2013 Fiesta ST Steering Problem

[Gex010]

So I got my Fiesta ST about 6 months ago now, within the first week I noticed that the steering wheel always settles to the right instead of the center, on an extremely level road you cannot notice it as much but you can still tell there is an issue as the steering is a bit more lose turning right than when you turn right.

When I am on a slightly banked road (to the right) and I mean very slightly, the steering wheel automatically wants to turn right (a lot) and it does this at 20kph (12mph) with foot off the throttle.

At highway speeds I have to constantly hold the wheel straight or it will just want to settle slightly to the left.

I should have taken it back as soon as I noticed it but I was just so happy to have my new car and it didn't seem like much of an issue at the time, I thought it was probably wheel alignment (although you'd expect to get a new car with 100% setup).

I eventually took it back to the dealer but they were pretty useless and said their is no issue even though I'm pretty sure they didn't even take the car out.

I had the wheel alignment checked but it was fine and I still have the problem.

I'm going to be taking it to a different Ford service center which I'm told is one of the better ones, it's just extremely difficult to explain this problem to anyone.

Does anyone know what this could be if not wheel alignment?

I have also made sure all tire pressure is fine and even when a far as putting nitrogen in the tires as it is more stable under variable temperatures.

Oh and I don't think it makes much difference but it's the 3 door model, we don't get the 5 door in South Africa

Any ideas not matter how crazy will be appreciated.

 

[Jber]

Hey bud i also noticed that. Would b cool to c the feedback/comments. I think the best way to explain it is havin the service technician to ride with u.

 

[Gex010]

Hey bud i also noticed that. Would b cool to c the feedback/comments. I think the best way to explain it is havin the service technician to ride with u.

Finally! someone with the same issue, I was starting to think I'm crazy, ironic that you're also from SA are you going to try and get it sorted?

The problem these days is all the places have these service technicians, the place I took it back to, the looked younger than me and I'm only 24!

The difference is I've been racing karts since I was 12 and have done Formula Ford testing and have driven many different cars, so I know a bit about the feel of a car.

In fact my previous car was the Fiesta 1.6 Titanium 3 door, which is basically the same chassis as the new ST but I never had this problem.

 

[Jber]

I would like to sort it out. Which branches have you tried? I purchased mine from fourways. Will try those guys. Problem is if they dont knw wat they doin - dnt want them creating other mechanical issues in the process of guessin what the problem is. Maybe i should do an alignment test first.

 

[Gex010]

I went to Mcarthy The Glen (Jo'burg South), I also had a USB issue they were hopeless at sorting out, I have also heard a lot of bad things about Eagle Ford in Sandton.

A few people have told me that Ford in Germiston are pretty clued up, so think I'm going to try take it there.

I would check your wheel alignment just to be safe but as I said, they told me mine is fine and I still have the problem, it didn't bother me too much in the beginning but now it drives me mad!

 

[Jber]

Ok kool bru. I will check the alignment first and update u.

 

[STooge]

I agree there is an issue there at least with the steering wheel alignment. The wheels might be fine as far as chassis alignement but maybe your steering wheel is just off a bit. Also the steering in these cars is electro mechanical i believe so when you are going slow the wheel will be easier to turn than when you car going fast, which could possibly explain why you are having the car "self steer" on crowned roads. Not sure if this helps your situtation.

Lastly, go ahead and go to another Ford Dealer, a couple different opinions won't hurt, especially under warranty.

 

[Perry]

Assuming wheels/tires okay, and it sounds as if that box has been well and truly checked, it sure sounds like an alignment problem. I had a similar issue with a totally different vehicle a few years back, and ended up taking it to three different garages before a realignment made it go away. Some sort of attention to detail problem in the assessment procedure was my diagnosis for why the first two didn't get it--and yes, they insisted the vehicle was fine, too. That said, I suppose a significant suspension problem could cause something like this, but you'd probably notice that in other ways, too.

 

[Gex010]

Assuming wheels/tires okay, and it sounds as if that box has been well and truly checked, it sure sounds like an alignment problem. I had a similar issue with a totally different vehicle a few years back, and ended up taking it to three different garages before a realignment made it go away. Some sort of attention to detail problem in the assessment procedure was my diagnosis for why the first two didn't get it--and yes, they insisted the vehicle was fine, too. That said, I suppose a significant suspension problem could cause something like this, but you'd probably notice that in other ways, too.

I was literally just reading about how many wheel alignment centers get the alignment right so the car tracks true but don't put too much focus on adjusting the tie rods so that the actual steering wheel is exactly centered.
This is not an issue on most cars as you wont even notice it, but in cars with very sensitive steering such as the new Fiesta ST, getting the center correct is extremely important as any offsets are multiplied by the nature of the sensitive and accurate steering.

