Ranger Mods

G'day all,

Posting here because I feel it's likely an electrical issue, looking forward to any ideas!

Have had this problem for quite some time now on my 2015 PXII XLS. When holding the steering wheel during a turn eg going around a roundabout, it feels like the steering wheel resets itself momentarily and I lose the resistance/feel of the steering wheel through the turn and since you are still holding the turn you do a bit of a swerve/correction. It was quite unnerving the first few times it happened and my wife and I have probably just got used to it now/expect it. You completely lose the pressure against the steering wheel while it's maintaining a turn.
Then last week when I was driving on the beach I was maintaining a slight left hand down on the steering wheel to keep us in ruts and stay straight along the beach as there was a slight angle from the dunes to the water. After driving along for a couple of minutes with this constant left hand down pressure, the steering wheel had reset/found a new centre only the ford logo was now tilted 90 degrees to the left. We got onto some flat sand and drove along with wheels straight for probably another 30 seconds with the steering wheel still 90 degrees to the left, then the steering wheel slowly turned back 90 degrees to the right so the logo was again horizontal, without any change in the direction of our travel along the beach.

All very odd.

The car had it's 30,000k service on Monday and Ford couldn't fault the steering.

Very keen to hear thoughts and then I'll likely push Ford to do some further testing.

Regards,

Sounds a bit strange as the steering is a mechanical link with electric assisted power steering. It can compensate, basically add more torque to the left or right on roads with constant camber etc but for it to do as you have explained it would have to twist a 15mm steel shaft to 90 degrees.

G'day Stewart,

Thanks for the reply.

Yep it's definitely weird. Especially what it did on the beach with the steering wheel turned but wheels straight.

Do you know of any checks/updates/resets I could investigate for the SCM?

Hi Pip,

No sorry and I would not expect anything. You could try the PSCM reset in the service area of Forscan but as I said above being a 100% mechanical linkage from the steering wheel through to the steering rack and being only power assisted I just find it hard to envisage. I would understand the symptoms if there were no mechanical linkage and a full electric eg. like an electric throttle.

Possibly talk to Ford about the symptoms but I'm sure they would be confused as I am.

Very long shot to the moon. Sometimes the front and rear diff together with brake traction control acts up on the sand, mud, etc. Making you feel like youre going straight even if steering wheel is on an acute angle.