My dealer gave me an overnight test drive on the X I've been looking at and I noticed an issue with the steering. It seemed to need constant correction from left to right. It was continuously weaving back and forth, and became rather fatiguing to drive after a while. Any one know what might cause this? If I decide to buy this truck, I sure as hell would like it fixed! It could make our 8-hour trips to Missouri a real pain in the ***!

Schmitty

 

That's normal for the X. If they didn't name it the Excursion it was going to be named the "Wanderer".

 

There have been many threads on how to correct this issue. From what I have read it's a pretty simple fix.

I was going to do it on my Ex but when I open the hood I can't even see the steering box.

 

One cause can certainly be the steering box itself

This thread will walk you thru a very simple procedure to tighten up the steering box if that is the issue.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/5...-steering.html

The steering box looks like this. It is the box with the pink marked bolts. The one in the center is the one you need to adjust. The jamb nut needs to be loosened so the center screw can be adjusted. This picture was taken standing next to the drivers wheel...so firewall is to your right in this photo...



Here's another excellent thread that puts MANY of the threads on this topic in ONE PLACE...kudos to Stewart for starting it!

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/7...s-for-you.html

Good luck...I hope this helps...let us know if you have any questions.

Many of us have had some 'wander' to one degree or another on our Ex's...as I wrote in one of those threads...the definition of 'wander' to one versus another can be very subjective...but constant sawing of the steering wheel when simply driving down the road sure sounds like 'wander' and can very likely be resolved thru the steering box adjustment...but BEWARE...ball joints can also cause this issue...which can set you back a few pesos...so do your homework before you buy is our best advice and don't simply assume it is the steering box is my message...

What is frustrating about this issue in particular is that some Ex's seem to exhibit this issue more than others...so it is either driver perception or manufacturing tolerances, a combination of both or a combination of the items I mentioned in Stewarts thread...a couple of us have experimented with the camber/caster setting on the front ends...My Ex has some mods but mostly due to the 1100-1200#'s of tongue weight I drop on the rear end...my Ex is a proven stable performer...I have NO COMPLAINTS with my Ex's handling...I have towed with her for 18,000 miles in three summers all over the country. Up until I got the 35' hitch to bumper 9000# TT I had only a rear sway bar as a 'mod' and was extremely pleased in the handling...when I stepped up to my current TT...the added weight behind the rear axle (i.e. tongue) caused me to add the Roadmaster Active Suspension to add some rear end spring capacity...but thankfully wander I have really never had...

Oh yeah and WELCOME to FTE!!!

joe.

 

I had the issue from day one and now have 73,000 miles on the X. I fixed mine with the following.

First, I increased tire pressure from 50/55 to 65/70. That did nothing but make the wander quicker.

Second, I put Bilstien shocks on it. That improved the ride but it still wandered.

Third, I upgraded the 24MM OEM sway bar with a Super Duty 30MM sway bar. That helped but still not SAT.

Fourth, I did some significant adjusting on the steering box. Again, that helped but still not SAT.

Finally, I installed LANDYOT radius rods and did a minor steering box adjustment. No more wander.

The problem is the rear end moves from front to back causing the rear end to go from side to side and requiring a constant steering correction. The radius rods eliminate the rear end from shifting front to back and, therefore, the steering can be adjusted properly. Google "Landyot Radius Rads" and get an education.

DSMMH

 

The caster can also be problematic. The range of caster angle varies greatly and can make the front end very sensitive to steering input at highway speeds. See if the dealer will install a set of adjustable camber/caster shims to the maximum caster angle possible.

As someone else mentioned, the ball joints, even though they might not be clunking, can cause the front end to loosen up. Push the deal and get them to replace them as well... if the trucks got 50,000 to 100,000 miles it would need the ball joints anyway and like the previous poster said, can be pricey to do... around $1000 for both sides