This sounds exactly like my problem! so looks like I'm going to take it back for wheel alignment and tell them that it needs to be spot on!

 

[NorthernProducer]

So I got my Fiesta ST about 6 months ago now, within the first week I noticed that the steering wheel always settles to the right instead of the center, on an extremely level road you cannot notice it as much but you can still tell there is an issue as the steering is a bit more lose turning right than when you turn right.

When I am on a slightly banked road (to the right) and I mean very slightly, the steering wheel automatically wants to turn right (a lot) and it does this at 20kph (12mph) with foot off the throttle.

At highway speeds I have to constantly hold the wheel straight or it will just want to settle slightly to the left.

I should have taken it back as soon as I noticed it but I was just so happy to have my new car and it didn't seem like much of an issue at the time, I thought it was probably wheel alignment (although you'd expect to get a new car with 100% setup).

I eventually took it back to the dealer but they were pretty useless and said their is no issue even though I'm pretty sure they didn't even take the car out.

I had the wheel alignment checked but it was fine and I still have the problem.

I'm going to be taking it to a different Ford service center which I'm told is one of the better ones, it's just extremely difficult to explain this problem to anyone.

Does anyone know what this could be if not wheel alignment?

I have also made sure all tire pressure is fine and even when a far as putting nitrogen in the tires as it is more stable under variable temperatures.

Oh and I don't think it makes much difference but it's the 3 door model, we don't get the 5 door in South Africa

Any ideas not matter how crazy will be appreciated.

If you find that rechecking your alignment confirms it is within spec for the ST, I suggest you consider a tire problem as a possible cause. At one time I had a similar issue with a high performance front drive sedan (not an ST), and after too much time wasted checking alignment and suspension parts for the cause, I found that one of the front tires was the cause. In spite of the tire being in proper balance, the tire had a radial ply problem that altered the way the tire performed. Replacing the tire fixed the problem. I suggest you switch your front and rear tires and perform a test drive to see if that addresses your problem. Also, wear patterns can alter the way the tires track, so rotating your tires might also address a wear-in issue.

 

[stuntdoogie]

Im also experiencing my wheel off to the right. I noticed it happening after my new wheel tire package. Didnt notice it with my stock setup tho. Ill get it checked when I install my coilovers.

 

[Perry]

Im also experiencing my wheel off to the right. I noticed it happening after my new wheel tire package. Didnt notice it with my stock setup tho. Ill get it checked when I install my coilovers.

What wheel/tires did you put on? I just put on my winter rigs--Pirelli 185/60/15 all 'round--mounted and balanced by Tire Rack before coming my way. They had 'em specifically labeled for passenger side X2 and driver side X2, due to prescribed tire rotation direction. No problems in alignment or steering after the swap. Not sure if placing a wheel/tire onto vehicle such that its rotation is opposite of design might produce what seems like an alignment/tracking problem, but it's worth thinking about. Also, a bad mount/balance job can result in similar results, though often you'd notice the out-of-balance tire. An out-of-round tire or one with weakened sidewall/camber can of course produce a tracking problem as well, and can be hard to detect if not looking specifically for it. Finally, mounting wheels onto vehicle properly is important, too. It's possible to have wheel slightly off due to improper tightening, especially if a centering ring or similar is used. If the centering ring becomes slightly out of kilter, that can put the tire into a bad angle, with resulting drag to one side or other and imbalanced tire wear.

 

[Gex010]

So after trying another wheel alignment place and still not solving the problem I took the car to another dealer who said one of the break calipers was tighter than the other.
I doubted that was the problem and I was right, it may have helped the problem slightly but far from resolved.

I spent some time on trying different things that would showcase the issue, one thing I figured is that if I take a 90 degree turn left and let got the wheel spins much faster back to the center and even a bit past center very quick, but when turning right the wheel returns to the center much slower and in most cases doesn't even quite get back to center.

This all points to wheel alignment but the alignment is fine, I look the car back to the dealership today and drove with the service manager in the car and let him experience the problem, it's difficult to feel that the car always seems to want to go left, especially on very smooth roads which are all around the dealership, but he did pick up that it was harder to turn left than right and he noticed the issue with the wheel not returning to center.

They seem to think that the EPS (Electric Power Steering) needs to be re-calibrated, and that the EPS center could be off.

This makes a lot of sense since the car displays all the symptoms of the alignment being out without it actually being out.

I've also done some research on the Fiesta EPS and when driving in a straight line over a poorly tared or bumpy road, the steering motor tries to keep the wheel centered, but if the electric center is off then it will be pulling the steering to the wrong place.

