Hey guys. Just wondering if anyone has experienced a problem with their steering wheel making a clicking sound when moved from side to side. The noise is coming from the steering column right behind the wheel (the area where you put the key in the ignition). Oddly enough, the noise only happens when the car is completely warmed up - and progressively gets louder the longer you drive.

I took my car to the dealer today and apparently it was not warmed up enough to make the noise. Does anyone have an idea of what this could be? It's nothing suspension related as all of that was checked today. I also had my wheels balanced and aligned today - but that did not fix the noise.

O_O

 

does it have any play in the wheel?

or my guess is that it could be that thing in the steering wheel that tells the blinker when to cut off after youve finished your turn. like a switch of some kind and yours just clicks a little.

 

I don't think it would be considered play, but after you turn it the wheel, there is a clunk followed by a second clunk as you release it. The wheel feels like it is not grabbing the steering column ... or like something is slipping.

Performing parking maneuvers with this car is hellish these days.... I'm tempted to take apart my steering wheel and determine what is making the noise.

Any other ideas?

 

Assuming you have other means of travel for a day or two, drop it back off at the dealership and let them try to get it warmed up so they can duplicate the problem. If it is affecting your maneuvers you do not want to mess around with this. If they dealership still can't find the problem go for a test drive with a tech.

At the Ford dealership I work at most warranty complaints go to lube techs, and trained line techs aren't even involved. Lets hope Toyota dealerships don't run like that.

 

Has anyone taken their steering wheel assembly apart? What is the first step in doing this? I see 2 philips head screws right behind the wheel - do those come out first?