2016 GT - Horn doesn't work

[marcusbarnet]

Hello!

I noticed that the horn is no longer working when I press the button on the steering wheel. At first, I thought it might be a blown relay or a disconnected terminal on the horn itself. However, both seem to be fine, and the horn works properly when I use the remote key (for example, when I lock the doors and press the button twice, the horn beeps correctly).

Since it works in that case, I suspect the issue might be with the horn button on the steering wheel.

Where could I find a replacement part for this? Are there any other things I should check before disassembling the steering wheel?

Do you have any suggestions?

Thank you.

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[Skye]

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There are the wheel contacts themselves, the bits which make up the button assembly. That could be one point of failure. Another, I'm attaching photos of: the clock spring assembly.

The clock spring assembly is what allows the wiring of the steering wheel to pass through the steering column to the rest of the car, without it getting knotted up when turning the wheel.

The button? It could be that. But it's a simple on/off contact, used once in a while. The assembly, it's in constant use while the vehicle is being driven. It can wear out, the fine wires breaking.

Those are two possibles. As the thread progresses today, others could offer more ideas.

 

[marcusbarnet]

Thank you for your help and support.

When this issue first started, I had to press the horn button several times before it would work. After that, it only worked about once every ten attempts, and now it does not work at all. For this reason, I initially thought the problem might be the button itself, as I was not aware of the existence of the clock spring assembly.

 

[ORRadtech]

Quick question. Isn't the horn button incorporated into the steering wheel airbag? I know it is on my '18 and I don't believe there's any way to service it.

OP, if you have a discreet horn button it is probably replaceable. However, I would lean toward it being the clockspring at fault. Have you had any difficulties with any of the other steering wheel controls acting up?
If you decide to DIY your clockspring I'd recommend searching for a couple of videos on replacing one. You can probably even find one for the Mustang. Clocksprings aren't really that difficult to replace but there are some things that need to be done a certain way. Also you want to disconnect the battery before any repair like this as the airbag has to come off and you never want to work on the SRS with it energized.

 

[SHOdaddy68]

I've had this same issue on my 2015 since I bought it 2 years old.

As mentioned in the prior post, don't fiddle around with the airbag until the battery is disconnected and you give it about 10 minutes for the SRS capacitor to discharge.

If your radio and cruise control buttons are still working fine, it's probably NOT the clockspring since those buttons are also connected through the clockspring.

My guess is the horn contact is either corroded or no longer completing the circuit when you push it. I have never gotten into mine so I'm interested to see what you find.

 

[marcusbarnet]

Quick question. Isn't the horn button incorporated into the steering wheel airbag? I know it is on my '18 and I don't believe there's any way to service it.

OP, if you have a discreet horn button it is probably replaceable. However, I would lean toward it being the clockspring at fault. Have you had any difficulties with any of the other steering wheel controls acting up?
If you decide to DIY your clockspring I'd recommend searching for a couple of videos on replacing one. You can probably even find one for the Mustang. Clocksprings aren't really that difficult to replace but there are some things that need to be done a certain way. Also you want to disconnect the battery before any repair like this as the airbag has to come off and you never want to work on the SRS with it energized.

Thank you for your advice. No, all the other controls work pretty well!
I would prefer to change the clock spring by myself and I watched some video on youtube made for mustangs. It seems to be an easy procedure even if it can be dangerous if you do not disconnect the battery before starting any operation.

I don't know if it is better to first purchase a new clock spring and then disassemble the steering wheel, or if it is better to inspect the wheel to confirm whether the problem is related to the spring.

 

[marcusbarnet]

I've had this same issue on my 2015 since I bought it 2 years old.

As mentioned in the prior post, don't fiddle around with the airbag until the battery is disconnected and you give it about 10 minutes for the SRS capacitor to discharge.

If your radio and cruise control buttons are still working fine, it's probably NOT the clockspring since those buttons are also connected through the clockspring.

My guess is the horn contact is either corroded or no longer completing the circuit when you push it. I have never gotten into mine so I'm interested to see what you find.

I confirm that all the other controls work fine, only the horn button is having the problem.
Today, I was even able to make it work just one time, but it is totally random.

So are you suggesting to inspect the horn button and its contacts before purchasing the clock spring? Probably, it makes sense since if the clock spring also carries other contacts then also the other buttons shouldn't work.

 

[ORRadtech]

If you get into it yourself I'd love to see some pictures of what you find. I've searched and cannot find any listing for parts for the horn button/switch or anything much related to the horn except for the horn itself. I find the airbag, clock spring, levers, switch modules, housing and trim panels but nothing for the horn switch.
I'm very curious about how it works now.
Oh, FYI, the clock spring is listed under electrical in the "airbag and components" section. It seems to run about $180ish.

 

[fiveoboy01]

I confirm that all the other controls work fine, only the horn button is having the problem.
Today, I was even able to make it work just one time, but it is totally random.

So are you suggesting to inspect the horn button and its contacts before purchasing the clock spring? Probably, it makes sense since if the clock spring also carries other contacts then also the other buttons shouldn't work.

If it works even once, and everything else on the wheel is working, to me that rules out the clock spring(although not impossible) and I'd start looking for a problem with the horn button and its contacts itself.

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