I think they may have hit the nail on the head but I will update when I get the car back tomorrow hopefully.

 

[csdot]

So after trying another wheel alignment place and still not solving the problem I took the car to another dealer who said one of the break calipers was tighter than the other.
I doubted that was the problem and I was right, it may have helped the problem slightly but far from resolved.

I spent some time on trying different things that would showcase the issue, one thing I figured is that if I take a 90 degree turn left and let got the wheel spins much faster back to the center and even a bit past center very quick, but when turning right the wheel returns to the center much slower and in most cases doesn't even quite get back to center.

This all points to wheel alignment but the alignment is fine, I look the car back to the dealership today and drove with the service manager in the car and let him experience the problem, it's difficult to feel that the car always seems to want to go left, especially on very smooth roads which are all around the dealership, but he did pick up that it was harder to turn left than right and he noticed the issue with the wheel not returning to center.

They seem to think that the EPS (Electric Power Steering) needs to be re-calibrated, and that the EPS center could be off.

This makes a lot of sense since the car displays all the symptoms of the alignment being out without it actually being out.

I've also done some research on the Fiesta EPS and when driving in a straight line over a poorly tared or bumpy road, the steering motor tries to keep the wheel centered, but if the electric center is off then it will be pulling the steering to the wrong place.

I think they may have hit the nail on the head but I will update when I get the car back tomorrow hopefully.

Hi, did you get this checked out and, if so, did it sort the problem out? I'm in New Zealand with a 2013 Fiesta ST and have almost exactly the same issue. So far, I've had the alignment checked 4 times but it seems as though 'correcting' the alignment helps for a while but then it 'drifts' back to being slightly out (right of the straight-ahead) within a few days. Been back to the local dealership many times, talked it through with their service guys at length (they're very supportive but there are only a handful of STs in the country so they simply don't have exposure to a decent number of samples for comparison purposes) but no joy. As other posters have mentioned, it's only _slightly_ out but it's driving me mad.

Cheers,

Cs.

 

[Gex010]

Hi, did you get this checked out and, if so, did it sort the problem out? I'm in New Zealand with a 2013 Fiesta ST and have almost exactly the same issue. So far, I've had the alignment checked 4 times but it seems as though 'correcting' the alignment helps for a while but then it 'drifts' back to being slightly out (right of the straight-ahead) within a few days. Been back to the local dealership many times, talked it through with their service guys at length (they're very supportive but there are only a handful of STs in the country so they simply don't have exposure to a decent number of samples for comparison purposes) but no joy. As other posters have mentioned, it's only _slightly_ out but it's driving me mad.

Cheers,

Cs.

Hi Cs,

Unfortunately it is still not sorted out, the last time I took the car in they reset the electronic center of the steering which seemed to have helped with the drifting a bit but not much, the wheel seems to go back to center from both sides now but still much much slower after turning right (or maybe faster from turning left) either way its not the same for both directions.

The real problem is that it's harder to turn the wheel left than it is to turn right, which can sometimes surprise you especially at high speed which can be dangerous.

I still think it is an electronic problem, either something to do with the calibration or maybe something wrong with the torque sensor in the steering rack.

Unfortunately I'm a very busy person and I need my car for work, so it has been difficult for me to keep taking it back to the dealer, but it's now really starting to piss me off so I shall be taking it in again soon and if they can't get it right I am going to request that they replace the entire steering rack.

Let me know if you have any luck on your side...

oh one other thing, I heard that some electronic power steering systems can be calibrated to assist different handed drivers, for instance if you are right handed the wheel will be easier to turn left as it assumes you have less power in your left hand and that you may rest your right hand on the wheel meaning the weight of your right hand wont cause the wheel to move much.

I'm not sure if this is true and if it something that's even on the new fiesta's but that's almost what this problem feels like, maybe someone else could comment?

 

[csdot]

Hi Cs,

Unfortunately it is still not sorted out, the last time I took the car in they reset the electronic center of the steering which seemed to have helped with the drifting a bit but not much, the wheel seems to go back to center from both sides now but still much much slower after turning right (or maybe faster from turning left) either way its not the same for both directions.

The real problem is that it's harder to turn the wheel left than it is to turn right, which can sometimes surprise you especially at high speed which can be dangerous.

I still think it is an electronic problem, either something to do with the calibration or maybe something wrong with the torque sensor in the steering rack.

Unfortunately I'm a very busy person and I need my car for work, so it has been difficult for me to keep taking it back to the dealer, but it's now really starting to piss me off so I shall be taking it in again soon and if they can't get it right I am going to request that they replace the entire steering rack.

