No grab handles on driver's side?
06-30-2013, 08:48 PM
#11
Unique & Different
[MENTION=138861]GregConn[/MENTION] when you find out or make one yourself, let me know too. Also before I got my truck, I rented one for a week to see if I would like it first before buying one. The steering wheel in the rental was lopsided looking. I asked about it, they said because people use it to get in the truck. So using the wheel as a grab handle is not a good ideal. Over a period of time it will loose its shape. Especially on trucks with no running boards.
06-30-2013, 08:52 PM
#12
Unique & Different
My mom have a Escape and it has the grab handles on both sides.
07-01-2013, 11:06 AM
#13
Senior Member
I've commented on this topic in other threads .....
And ... The 2009+ SuperDutys share the same 6-airbag design -AND- have a LH A'pillar grab handle.
DING! DING! DING! We have a WINNER!
In previous gen's of F-150s, I've seen this result in sloopy/loose/rattling/etc. steering columns.
The feng shui is all askew. 
My thoughts - FWIW ...
GregConn ... A few have said that the handle is not there due to an air bag being in that location. However that's incorrect, because the driver and front seat passenger both have the same kind of air bag protection, and yet there's still a grab handle on the passenger side pillar.
I believe the most reasonable explanation I've heard so far is that it was a cost cutting measure, with Ford engineers assuming the driver's grab handle is redundant because the steering wheel can be used as a grab handle.
...2) The steering wheel is not designed to be pulled from the side and used as a grab handle on a daily basis.
3) From an aesthetic standpoint, it even looks better and more in balance to have a grab handle on each side, instead of having one on the passenger side and nothing on the driver's side.
One of the mods I plan on doing with my 2010 F-150 is to figure out some way to retro fit a grab handle onto the driver's side pillar, and have it look as good as if it came from the factory with it.
- 2008 F-150 A'pillar.
- 2009+ SuperDuty A'pillar
Last edited by gDMJoe; 07-01-2013 at 11:08 AM.
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Jeriko (09-04-2013)
07-02-2013, 11:45 AM
#14
It's good to know I'm not alone in my opinion on this...thanks everyone for your input. Greg, or anyone else looking hard for a OEM like solution to the bean counter's shortcomings, please post updates! I will also be exploring possibilities and posting any ideas, if I come up with any good ones. This could be a great entrepreneurial opportunity for someone, as there are obviously a lot of 09-13, soon to be 09-14 F-150's out there.
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ComQuest (07-02-2013)
07-02-2013, 09:22 PM
#15
Senior Member
Good god, don't pull on the steering wheel.
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MSStateDawg (08-18-2019)
07-11-2013, 12:30 PM
#17
Senior Member
Well written, Greg. I'd love to get one retrofitted...and I'd pay good money for it.
Not interested in pulling on the steering wheel, that's not really the point here. The point is that it's nice to have, most other trucks have them, and it's become expected and it's not there anymore.
I'm lucky I guess, I can just swing into the truck as I'm 6'4", but most people aren't tall. And it's not always me driving, wife and others sometimes who are generally shorter. They need that handle.
Not interested in pulling on the steering wheel, that's not really the point here. The point is that it's nice to have, most other trucks have them, and it's become expected and it's not there anymore.
I'm lucky I guess, I can just swing into the truck as I'm 6'4", but most people aren't tall. And it's not always me driving, wife and others sometimes who are generally shorter. They need that handle.
07-12-2013, 12:07 PM
#18
A friend of mine has a 2012 FX4 crew and we went riding around yesterday. I noticed that he had running boards so I asked why he had purchased them because I was pretty sure his previous 07 Lariat didn't have them? He told me that they are necessary to get into the truck. He said without the driver's side grab handle that ford deleted on the current body style you need the running boards to hop up into the truck!! So not only did ford delete a helpful part that you didn't have to pay for (cost savings), but they made it necessary to buy running boards (cost $635). I started looking around after this conversation and noticed that almost all of the current f150s have running boards. They don't look good, i know this is a subjective statement, but they definitely add weight and they definitely reduce your ground clearance!
07-12-2013, 01:51 PM
#19
Senior Member
Yea that extra 3 pounds and loss 2 inches clearance is really gonna make a huge difference when you drive across the grass in your yard to get to the street, Haha! The frame is far lower than the running boards anyway. I think running boards look great, trucks without them look funny. But you are right, it is subjective and some prefer not having them.
No steering wheel has ever loosened up in any vehicle I've ever had. In fact I've never even had one with a drivers side grab handle that I can remember, they must've only been available a short time in certain vehicles. was just driving an 02 f350 last week and it never had one.
No steering wheel has ever loosened up in any vehicle I've ever had. In fact I've never even had one with a drivers side grab handle that I can remember, they must've only been available a short time in certain vehicles. was just driving an 02 f350 last week and it never had one.
07-12-2013, 03:46 PM
#20
Senior Member
I'm a product engineer at a company that supplies complete steering columns to Ford, as well as many other manufacturers. Today's steering columns and wheels are absolutely designed with the understanding that people use the wheel to pull themselves into the vehicle, and durability standards are much higher now than in years past.
Will using the wheel increase wear slightly over time? Sure. However, you aren't really going to hurt anything unless you are a beast of a man or there was a manufacturing issue with some component.
Will using the wheel increase wear slightly over time? Sure. However, you aren't really going to hurt anything unless you are a beast of a man or there was a manufacturing issue with some component.
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