[mattyk]

Hi guys,

new member, just bought a 2014 SE brand new, has about 450 miles on it.

question is: i commute about 20 miles each way to and from work. at higher speeds on the freeway (65-80MPH) on the freeway i constantly have to correct the steering wheel, it always sways back and forth. at first i thought it was just the road and maybe i was in a lane that was messed up. but i never had problems with this in my old car (06 volvo s60R)

maybe its the tire size im not used to? 215 isnt too wide.

i just cant take it! im going crazy haha my car refuses to drive straight on the freeway.

thanks in advance

 

[sailor]

Take it in for repair, could be steering sensor adj., could need a rack.

Check in the MkIII tsb, recall & problems section to see the saga with '12's, haven't seen it pop up with 14's but this sounds the same.

 

[CorvZ061]

I found myself doing the same with my first 2012 Focus, I think it has to do with the electric power steering being lighter and more sensitive to movement. i just got use to it

 

[wavsine]

Hi guys,

new member, just bought a 2014 SE brand new, has about 450 miles on it.

question is: i commute about 20 miles each way to and from work. at higher speeds on the freeway (65-80MPH) on the freeway i constantly have to correct the steering wheel, it always sways back and forth. at first i thought it was just the road and maybe i was in a lane that was messed up. but i never had problems with this in my old car (06 volvo s60R)

maybe its the tire size im not used to? 215 isnt too wide.

i just cant take it! im going crazy haha my car refuses to drive straight on the freeway.

thanks in advance

There was a TSB about this issue for previous model year MK3s but AFAIK, the 2014 is not included. My car wandered a little when it was brand new but I think it was due to the brand new tires. Also check to make sure yor tires are not overinflated.

 

[mattyk]

There was a TSB about this issue for previous model year MK3s but AFAIK, the 2014 is not included. My car wandered a little when it was brand new but I think it was due to the brand new tires. Also check to make sure yor tires are not overinflated.

funny you say that, this morning i went to check my tire pressure and all my tires were at 30-32. where should they be at for stock tires (16" wheels)? i aired them a little to about 38. still have the same issue though. too much?

think i'll bring it in in the next week or two just to have it checked out. i was expecting more sensitive steering as its a smaller car, but not this much. the people following me must think im drunk sometimes lol

 

[wavsine]

funny you say that, this morning i went to check my tire pressure and all my tires were at 30-32. where should they be at for stock tires (16" wheels)? i aired them a little to about 38. still have the same issue though. too much?

think i'll bring it in in the next week or two just to have it checked out. i was expecting more sensitive steering as its a smaller car, but not this much. the people following me must think im drunk sometimes lol

Stock Contis on 16" alloys should be 35psi. Check your tire placard on the doorjamb to confirm.

 

[chemistkremer]

Hi guys,

new member, just bought a 2014 SE brand new, has about 450 miles on it.

question is: i commute about 20 miles each way to and from work. at higher speeds on the freeway (65-80MPH) on the freeway i constantly have to correct the steering wheel, it always sways back and forth. at first i thought it was just the road and maybe i was in a lane that was messed up. but i never had problems with this in my old car (06 volvo s60R)

maybe its the tire size im not used to? 215 isnt too wide.

i just cant take it! im going crazy haha my car refuses to drive straight on the freeway.

thanks in advance

It's harder to get a proper straight line on the highway -- most highways are angled slightly to help remove water. Back country roads are usually where I'll let the wheel go and see which way the car tracks. Just like wavsine said, new tires can cause this as you break them in. It can take as many as 500 miles for the tires to wear correctly.

All that being said, the factory alignment specification does allow for a bit of wiggle room and there is a possibility you're riding the high/lo end of one of the alignment parameters.

I'd recommend you take the tires back down to 35PSI and see how it goes for a few more days. If no improvement, take it to the dealer and ask for an alignment. You may have to take the tech out on the road to prove your situation, but if the alignment is off it should be covered by warranty.

 

[fenway1912]

I find that the Focus tramlines quite a bit but that might be due to the relatively wide tires (it's not a big car)

I remember the same feeling when I changed my old car's stock 205/60/15s to 215/45/17

 

[FordService]

Hi guys,

new member, just bought a 2014 SE brand new, has about 450 miles on it.

question is: i commute about 20 miles each way to and from work. at higher speeds on the freeway (65-80MPH) on the freeway i constantly have to correct the steering wheel, it always sways back and forth. at first i thought it was just the road and maybe i was in a lane that was messed up. but i never had problems with this in my old car (06 volvo s60R)

maybe its the tire size im not used to? 215 isnt too wide.

i just cant take it! im going crazy haha my car refuses to drive straight on the freeway.

thanks in advance

Hi mattyk,

Looks like you've got some great troubleshooting advice through this thread. If you decide to head to the dealer for this, please let me know. I'll see how to best assist.

Meagan

 

[mattyk]

Hi mattyk,

Looks like you've got some great troubleshooting advice through this thread. If you decide to head to the dealer for this, please let me know. I'll see how to best assist.

Meagan

PERFECT!

I'm going to give it about 200 hundred more miles to break in the tires and let me adjust a little more. if not, then i'll be sure to contact you Meagan. thanks for the response.

always nice to have a ford rep on the forums!

 

[sailor]

See how it goes, if it'll track with the current input (like holding the wheel steady) the electronic steering itself isn't giving trouble.

Those that had troubles with earlier versions couldn't get it to "settle down", with each correction going further than desired & seemingly no "center" possible. Trying to chase that could end up with dramatic swerving in the worst case.

Working right it could still feel a bit odd compared to prev. systems. The active assist that attempts to compensate for steady steering loads like road crown & cross winds could feel particularly strange in comparison to "std." systems IMHO.

 

[FordService]

PERFECT!

I'm going to give it about 200 hundred more miles to break in the tires and let me adjust a little more. if not, then i'll be sure to contact you Meagan. thanks for the response.

always nice to have a ford rep on the forums!

Sounds good! I'll keep an eye out for your message.

Meagan