PonyMuscletang13

I've been having this feeling that the steering wheel on my 13 Brembo GT is becoming loose.

Mostly noticeable when driving on a straight line, I can wiggle the wheel side to side just a hair bit without actually going sideways.

The 'steering feel' adjustments from comfort to standard to sport does make a difference but even when set to sport mode most of the time, I find myself wanting it to feel firmer (when it is NOT turning). I don't feel confident nor safe especially driving high speeds on freeway. Does this make sense.

I understand we have electrical power steerings. Is there such a way to, say tighten it up (bushings, bearings, etc)...?

Getportfolio

The steering wheel is held on by one big bolt under the airbag. Not sure about all that other fancy stuff. Lol

PonyMuscletang13

Thanks for the input. I'm guessing many will find my concern weird, but it is how I feel and am hoping for some educated advice from fellow mustang owners out there.

As much as I hate to make a fuss about what it seems to be a relatively small matter, I can really use good advice/hear opinions before taking it to the dealer.

Mary Bigda

Just recently, my steering wheel started to become very loose on my 2010 Mustang. I could rock it back & forth as well as up & down. It didn't seem to affect turns, but I did feel like it was getting looser by the day. By day 3, it felt "scary loose" and I turned into the nearest service station {Firestone} to have them take a look. I was told that it needed to be towed to a Ford dealership and he didn't even want me to drive it the 3 miles to get it there. The mechanic at the ford dealership who fixed it told me that he was able pull it right out of the dashboard without any effort at all. The bolt that holds it in place was loose and stripped and if I had continued to drive it, it would have fallen off in my lap at the slightest bump in the road. This is obviously a manufacturers defect for this to happen to a 4 year old car that has never been in any accidents, yet Ford Corp refused to take responsibility and it was "not their problem" since it was past warranty. Past warranty or not, I've NEVER heard of this happening to any car ~ let alone one that's only 4 year's old. I've always loved the Mustang and this 2010 is my 4th one. My husband and I have always purchased Ford cars, but I guarantee we will never purchase another. It's not the about the money I had to pay out to fix what someone did wrong in the factory. It's about Ford Corp not willing to stand by their product and own up to their error. Had the wheel fallen off, I could have killed myself along with God knows how many others since I drive 18 miles of highway everyday to & from work. Ford Corp didn't think that was significant.

PonyMuscletang13

Interesting, thought I was imagining things. So what is the fix, just tighten the big bolt in middle...?

Critical Mass

Electric or not there is still steering linkage, bushings, and rods, that can wear out and cause this. Electric/Hydraulic, that's just to make it easier to turn the wheel. All the rest still applies.

Critical Mass

It happens. I wouldn't call it a defect necessarily. Someone probably didn't torque it down properly at the factory and forgot the loctite. I find the steering in the Mustang to be incredibly light to begin with, but it is tight as a drum. I run with it in Sport mode all the time and it's still too light for my tastes, but at least I get more feedback in sport mode.

tbone004

I would take it to the deal to have it looked at.

But if you want to check it your self it is not hard at all to get access to the nut in question.

Disconnect battery.
There are 2 plugs on each side of the steering wheel, once you remove them there are 2 bolts to remove. This will give you access to remove the air bag.
Pull air bag out and disconnect the power lead.
You will now be able to check/tighten the nut for the wheel.

Guys add anything I might have missed.

PonyMuscletang13

So I recently got new tires and was hoping for 'heavier' feedback with rubbers being much wider than before (stock 255 vs now 285).

To my surprise, I'm getting just the opposite. It feels lighter/loose that especially at high speeds I find myself holding the steering wheel hard. Still on sport mode.

I'm guessing is the lighter new wheels but I want the steering wheel to be heavy and steady. Just like heavier clutch is good, you know.

How do we achieve this on our cars??

frank s

I might have misunderstood from the beginning: Is the sensation you're feeling light steering pressure required to steer the car?

New tires have a bunch of chemicals in the rubber (mold release, etc.) that will eventually "gas off". They create a lubricant between the tread and the road, which makes very new tires seem slippery.

Lighter wheels decrease the flywheel effect of rolling tires, which means they are easier to turn.

Higher tire pressures could also make steering effort seem lower.

Changing the front stabilizer bar to a larger size will also increase apparent steering effort, make "turn-in" seem heavier.

PonyMuscletang13

Yes!!! This is exactly what I was asking haha.

I see I see. Thank you for such a kind and informative advise! I'm going to try and lower the tire pressure a bit, the shop put 36+psi as per manufacture's recommended settings.

How have you been? Last time we met was the Motorgen cruise down at San Diago, it was my very first canyon run. Time flies. Do you still have the same license plate? I plan to get personalized plate but still deciding what to put lol.

frank s

That Palomar run was pretty much fun.

I moved to a newer car, a convertible.

Choosing a personalized plate is definitely a challenge. In my head I kepth hearing, "What do I want to say to everyone, all the time". I had a list of about forty possibilities, and found it took more than a year to filter it down to fit in the three lines on the application. Then, when I had filled it all out and reread it before sealing the envelope, Inspiration struck, and I put the eventual selection in tha blank space above the lines of boxes., never expecting it would go through. Imagine my delight when a few weeks later the actual plates showed up in the mail!

I hope your steering comes to conform with something you like. My door jamb stickers say 32 psi, which I run in the rear, with one or two pounds less in the front for twisties work, reversing that for straight-line work. Thirty-two all around for highway travel.

Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies lika a banana.

mfc133

You lose steering feel and precision with a wider front tire. The chief engineer of SVT explains it here: