Hello all,

I just picked up a bran new 2017 F250 6.2 XL Crew and on the test drive I noticed that the wheel didn't snap back to center after either a right or left had turn. Now after driving it 100 mile I am noticing it even more, after a turn the well needs to be brought back to center. I am new to Ford and all my GM's used to return to center quickly after a turn. Is this normal on these truck or do I need to contact the dealer and complain?

Thanks

 

I was following a thread on another forum. Possibly the F150 one. Anyway, several people had a similar complaint. Saw that Ford has software that controls the boost to the power steering to mitigate the effort needed to keep the truck going straight when on a crowned road. It monitors the driver effort and gradually adjusts the boost. For severe situations, several of the folks had a software flash applied that seems to have mitigated the issue. Try going down a one way road that has a crown. Let the steering settle in and then switch to the other side of the crown to see if you notice the same effect...
You didn't say if the truck does adjust to be "centered" by itself.
Here is an old post about the "feature". Ford?s Electric Steering Enables Pull-Drift Technology | Industry content from WardsAuto

 

I see you're talking about an XL. My '17 F250 CCSB XLT 4x4 had real stiff steering when brand new.....I'm convinced due to the new rubber, once the tires got some more miles on them it smoothed out and steering is near as easy as my '15 F150 was.

 

Is it cold where you are? I've noticed the colder it gets, near 0, the less my truck wants to return to center.

 

I was also thinking that it could be because it is still so new. The two days I have owned the truck the high temp has been -3 so its pretty cold. Thanks for the quick replies, hopefully once it breaks in and warms up the wheel will return to center by itself.

 

Normal. All the new Fords have stiffer steering.

My steering technique mitigates it though. I can pay attention next time I go for a ride and see if there's a way to put it into words. Basically, I move my hands before a turn, a leftover technique from grass roots rally cars. So to do a sharp right turn, my left hand has already been moved down and left, so it can stay on the wheel for the whole turn, no hand over hand. And my right hand is free at the apex of the turn ready to bring the wheel back as the left hand starts to bring the wheel back.

Once you get used to it, it's cake. My Mustangs camber is set with a rubber mallet to "as far in as I can wack the struts in". Because of that, it also doesn't return the wheel on it's own.

 

I know exactly how you feel. Coming from years of GM trucks I can not believe how stiff my F250 steering is. You're description of having to recenter the wheel after a turn is dead on. I don't have to do that in any other car.

 

Radial tires were also known to make the return to center a bit more difficult. Don't know if evolving tire technology has changed that. So, combined with stiff steering, it could definitely enhance the effect.

 

Much heavier, and poor return to center, and unfortunate characteristics of the 2017 Super Duty. It is not a "problem" but rather just how they were designed.

When I picked up my ordered 2017 F-350 early October of 2016, I had just jumped out of my 2016 F-250 King Ranch diesel I was trading. The very first impression that struck me was how heavy the steering was, and how the steering did not automatically return to center very well. I actually thought there was a defect until other early adopters reported their trucks were the same. It does not matter if you have a base truck or fully loaded, adaptive steering or not. They are all heavy effort and poor return to center. The previous generation Super Duty had very light and effortless steering with a positive self-center.

My hunch is that Ford stiffened the steering feel to help counteract the so-called "death wobble" that most trucks with solid front axles experience at some point.

There is no software update to improve steering. The F-150 uses electric steering that might be able to be updated; the Super Duty is hydraulic only and does not use electronics to control steering boost.

With all that said, I've come to like the heavier steering better than the lightweight steering. It, nor the poor self-center, bother me at all. You just get used to it.

 

You could try adding caster.