Ford - Focus :: 2003 - Steering Wheel Malfunction - Hard Pull To The Left After Very Linear Steering Feel
May 16, 2016
The problem makes the car unsafe to drive. The quickest way to describe it is a hard pull to the left after a very linear steering feel. My perception is almost as something is holding on and then just fails and lets go and the car quite abruptly shoots left in a very unsafe manner. Here are the things I have done to remedy the situation, I replaced the struts with factory replacements 15,000 miles ago. At the same time i replaced the left and right axles, drove the car with the problem then last weekend, I replaced the upper tie rod arms, and lower tie rod ends, the sway bar bushings, and the control arms on both sides. I literally feel as though it is a darn near new front end.
Just yesterday I had 4 new Goodyear eagle tires and an alignment done and the problem became more pronounced and worst. I really like this car and want it to be a joy to drive as I know from others these little hatchbacks are a real joy on winding mountain roads.
View 10 Replies
Advertisement
I've got a nasty groan and vibration on the steering wheel coming from my Steering Pump when I turn hard right or left. There seems like a little bit of oil around the pump and some traces of shiny metal (tiny sparkles) near the spline so I'm pretty sure the pump and pulley needs replacing.
View 1 Replies
My friend with an 07 with about 109k miles on it now has started getting a "groaning" noise whenever the wheel is cut hard to the right or left, either sitting still or rolling. A local repair shop (not the dealer) checked it out and said there was some "stuff that needed to be lubricated". Not trusting this opinion he went to a Toyota dealer where he was getting new brake pads installed on all 4 corners (no Lexus dealer in the city where he lives), they diagnosed the car as needing 4 new struts and a new balljoint.
If in fact he does need the struts and balljoint, I am thinking chances are there will be a bunch more suspension stuff that should really be done at the same time when everything is apart anyway - perhaps bushings, endlinks, etc?
Is he better off sticking with the OEM strut replacements or should he go aftermarket? He's not looking to slam the car or anything, and is more of a ride comfort guy than handling enthusiast.
View 1 Replies
I've got an '06 F150 and the steering isn't right with it. It has had a heavy feel and is almost like the power assist is only working half as good as it should. It's been like this for a couple months. I 've had all four ball joints and the steering rack replaced in the last month. It had the heavy steering feel before and after everything was replaced. It also doesn't recover itself on sharp turns, I have to turn the wheel back as I complete the turn. Could it be the power steering pump? I thought it was a mechanical device and it either worked or it didn't, maybe they get weak?
View 14 Replies
I have a 2003 Silverado 1500 4wd at low ( 5 mph ) speeds it turns to the left like I have manual steering. To the right it turns fine. As soon as I get the speed up to 6 or 7 mph turns fine. At a stop you can't hardly turn left but again turning right if fine. I can put in neutral and rev the engine up and it makes no difference. I googled the problem and I don't seem to be the only one with the problem and no one seems to have an answer. I have tried a lot of "fixes" like check the air in the tires and replace the steering fluid etc but nothing has worked yet.
View 3 Replies
Have some clunking I can feel through the steering wheel. Starting with checking ball joints.
1999 explorer Eddie Bauer.
Would I jack it up on the control arm to release any tensions? Any tips or tricks after doing a visual to find my clunking?
View 3 Replies
I just bought a 2003 W12 Phaeton with 55.000 km on the clock and a few problems that were knocked off the price.
The car is absolutely fantastic, so much better than my previous 4.2 A8, although I bought with a gearbox problem that dropped the price down to USD 8.000.
The gearbox issue is that it jumps from 1st to 2nd gear with a 'clock' and much harder when the other way around (2nd to 1st). Sometimes so hard that it automatically engages the "safe mode" with the yellow PRNDS sign on the screen. Once on 2nd gear and up, it runs smoothly.
My plan is to take the gearbox off the car and bring it to an expert mechanic on ZF gearboxes, as the VW dealer quotes USD 9.000 for a new gearbox.
Re the other issues, I have plugged in the VCDS after changing both batteries (a standard 90 Ah on the right, a VARTA G14 95 Ah on the left) which show many faults that I can't really identify. The problem I have noticed is that one button on the steering (the OK push button on the right) does not work and when it is pushed, the cruise is deactivated (?). Looks like this module will need to be replaced (VCDS says 'control module defective').
