2018 GT Premium PP1 steering wheel wiring harness

[djodadof2]

Hi, All. First post here.

I've searched for an answer and can't find one, so any help is appreciated.

I just got a 2018 GT Premium PP1 and after a few days the steering wheel developed a large amount of play, as if the mounting bolt was loose. I presume that the seller had upgraded to another wheel and returned the old one before selling the car, and did a bad job of attaching it. Regardless I proceeded to remove the airbag to get at said bolt. One side was easy, the other side not so much. After groping blindly in the hole with a screw driver for 1/2 an hour I finally manged to find the retention spring and push it to get the airbag off. Sure enough the bolt was not even finger tight.

However... in the process of fighting to find the second spring I managed to damage some of the wires in the wiring harness inside the wheel. The harness was just past the spring, and without knowing it I was missing the spring with the screw driver and pushed into the wires which severed a few of them. This harness carries the wires that connect the steering wheel controls (e.g. audio, cruise, etc.) to the main interior harness.

My dealerships and all my searches suggest that the only way this harness is available is by getting the entire main dash harness, which is almost $600 and out of stock. The exact harness depends on the car's features because they don't just include all the leads in the harness even if the car doesn't have the features; instead there is a different wiring harness for each configuration.

My question is: can this harness be obtained on its own by some means?

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[W.O.T. Stang]

Sad to say, its most likely part of the whole dash harness and you also cannot cut and splice in the connections you need, because any of the yellow wires are part of the air bag system which requires specific resistances to function properly without disabling it and setting an airbag light. Wish i had better news for you, but sadly this is the case.

 

[S550HPP]

I too experienced extreme dartiness after buying Pzero AS Plus 3 only to learn what was a great tire is no longer. The summer Pzero it came with were much better. Will throw them out before next spring if can't sell them...total waste of money.

 

[ORRadtech]

My question is: can this harness be obtained on its own by some means?

Which harness are you asking about? The entire dash harness or the part of the dash harness that extends into the steering wheel? If the portion that goes into the steering column/ wheel has a discreet connector into the main harness then it should be replaceable. But if it has no connector and is just a portion of the larger harness then it's either replace the whole thing or repair the existing one. Due to space constraints you may not be able to make repairs in the steering wheel. Repairs will likely require de and returning the steering wheel connector. Also, many manufacturers do allow the yellow air bag wiring to be repaired. There's often very specific instructions on what can be do e and other manufacturers do discourage repairing those wires so check with Ford for specifics.
As for finding a replacement harness, first find the exact part number you need and start calling dealers. Start close to home and expand as far as necessary looking for one in stock somewhere. Also check Ebay and wrecker yards. There are a couple of companies that specialize in parting out Mustangs, I'd search out those and call them.
Finally, there are companies that reproduce/ build wiring harnesses. I believe some of those can build a harness from the VIN.

 

[djodadof2]

Thanks, guys.

The harness in question is just the harness that runs around the perimeter of the wheel's hub connecting the controls and heater to the connector in the column leading to the dash harness. I've taken the harness out of the wheel which required complete disassembly of the wheel and all the controls. The aribag harness is unaffected.

I've taken it to an electrical repair shop and they're soldering the broken wires for $150. They actually just called to tell me it's ready to be picked up. I could have done it myself but the wires are very small and short so it's worth getting it done by a pro. I might be back on the road tonight!

 

[ORRadtech]

Good choice. Good luck with the reinstall.

 

[W.O.T. Stang]

So glad to hear you were able to get this sorted without affecting anything! Enjoy the drive!

 

[djodadof2]

All's well and my car is running again. The only thing I'll say negatively about soldering the wires is that it makes a section of the harness inflexible, which makes routing it through the wheel a bit tricky. But it works.

 

[ORRadtech]

Glad you're back to normal. I was concerned that the soldered sections might have trouble fitting in the space in the wheel due to the stiffness. Nice to hear I was wrong on that.

 

[monte87]

If the wires were just nicked and not broken, you can use permatex electrical tape paste. When I dries it rubberized and insulated the wires. Happened to me. All good, so far.
Anthony

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