2010 Ford F-250 Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2010 Ford F-250 report predominantly one thing: violent front-end shaking at highway speed after hitting a bump, bridge joint or pavement transition, often called the "death wobble". Complaints describe it as recurring over months or years, with parts replaced (dampers, track bars, tie rods, ball joints) and the shake returning. The remaining reports are scattered across diesel fuel-system and engine concerns, exhaust manifold hardware, and ignition switch problems.

1. 1
   Steering

   Highway-speed front-end shaking ("death wobble")

   • 37 complaints (51%)
   • median 83,500 mi at 9.4 yrs old (26 state mileage)
   • filed 2013–2026

   Owners describe the front end and steering wheel beginning to shake violently after the truck hits a bump, expansion joint, pothole or rough pavement, usually above roughly 45-50 mph. Several say the shaking is strong enough that steering control is lost and the only way to stop it is to brake hard and slow nearly to a stop. Repairs reported include steering dampers, track bars, tie rods, drag links, ball joints and shocks; in several complaints the shake came back after the work, and some dealers told owners no permanent fix was available or could not identify a cause. Reported across a wide mileage range, from around 25,000 to over 150,000 miles, typically at highway speeds on rough pavement or bridge transitions.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Ask whether the steering damper, track bar and front-end bushings have been replaced, and request the service history. Test drive on a highway and deliberately cross expansion joints and rough pavement at speed if it is safe to do so.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “At various speeds, the front end begins shaking violently like you have just blown a tire. When you slow down it settles back. This problem was checked by an ase mechanic and suggested I balance my tires. After doing so, the problem still occurs.”

   NHTSA complaint #10790734, filed 2015-11, 38,000 miles

   “While driving my 2010 Ford f250 super duty on the highway I drove over a bump in the road. The truck began to shake violently. It felt like it was going to fall apart while still in motion. I tried to hit the brake but that seemed to exacerbate the problem. I tried to adjust the steering wheel in hopes to align some defunct component. Nothing seemed to help except to let off the gas and attempt to control the vehicle and avoid a potential fatal accident. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10838463, filed 2016-02, 96,877 miles
2. 2
   Fuel system

   Diesel stalling or loss of power (fuel system)

   • 7 complaints (10%)
   • median 101,000 mi at 11.0 yrs old (7 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2013–2025

   Owners of diesel trucks describe losing motive power or stalling while driving, sometimes with a "Service Vehicle Soon" message and no other warning. Independent mechanics or dealers in these complaints pointed to the high-pressure fuel pump or a general fuel system failure; some vehicles were repaired and others were not. A few owners also report hard starting or long fill times at the pump. Typically reported between roughly 80,000 and 145,000 miles.

   What to check: Ask for fuel-system service records, whether the high-pressure fuel pump has been replaced, and whether the truck has had any stalling episodes. A pre-purchase scan for stored fuel-system codes is worthwhile.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The contact owns a 2010 Ford F-250. The contact was driving approximately 70 MPH when the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to restart the vehicle after fifteen minutes. The failure occurred seven times. An independent mechanic stated that the fuel injector module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 80,400.”

   NHTSA complaint #10619257, filed 2014-08, 80,400 miles

   “The contact owns a 2010 Ford F-250. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power and stalled, but independently regained motive power. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed with fuel system failure; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 101,000.”

   NHTSA complaint #11529394, filed 2023-06, 101,000 miles

Buying note. The front-end shake is the dominant theme in owner reports for this model year, so a highway test drive over rough pavement and a look at front-end service records matter more than cosmetics. On diesel examples, ask specifically about fuel pump history and exhaust manifold work.

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.