Let me know if you have any luck on your side...

oh one other thing, I heard that some electronic power steering systems can be calibrated to assist different handed drivers, for instance if you are right handed the wheel will be easier to turn left as it assumes you have less power in your left hand and that you may rest your right hand on the wheel meaning the weight of your right hand wont cause the wheel to move much.

I'm not sure if this is true and if it something that's even on the new fiesta's but that's almost what this problem feels like, maybe someone else could comment?

Thanks for the reply. I'm in exactly the same situation as you - basically too busy to chase it up actively and it's not that bad a problem so I just put up with it (and then get fed up with it occasionally). Thinking about what you've posted, I have the same general impression that the wheel is easier to turn left than right but there's also a feeling of general 'play' around the straight ahead but, again, there seems to be less play when steering slightly right than left (i.e. even the slightest steer to the right results in actual direction change, whereas slight left steering results in nothing noticeable as far as direction is concerned).

The end result of all of this (and this is going to sound slightly crazy) is that the car feels like it's almost not travelling in a straight line but is diagonally tracking on the road. Maybe it's just me though.

However, at speed all of this seems to go away. When the steering becomes more weighted at speed, there's no noticeable requirement for constant correction. Then again, I don't tend to spend too long over-thinking whether the steering is dead level when I'm, ahem, hustling along a bit so it could be just as bad but my brain's busy so I don't notice it.

I'm going to head back to the dealership and show them this thread - I'll let you know how it goes...

Cs.

 

[Gex010]

Regarding what you said about the "play" on the steering wheel, that is exactly how it feel, so my problem seems to be the same as yours except for me it's harder to turn left and it seems like for you it's harder to turn right?

I definitely notice it a lot less at speed but I can definitely still notice a much sharper change in direction turning left than turning right.

And no it doesn't sound crazy to me, I also feel like the car is not travelling straight (It's annoying enough to drive you crazy though!)

 

[XuperXero]

Check tire pressures too. Most overlooked aspect...

 

[alnhoo]

Thought I would just dig up this thread instead of creating a new one because I'm experience similar problems with the steering and trying to diagnose it myself as ford are not warrantying (lets not dwell about warranty) anything to do with the steering as the subframe/k-frame has been removed (steering rack bushings replaced).

I'm just asking for help on where to look and how to tell if a particular part is damaged as I am willing to remove parts and inspect them thoroughly.

A bit of background about my experience with this issue is the steering is much lighter on the right side than the left. When dry steering, you can easily turn the wheel to the right and basically wobble it with little resistance for a couple degrees before starting to feel resistance. When you turn the wheel to the left you can feel resistance.

When driving and making a right hand turn, the steering wheel should return itself back to the center, however this is not the case. The wheel will just turn until approx 1 o'clock and the steering wheel will feel quite loose (meaning you can easily wobble the steering wheel left or right from this position).

Now I've had an alignment done to make sure it isn't the alignment causing any of the steering problem aswell as checked tyre pressures. The steering feels very normal right after the wheel alignment, but after approx 5 minutes of driving, you can start to feel the steering is slowly changing back to how I'm currently feeling it.

Keep in mind suspension is fully stock, the only thing I have now is a Pierce lower chassis brace. This steering issue was before the brace and steering rack bushings were installed (subframe/k-frame was removed at this time), but upon installing it the steering tighten up for a short time just like the alignment before going back to how I'm feeling it again.

What I'm lead to believe is it could be a steering rack problem. But how would I go about testing this? I'm willing to replace the steering rack or any part that is clearly damaged.

Link to alignment if it helps (Camber bolts were removed before the alignment). https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B8_b_BtUW7HjX1BVWFpBckFnZTg

One more important thing I forgot to mention is my tyres are wearing out on the outside instead of the inside. I don't think this is normal either due to our cars having negative camber.

 

[stuntdoogie]

Im still experiencing the same steering/handeling problem on my 14' FiST. Except its the reverse. I get more resistance cornering right and feels nice and normal cornering left. The car drifts left or center but never ever drifts to the right. Ive done about 7 wheel alignments in one year. Took it to the dealer a handful of times and they claim the car drives straight. The last time they kept it for two days and drove it for over 30miles and said the Steer ahead was off. It kinda feels like its a sway bar/end link issue in mine bit the end link is attached and tight. In order to chexk The sway bar I would have to drop the sub frame. Or it could be the EPS or Steering rack which im dreading to find out. I dont wanna pay a shop to do all this and discover no problems. This issue has me depressed for a long time now and im on tje Verge of trading it in for something other than a ford.