold and watch for white smoke, long crank time or rough idle, and scan for stored boost and EGR codes.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Heads went bad now I have to replace the heads and new head studs because the old head studs stretched and the heads warped , also had to do an EGR delete . I was told it was built proofing and it has to be done to all 6.0 ltrs.”

   NHTSA complaint #10874521, filed 2016-06, 155,000 miles

   “I have a new 2006 Ford F-250 SD diesel 6.0l. The first year I owned it 7,000 miles I blew a head gasket. It took Ford more than 5 weeks to fix it and 2 different dealerships of hassle. 6 months later the problem has happened again. I spoke with Ford they gave me an appointment 1 month after I called to set the appointment. After that month dealership took 4 weeks of my time with my truck and didn't fix a thing. Told me they were to busy to deal with me and I should take it to another dealership to get fixed. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10201289, filed 2007-08, 21,000 miles
3. 3
   Steering

   Loose or wandering steering, steering box wear

   Mentioned in 6 of 60 sampled complaints

   Some owners describe excessive free play in the steering wheel that appeared without warning, making the truck hard to keep in its lane, and report the steering box was diagnosed as the cause and replaced. Others describe the wheel feeling tight or losing power assist while driving, leading to a steering pump replacement. Complaints also note that alignment, new tires and a steering damper did not resolve the shaking. Spread across the sample from roughly 30,000 to 146,000 miles, with several reports in the 60,000-90,000 mile range.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: With the engine running, rock the steering wheel gently and note how much it moves before the front tires respond, and listen for pump noise or stiffness at low speed. Ask whether the steering box, pump or front ball joints have been serviced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Front-end shimmy after crossing uneven or slight rough pavement at highway speed. Purchased truck with 6500 miles on the odometer. At this time, shimmy seemed to be induced by rough pavement at speeds from 62 to 75 MPH. Received a recall that stated the problem was with tire pressure. I checked my tires and found my pressure to be 65 PSI. As truck mileage has increased, the shimmy now starts at 50 MPH on rougher pavement. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10285580, filed 2009-09, 34,000 miles

   “Driving along at about 45 MPH, hit a rough patch of pavement and the front end of the truck began to bounce and the steering wheel began to oscillate back and forth, although the truck did not go left or right from the line of travel. After slowing down the truck came back under my control, bounce and oscillation stopped. This has happened numerous times (weekly), with the original tires and with replacement tires. I have had the front end aligned and tires balanced. I check the air pressure weekly. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10435519, filed 2011-11, 36,123 miles

Buying note. Budget for a thorough front-end inspection on a test drive at highway speed, since the shake complaints are the most common theme and repairs are often repeated rather than one-time. On diesel examples, ask for full service records for the injectors, EGR and oil cooler systems before deciding.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.