Low Speed Front-end wobble

[sab1955]

Our 2017 FR3-25DS we purchased in July of 2017 drives great except in odd situations when drive at low speeds 35 mph and under. We drove from California to NJ round trip last year for my wife's Mother's funeral via the northern I-80 route and had no problems, until the return trip though VA when we went through some road construction at about 25mph and the front end began to vibrate violently, I stepped on the brake it stopped and we drove the rest of the way back via the southern route with no other problems.

Fast forward to this summer, we just returned from a trip to Arizona in which this happened again three times in the first two cases we again were not in traffic but had the vibration to hard wobble happened again, once again I applied the brake and it stopped. This happened hundreds of miles from each other but were both at low speeds under 30mph.


After driving 7 hours from Bakersfield via I-5 and some rough patches of highway we got off at our offramp ten miles from home and while again going over a new smooth railroad crossing at low speed it happened again, starting with a mild vibration in the steering wheel to a violent wobble almost jumping front end, this time I had about three cars coming up behind me so I attempted to slow to a stop and move to the right shoulder of the road. Unfortunately I side swiped some low hanging branches which took out the cover to my refrigerator vent and bent the heck out of my ladder which I just had replaced under warranty.

Has anyone else had this problem? As I mentioned, I have no complaints about vibration, sway, or anything else in the drivability of it, other than this vibration/wobble at low speeds. I have gone over many bumps in the 10,000 miles we have traveled and this only has happened at these low speed conditions. I just makes me worry about it happening at high speed conditions or hitting some kid on the side of the road someday.

[Splitshaft]

If it was my coach I would have a qualified mechanic inspect the front end suspension and steering. Usually applying the brake will help center a wheel when the wheel bearings allows it to wobble. Applying the brake also changes toe-in or toe-out if there is looseness in the steering linkage that can stop a vibration felt through the steering wheel. Maybe wait until a wheel falls off or losing control before having a mechanic inspect it. Injuring or killing someone when a problem is know to exist is like willfully injuring someone or worse yet, manslaughter. So what if another FR3 owner has or has not experienced the same vibration to cause them to pull off the road and damage their coach?

[sab1955]

Geez pretty harsh fella, since originally penning this I spoke with Forest River, Ford and a "qualified mechanic" and learned all about harmonic death wobble through him and the internet.

I have an appointment to take it in on Tuesday, hopefully the first reply I received here was not an example of the type of help you can get here, I thought when I retired it might be the end of getting negative crap like that.