Steering Wheel Whine / Groan

[njweatherman]

2020 gt automatic with 4,500 miles. Active exhaust with Ford X Pipe. No aftermarket parts.

On a cold start, the steering wheel does not whine or groan and is quiet.

However, after driving for 15 to 30 minutes, it begins to whine / groan when I am stationary and I turn the steering wheel to the right. Sounds like it is coming from inside the steering column. I had someone stand outside the vehicle, and they did not hear anything.
No power loss in the steering wheel. No codes. It also does not make the noise when I turn the steering wheel to the left.

I had my first service the other day at the dealership. The tech said he had the vehicle on the lift and it did not make any noise. I'm not sure why the tech did not test the vehicle on the ground where there is resistance?

Do any of you guys/gals have the same noise? If not, what should I have the dealer look for?

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[Oxford19]

Does it happen turning the wheel slowly/quickly only or all the time? Sounds similar to a Nissan Rogue I had where the bushing where the steering goes through the firewall hardened and would cause a groaning noise. There was a recall, but til then some lube made it quiet down for a bit.

 

[njweatherman]

Does it happen turning the wheel slowly/quickly only or all the time? Sounds similar to a Nissan Rogue I had where the bushing where the steering goes through the firewall hardened and would cause a groaning noise. There was a recall, but til then some lube made it quiet down for a bit.

Thanks for replying. It happens when the car is fully warmed up, stationary and I turn the wheel to the right fairly fast. The slower I turn the wheel, the less noise it makes. What does not make sense is why it only happens turning the wheel to the right and when the car is fully warmed up? Everything I do a search on talks about power steering fluid, but this car has electric power steering. I go Tuesday to the dealer to have a tech listen.

Thanks again for chiming in.

 

[Oxford19]

Thanks for replying. It happens when the car is fully warmed up, stationary and I turn the wheel to the right fairly fast. The slower I turn the wheel, the less noise it makes. What does not make sense is why it only happens turning the wheel to the right and when the car is fully warmed up? Everything I do a search on talks about power steering fluid, but this car has electric power steering. I go Tuesday to the dealer to have a tech listen.

Thanks again for chiming in.

No problem, sounds like the same condition as my rogue did. Faster movements made more noise and slow turning nothing, though it did it in both directions. Easy to stick your head down in the footwell and have someone turn the wheel to see if the noise is in the firewall area. Any rate, good luck and let us know what happens.

 

[njweatherman]

Just a quick update. I held off on taking it in. Now, I am hearing a clicking noise from the steering wheel when I turn the wheel left or right. The slight moan/groan is still there when I turn the steering wheel only to the right. I have an appointment at the dealership tomorrow morning.

 

[NoVaGT]

Cars make noise. Mechanical things make noise. Steering assemblies make noises during operation.

Based on your two threads about noises, I think you've got some issues that push you to obsess about what is basically a brand-new car, imagining something is wrong because you expect the car to be silent.

What other vehicles have you owned? Please be specific.

 

[ORRadtech]

I don't understand why you have waited for a month to try to take it in? The steering is critical to safety. There cars have a very complex electrically assisted rack and pinion system that can fail and leave you with little or no control.
Hell, as suggested above, you may just be a noise hypochondriac but the possibility of serious problems do exist.

 

[njweatherman]

Update: the dealership called Ford technical assistance, and they said I have preliminary steering rack failure.

 

[OGsmakDadE]

Sounds like you had a justifiable cause for concern. Hope they can get the parts and make the repairs in a timely fashion

 

[njweatherman]

Unfortunately, the dealership I bought the car from is booked through October. I had to find a another dealer. The service manager from the new dealership wants his mechanics to re-diagnose the issue. I go back the week of 9/27. Based on videos from YouTube I have looked at, I think its' going to also show that the front passenger and driver side strut mount bearings may need to be replaced:(

 

[Cobra Jet]

Update: the dealership called Ford technical assistance, and they said I have preliminary steering rack failure.

Sounds like issues with the EPAS internal gearing, motor or the rubber belt.

This thread contains a lot about the EPAS unit for those that aren't familiar with it.
https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/threads/s550-epas-pscm-tech-accumulation.160616/

Glad the Service Center was able to find the problem and Ford is repairing it.

 

[njweatherman]

9/27 Update
I took my car into the new FORD dealership. I heard back from them this morning and they ordered a new steering rack. The tech said he used a stethoscope to determine where it was coming from.

 

[Cobra Jet]

9/27 Update
I took my car into the new FORD dealership. I heard back from them this morning and they ordered a new steering rack. The tech said he used a stethoscope to determine where it was coming from.

Good to hear of the fix and that the Service Center is taking care of you.

 

[njweatherman]

Good to hear of the fix and that the Service Center is taking care of you.

I'm waiting to hear from corporate on the wait time for the part. They have been very helpful so far in finding me a better dealership. One of the hardest parts is none of the dealerships have any loaners available. Corporate said they are looking into getting me a rent-a-car from Enterprise when my car gets the new steering rack installed. The tech said the job will take 2 days.

 

[Cobra Jet]

I'm waiting to hear from corporate on the wait time for the part. They have been very helpful so far in finding me a better dealership. One of the hardest parts is none of the dealerships have any loaners available. Corporate said they are looking into getting me a rent-a-car from Enterprise when my car gets the new steering rack installed. The tech said the job will take 2 days.

Yes, they can get you into an Enterprise Rental. When I had my prior 2016, Ford was able to put me in ER's when the Dealer didn't have any fleet vehicles available. They CAN do it, if you're getting pushback, just explain your frustrations on a professional level and that you need transportation without question.

Tech is correct - if they have all of the parts and depending on his backlog, 2 days to do a complete EPAS R&R is fair. If he has no backlog, it can be done in a "day".

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