05 XLT Wobbles and shakes and feels unsafe

[Wheel jack]

Here's the deal. 05 XLT, just hit 130k It's my wife's family hauler.

In the last 5-8k or so, each time i drive it, it feels less and less stable. Meaning that any little pothole or jog of the steering wheel can send the truck rocking side to side, swaying like a boat. It worries me that i think it could tip right over with any sudden movement .

Is it really just time to go new shocks all the way around?

I'm replacing the shot Michelins this week, with Kumho Road Ventures (have them on my 99 xlt and love em for our winters here) but i just wanted to see what else i should look at. I don't know if new tires will solve this. I did replace the ft sway bar mounts in the spring after i found one snapped. We've only owned it since 95k or so, not sure of past history.

This truck in general really drains me with maintenance. It's been a money pit with wheel bearings in just the short time I've had it. New alternator last dec.Leaking oil, leaking coolant and on and on. And those damn tire pressure sensors!

 

[Royy]

Check the tie rods. If they're really bad, this can cause swaying.

Especially pay attention to the rear tie rods - most vehicles don't have these, so it's common to forget to check them on the XLT. I've had both of my rear tie rods snap, which caused A LOT of swaying at high speeds.

 

[gtyates]

Sounds like the rear wheel bearings are going bad. On our trucks they are harder to diagnose than most because of the way they are mounted. Our went bad in our '04 and I had the exact symptoms you are describing. Very little noise though. Ours got so bad that I had my wife drive it and I followed her and I could actually see the rear drivers side tire wobble at the same time she was telling me on the phone the truck felt like it was swaying. It was... Not a cheap repair, and for us it has been the only costly repair in 120k miles of driving. It will be my son's truck soon.