Has anyone experienced a unusual on-center "sticky" feel in the steering going straight down the road in ST or any other trim? Did you take it in and did they find a fix?
My 25 ST feels like I have to constantly muscle through the usual subtle corrections continuously made normally subconsciously to keep the car straight at interstate speeds. This is with lane-keeping OFF. The loaner 25 Active they gave me feels nothing like the ST, instead it is fluid and easy to two-finger around the center position. It's being suggested it is the nature of the ST's sport-biased steering assist programming, and others have called theirs "heavy". But it's not that, it is just not fluid in the middle and kinda fights and bounces the wheel back from every small input, so much so my usual one hand 7 o'clock hold gets tiring in short order and I have to ---gasp, hold the wheel with both hands in the most casual driving you would do.
This is my 7th new Ford trucks or SUVs since 1996 including a 14 F150 and 17 Expedition both with E-assist racks, and they don't have any on-center weird sticky feel like this does. And I keep the 17 in sport mode and while heavier in larger turns of the wheel it is still fluid and not tiring in the center position after many hours' drive in this road warrior rig.
Dealer has found nothing mechanically wrong such as binding rack and steering shaft u-joints. They are going to try a reflash of the steering controller in case there's an update that improves wheel feel.
I'll be darned if this is "just the way it is" with STs. I love most everything about the car, but this thing that grates on me so constantly makes me consider trading it (getting my wallet kicked) for a Platinum to get the perhaps "lighter" steering (maybe?) and the HP of the ST, if the steering program is anything like the Active trim loaner I've been perfectly happy with except for the less fun and grindier but capable-enough 2.3L ecoboost.
To the dealer staff's credit they believe me, but are leaning toward it just being how STs are, and understanding of my just not liking how the product turned out in this particular detail.
Another little possible "it's just like that" thing is that the wheel does not like to return to center on its own in subtle turns, in either the ST or my Active loaner. This is disconcerting as well.
Any insight would be appreciated.
My 25 ST feels like I have to constantly muscle through the usual subtle corrections continuously made normally subconsciously to keep the car straight at interstate speeds. This is with lane-keeping OFF. The loaner 25 Active they gave me feels nothing like the ST, instead it is fluid and easy to two-finger around the center position. It's being suggested it is the nature of the ST's sport-biased steering assist programming, and others have called theirs "heavy". But it's not that, it is just not fluid in the middle and kinda fights and bounces the wheel back from every small input, so much so my usual one hand 7 o'clock hold gets tiring in short order and I have to ---gasp, hold the wheel with both hands in the most casual driving you would do.
This is my 7th new Ford trucks or SUVs since 1996 including a 14 F150 and 17 Expedition both with E-assist racks, and they don't have any on-center weird sticky feel like this does. And I keep the 17 in sport mode and while heavier in larger turns of the wheel it is still fluid and not tiring in the center position after many hours' drive in this road warrior rig.
Dealer has found nothing mechanically wrong such as binding rack and steering shaft u-joints. They are going to try a reflash of the steering controller in case there's an update that improves wheel feel.
I'll be darned if this is "just the way it is" with STs. I love most everything about the car, but this thing that grates on me so constantly makes me consider trading it (getting my wallet kicked) for a Platinum to get the perhaps "lighter" steering (maybe?) and the HP of the ST, if the steering program is anything like the Active trim loaner I've been perfectly happy with except for the less fun and grindier but capable-enough 2.3L ecoboost.
To the dealer staff's credit they believe me, but are leaning toward it just being how STs are, and understanding of my just not liking how the product turned out in this particular detail.
Another little possible "it's just like that" thing is that the wheel does not like to return to center on its own in subtle turns, in either the ST or my Active loaner. This is disconcerting as well.
Any insight would be appreciated.