The other issue I have noticed is that the TPMS system doesn't work. On the screen it shows clocks on each wheel... and nothing happens. I guess it's the batteries of the sensors, so I am thinking of replacing them. Would this solve the problem?
I just realized that I did my last VAG-COM check before clearing previous DTCs, so I will do that now and come back to post it.
View 24 Replies
I had new tyres put on my 2002 Accent 1.5 CDX a few weeks ago, they are 175/70 R 13 and i have Genuine Hyundai Alloy wheels. Over the past few days, Ive noticed a bad wobble that i can feel through the steering wheel, but seems to come from the rear of the car, although it could come from the front, as the car seems to wander around on the road, but going along at 50 mph and taking my hand off the wheel for a second or two it doesn't pull either way, you can just see the steering wheel visible moving from left to right and back again!!!!!
I changed the back wheels to the front and vice versa, and the problem went away, for 24 hours and came back again!!!! This wobble is getting worse, I've had the wheels balanced, rims seem ok, suspension checked, etc and all fine. The only thing I am not sure about is worn track rod ends, and I am not sure what to look for this wobble is at its worse between 30 and 55 mph, but it can be felt on any road (from starting off) and at any speed.
View 2 Replies
Vibrating at 50-55mph, also at 75+, was reduced considerably when forward transmission mount was replaced. Still shimmies and feel little in the steering wheel. Have replaced tie rod ends, back struts and tires. Need to figure out what I am missing.
View 2 Replies
Maybe I'm just too picky or my imagination is kicking in. In the last week or two, I noticed a grinding like feel on the stick, the steering wheel and the gas pedal (just a little, not too much), something like a bracket or plate loose somewhere and I can feel it more the faster I go. This can be reproduced by just pressing the clutch a little right up to the point where actually start engaging. I had the same feel on my Maxima and it was the heat shield. Am I alone on this one?
View 1 Replies
Ford Focus 2012 - 25,000 miles
There's a loud grinding noise from the front end of car when I turn the steering wheel... even when the car is off and in park.I can post videos of the noise if needed.
View 2 Replies
I have a 2003 Volkswagen Golf 2.0L 5 speed manual. Over the last 10,000 miles a problem started where on the highway in 5th gear, if i try to speed up by putting the pedal down, the steering wheel moves itself to the left and the car steers to the left. The wheel returns to the original position when i let off of the gas. its scary at high speeds and has become so bad that I can feel it accelerating at low speeds too.
The alignment is off and the steering wheel slightly to the right. when I put the gas down and it goes perfectly straight and when i release it goes back to the right. it has 126,000 miles on it. I know it needs tires, shocks and an alignment job but don't think that those factors are causing my problem. Could it be the motor mounts?
View 2 Replies
I purchased a 2001 Ford Focus 7/17 from a Ford dealer. While my daughter was driving, at a left turn, the engine light came on, the car stalled, and the steering wheel and gas pedal locked up. A friend did a computer scan and said the code came back that 2 sensors, the crank shaft and cam shaft sensors, needed replaced. So we had them replaced.
About 4 days later, while driving home from school, on a right turn, the car broke down again on my daughter. She said the symptoms were the same, engine light came on, car stalled, the steering wheel and gas pedal locked up. So we had it towed to a local Ford service department. They said the ignition coils needed replaced and the valve cover gasket would eventually need replaced (per the mechanic, this wasn't directly related to the issue but a small leakage was found). So we let the Ford mechanic replace the coils and the valve gasket cover. They ran several tests and put 20 additional miles on the car without failures or issues, scans came up clean.
So while driving to school this morning, on a u-turn, my daughter experienced the issue again....car stalled, engine light came on, steering wheel and gas pedal locked up. After sitting a few minutes, the car started up so she drove it home and hitched a ride from dad to get to school.
View 6 Replies
I have a 2003 Volkswagen Passat, and I'm having some trouble with it. When I turn the steering wheel, there is a groaning sound both to the left and right. the other problem is when I'm accelerating slowly up an incline and turning the steering wheel, there a type of clicking sound I hear and feel on my accelerator. By the way, it's a V6 engine, Front wheel drive.
