My '19 has 7200 miles and HAD been flawless. Until the adaptive steering started malfunctioning. What happens is: after having been on a longer road trip for a while, the adaptive steering will decide to clock the steering wheel off center in any direction right or left up to 90*. This is extremely un-nerving when this happens running down the road at 80 mph. It can also do it after being stopped for gas or whatever, then re-start and boom there it goes. The adaptive steering alarm icon pops up on the dash and the steering wheel stays tilted one way or the other. The condition will clear itself when the truck sits overnight, then the steering wheel will revert back to correct position and stay good until the next road trip.

The steering wheel has an on-board computer, a gear box comprised of a worm gear drive on a PLASTIC gear and an electric motor to turn the worm drive gear. Feedback for the computer for position sensors are two wires under the column shroud connected to the clockspring which acts as a rheostatic resistance that the computer reads to deduce the rotational position of the steering wheel. The computer compares that to net degrees traveled and adjusts output to the electric motor to advance the steering gear and increase the wheel rotational position which reduces the effort required to put the steering wheel where desired for a given turn.

OK all well and fine except: the computer is intermittently malfunctioning on road trips (i.e. getting too warm?) and inadvertently changing the wheel position using output to the electric motor to drive the wheel position. What I don't exactly understand is why the steering wheel can change position so radically, yet the wheels will stay aimed straight ahead or if a turn is initiated, it will still steer, just the steering wheel is cocked way off one side or the other. Which REALLY SUCKS. Because there is no way to know when or if the steering is going to let go completely.

Anyone else out there had / have this problem with the adaptive steering? I definitely do plan on swapping out the steering wheel if I cannot physically remove the electric motor, gear box, and computer from the existing stock steering wheel. Also will have to de-terminate the two wires going to the clockspring under the steering column shroud. Need to know if possible and how to disable adaptive steering in forscan. With adaptive steering, 100% of the steering control of the truck rides on that cheesy pot metal worm drive gear, and the PLASTIC gear that is the only interface between the steering column / front end and the steering wheel. Period. And obviously the computer that controls the scheme is failure prone intermittently because I am seeing that happen in real time.

So the way I see it, I either have to swap out the steering wheel, or physically eliminate the adaptive steering parts, or trade the truck off and get an XLT which does not have adaptive steering. Then of course I will have to do without factory LED headlamps. This issue is too serious in potential liability if the steering goes out completely driving down the road at highway speed.

I know I can change out the steering wheel and eliminate completely the electric motor, the gear box with worm drive gear, and the plastic gear it acts upon, and the on-board computer. All fine and not hard to do. I will need to disconnect the two wires running under the shroud to the clockspring. I do not know if the control and the resultant alarm status can be disabled in forscan.

I wish I had ordered XLT which does not have the adaptive steering and possibly not the adaptive cruise control. Also would lose the heated and cooled seats, I use all the time. If I have to, I will swap out the steering wheel to get a hard connection between the steering wheel and the steering column, because this is a safety issue and is quite serious. I may have to live with the adaptive steering alarm on the dash. I can only hope that there is no other interaction between adaptive steering and other functionality related to control (throttle / braking etc.) plus the ford dealereship will not change the configuration of the truck from stock so I will have to do this myself. Or trade off the truck to get an XLT which will lose me a lot of money. The dealer says the steering wheel will have to be changed and they are currently on about an 8 week backlog. So apparently my truck is not the only one affected. The parts guy looked up any TSBs on this and said there was none.

 

This is the adaptive steering with electric motor. I ordered a replacement Lariat steering wheel without adaptive steering or cruise control to replace the one in my truck. Still need to find out how to disable the adaptive steering alarm that will show up permanently on dash when I do this. Any help from forscan gurus def appreciated.

 

Did you consider getting a Raptor wheel? They are under 400 and include paddles plus nice leather surface.

 

I understand you're frustrated but your post is VERY repetitive. I would be interested to see what Ford does, since I too have Adaptive steering, but it sounds like you wont be going that route. Also, you seem to think the adaptive steering is on all Lariat and above, that would be false. It is an option not a requirement for Lariat with cooled seats, LEDs etc.

 

I could be wrong about the package inclusion of adaptive steering with Lariat Ultimate. I do remember sitting at the dealer doing the truck order. I specifically told him I do not want adaptive steering and adaptive cruise. He said I had to have those options as part of that package. So whatever, they are both on my truck.

Maybe I am the only one in the entire US who has a superduty who is seeing the adaptive steering do this. Fair enough. Maybe no one else could give a $hiit. OK that's cool. BUT when someone is driving down the road and the steering wheel tilts hard one way or the other it is kind of a shock. I ordered a replacement Lariat steering wheel which does not include adaptive anything, so evidently it is absolutely true that the Lariat Ultimate package can be had without adaptive cruise and steering. I do intend to remove the adaptive steering components and wheel and replace with the one I ordered. Apologies for posting; I erroneously assumed that others with these features MIGHT be at least mildly interested in radical aberrations to the steering. No further posts forthcoming. Out.

 

If you were hoping that others would participate in the rant, I'm sorry that hasn't happened. That doesn't however mean that no one is interested. I already stated that I have adaptive steering and would be interested in what Ford says and how they handle this type of malfunction, that way if it does happen to me I know what to expect. Again, it doesn't sound like you will be going that route.

There have in fact been other threads involving adaptive steering malfunctions, so it's not something only you are experiencing. It does sound like your salesman sold you on some package that included all those features, it's not the Lariat Ultimate package as you now know.

 

Youre not alone. Mine just went out this afternoon. This is why I have ESP. Cheers!

 

The only package I'm aware of that includes adaptive steering on the Lariat is the tow technology package. Otherwise it is a separate option on its own. I'm not aware of any package that includes adapted cruise on the Lariat. So for the Lariat, unless the tow technology package is included, both adaptive steering and cruise are separate items independent of any other options. The OP did not state if his truck was special ordered or off the lot. If off the lot, the salesman may have been eager to sell the truck. Car/truck salesmen are not known for being knowledgeable or truthful about their products.

 

I special ordered the truck. It does have the complete tow tech package also. That could be why the two were included. I always try to research all that stuff before buying but looks like I dropped the ball on this one.
Not sure what ESP is, but I can remove the adaptive steering and not be concerned with it any longer. It should be covered in warranty or the long-term extended warranty I purchased either one I would think. Since I planned
on this being the last truck I buy, would like the truck to be as reliable as possible so would rather do away with the adaptive steering completely. Don't trust it now. Friday I was driving home on a couple hour run and the above
happened except it was tilted to the right at 90*.

Other than this problem the truck has been flawless.

 

This question is for you and the op. When that happens, is it while steering or does it just jump to that position on start up?

 

I have had it happen mostly at a new start up after a brief stop. But also while driving down the road. First time that freaked me out completely. I had no idea what the heck was happening.

 

Not sure why you have not taken it to the dealer... I didn't see where you gave a reason. I've not had any issues with mine, knock on wood.

 

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I did take it to the dealer. They said I needed to leave it there until they could get to it in a couple weeks. Very backed up. I need my truck to get to work so I did not leave it.

 

It’s happened only this time and it was at start up. I was parked with the wheel turned somewhat right, and on an incline. I was at my parents house having Sunday dinner and when I turned the truck on it threw a bunch or faults and steering stayed way off. Drove thru the neighbor and saw that outside of it being way off center, the truck still responded the same way to turns. So I said screw it and drove home. When I got in it just now, it’s back to working fine. go figure... on to the dealer it goes ..