Sorry it’s a long one:
All stock no mods.
I have a 2023-37PP currently with 1,170 miles. I started to feel this thumping/tapping feeling in the steering wheel at around 300 miles. It starts when the truck has reached normal operating temperature and approximately 5 or so miles into the drive. This happens every time I drive the truck. What I feel is distinctly different than the typical suspension feedback when going over bumps or road undulations.
While at a full stop, I accelerate enough where the suspension in the front lifts up, the steering wheel will have a thumping/tapping feeling. Also, at times when coming to a stop it will thump/tap in the steering wheel. For the most part it happens when the front lifts evenly on both sides. When driving over speed humps at around 5-10 MPH I can feel the thumping/tapping feeling in the steering wheel.
I took it to the dealer and I went on a ride with the shop foreman. He experienced exactly what I was experiencing. They said there was noise coming from the lower steering shaft. They installed chassis ears and found free play at the lower steering shaft assembly. They replaced the lower steering shaft assembly.
I live about 10 miles from the dealer. I got about half way home and felt the thumping/tapping in the steering wheel again. I took it back to the dealer the next day and went on a ride with the heavy duty suspension tech. He felt the exact same thumping/tapping in the steering wheel. I left the truck for further inspection. They called me a few days later and said they can’t duplicate the issue. I went back to the dealer and went on a drive with the same tech and another suspension tech. About 5 miles into the drive the thumping/tapping started. So they took my truck back in. Few days later they found play with the inner tie rods and replaced both sides.
I picked up the truck and drove about half way home and felt the steering wheel thumping/tapping again. I went right back to the dealer and went on another test drive with a tech. Yes, you guessed it, they said leave the truck.
A few days later I get a call from the head of their service department. She said “yes we feel it and to bring it back when it starts happening more because it doesn't happen when the tech is driving it". I told her what do you mean by “more”? It happens every time I drive it and it happens every time I go on a drive with your techs and they drive it. How much more than that is “when it happens more”? She stated “we can’t keep throwing parts at it. Take it to a different dealer”. I was a bit stunned to hear this. I told her let us both go on a ride right now and you will feel the thumping/tapping. She was unsure what to say. She knew it was going to do it while she was driving it. She said "I went on a test drive with the tech and it only did it once". I told her that's not true because it will do it right now if we both went on a ride together. She just refused to go on a test drive knowing it would do it.
I called Ford customer care. I explained everything that I was experiencing and everything the dealer told me. Ford customer care put me on hold while they called the dealer. The Ford Customer care lady told me the dealer was telling her stuff that didn’t make sense. Ford customer care literally told me the head of that service department didn’t know what she was talking about.
At this point Ford customer care told me to take the truck to a different Ford dealer. She said to take the truck and ask to test drive with the shop foreman at the new dealership.
So two weeks ago I took my truck to another Ford dealer. I took the shop foreman on a ride and he experienced the same thumping/tapping. Today (two weeks later), I received a call stating my truck is ready. While reading the paperwork I noticed it said “went on drive with foreman and no thumping found, NPF”. They performed a full alignment adjustment because my steering wheel was not centered.
I was told the thumping /tapping was gone. I told the service writer I’m going to take it for a drive and see for myself. Drove it for a little and the steering wheel thumping feeling started. Drove back to the dealer and had the tech drive with me. He felt the thumping/tapping and I explained it happens when the truck is at temperature and about 5 miles into the drive. Now I have to take it back to them Monday.
I purchased a set of chassis ears and to me most of the noise on the ears was coming from the rack/steering shaft/rack input pinion shaft. When the thumping/tapping starts, I can feel lots of play in the rack input shaft (part where the lower steering shaft connects to the shaft coming out of the rack) by moving the steering shaft with my hand under the hood. When the truck is cold there isn’t much play in that area. When I have my buddy move that shaft while I’m in the truck, it’s exactly what I feel when driving. I can see the rack input pinion shaft move in and out of the rack. This feels like the same thumping/tapping that I feel in the steering wheel when driving.
I’m assuming the rack guide tension spring is loosening up due to the heat and allowing play in the rack (thumping/tapping).