View 2 Replies
Having trouble turning my wheel both ways on my trail blazer. Just replaced wheel bearings on truck not sure what would causing this. Also tries are wearing down..
View 6 Replies
I just purchased a used 2009 tiguan with 70k KM on it and I love it. thou the brake feels a little odd and I am not sure if this is normal. the brakes have a non-linear feel to it, and it squeals a little bit at very low speed.
the brake have a step feel to it. it feels like the first 1/3 or half is really not doing much, while at a certain point it brakes hard. when I am slowly releasing the brake when trying to move very slowly, it won't move at first, then all of a sudden it kind of jumps.
is this normal? or do I need to get something checked out?
View 5 Replies
2002 Camry LE 4cyl. automatic. I bought this car with 7500 miles on it in 2010. It had been involved in a low speed parking lot collision and apparently the left front corner and front took the hit. It'd been repaired and looked like new when I bought it. It still had the factory tires on it, but they were 8 years old, so I put a set of new Kumho Solus' on it. This was a friend's mothers car, so I know the history of it.
The left front suspension has always felt odd to me. Nothing serious, but just "off." When backing up and turning it has a sort of wobbly feel on that corner at times. I've been assured by several mechanics that they can find no problems. It feels to me like maybe sometimes the strut piston sticks on that corner. Don't know if that ever happens or not, but that's the best description I can come up with!
It has always vibrated from 45 on up. It's not a hard shudder, but just a constant vibration at highway speed that you can feel in your feet and the steering wheel. I've had it balanced and re-balanced to no avail. Sometimes it gets a little better, sometimes worse, but it's never gone away. Recently it seems to be getting worse.
I put it up on jackstands and accelerated to 60, and it vibrates like the wheels are out of balance. Yesterday I replaced the Kumhos (they had bad road noise anyway) with Michelins. The Michelins cured the road noise problems and have a much better overall feel, but I've still got the balance problem.
Just put it up on jackstands again and spun it up, and I still have the same vibration!
What to look for? The car has just now turned over 35k miles. I'm wondering if the CV joint on that left side was damaged and is causing the vibration. I've got new wheels as well instead of the factory steel rims. Also, with the car up on stands, the wheels spin true. No bent hub, etc.
View 10 Replies
I have a 2014 GX 460 without air suspension. what I'm experiencing, is when the steering wheel is steered all the way (left or right), and car is in motion (reverse or forward) I will feel like I am going over a pebble stone road. You can feel it more during morning and cooler days. Otherwise not as much, but it's still there.
View 6 Replies
1994 Chevrolet silverado 2WD 350/V8 ... I've been too focused on the loose steering and now there is a grinding noise feel on the steering wheel when I'm driving straight and above 20 mph. I jacked up the front end of the truck and after wiggling the front tires at 12:00 and 6:00, I can feel a slight movement at both front wheels. Is it a telltale sign the wheel bearings has failed. Note that I am deaf and can't hear any growling/grinding but I certainly can feel the grinding feel on my steering wheel. Wheel bearings it is?
View 19 Replies
I am having problems with my steering being all over the place. I noticed it at first when braking. It would pull to both sides. At a stop light holding the brakes my steering would randomly pull. I replaced the power steering pump. It didn't fix it. Now just driving it pulls all over. I was thinking steering box?
View 14 Replies
So when driving my tuck the steering on it would sorta lock up like it wanted to push the truck to one side then it would free up and the steering would be real loose it just felt like it had no power steering to one side it's not the same side each time and it pulses when I'm at a stop if I move the the tires Erving the motor doesn't seem to work so far I have replaced ball joints and all tie rods they needed done anyways it would still do it got an alignment done last week and it almost seems worse now could just be coincidence.
I'm thinking power steering pump but when the steering locks up to one side I'm also wondering if it's the steering box it's kinda hard to explain it what's going on and there is no popping noise or anything when the steering frees up. It's kinda scary on the freeway when I go around a corner the steering gets real loose and wonders back and forth not all the time but quit a bit but when going strait it will feel like it wants to pull to one side then the steering will loosen up again. The steering will wine only first thing in the morning when I pull out of the driveway then it's fine
View 14 Replies
