Front End Alignment - Steering Help
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Junior Member
Joined: Dec 2018
Posts: 13
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Front End Alignment - Steering Help
Hi, so I have a 2018 F-150 XLT SPORT 4WD 18” Michelins that is about a month old. So here is where I need some help on just before I call the service department again tomorrow.
So the first week or two when I was getting used to driving it I felt like it was pulling to the left. It would go over the lines in the middle and start headed to the sidewalk if I let the wheel go or just barely held it. If my steering wheel is at say turned to 9:00 o’clock and I try to put it back to 12:00 it’s really tight and hard. If the steering wheel is at 3:00 and I go back to 12:00 it feels normal.
I called my salesman and he said that definitely shouldn’t be happening bring it in. When I took it in the service guy said we’ll check it out if it’s out of alignment we’ll fix it. He said he sees this happen once in a while. He came out and told me yes you were right it’s off to the left we’ll fix it. When he came out with the keys when they were done he told me I’m all set that the tech needed to do it THREE TIMES and that it’s actually better then just doing it once. I was saying to myself
SERIUSLY???? that sounds strange to me.
When I left the dealer of course I was testing it in the ride home and I was so happy that I got it fixed. As the week went on I was like you gotta be kidding me it’s back to what it was originally doing and I’m not to thrilled about it. Does anyone have any idea what might be happening? I’m just trying to get a little educated from some of the people on this great site so when I go back there I have some ammo.
Ty in advance.
So the first week or two when I was getting used to driving it I felt like it was pulling to the left. It would go over the lines in the middle and start headed to the sidewalk if I let the wheel go or just barely held it. If my steering wheel is at say turned to 9:00 o’clock and I try to put it back to 12:00 it’s really tight and hard. If the steering wheel is at 3:00 and I go back to 12:00 it feels normal.
I called my salesman and he said that definitely shouldn’t be happening bring it in. When I took it in the service guy said we’ll check it out if it’s out of alignment we’ll fix it. He said he sees this happen once in a while. He came out and told me yes you were right it’s off to the left we’ll fix it. When he came out with the keys when they were done he told me I’m all set that the tech needed to do it THREE TIMES and that it’s actually better then just doing it once. I was saying to myself
SERIUSLY???? that sounds strange to me.
When I left the dealer of course I was testing it in the ride home and I was so happy that I got it fixed. As the week went on I was like you gotta be kidding me it’s back to what it was originally doing and I’m not to thrilled about it. Does anyone have any idea what might be happening? I’m just trying to get a little educated from some of the people on this great site so when I go back there I have some ammo.
Ty in advance.
Hi, so I have a 2018 F-150 XLT SPORT 4WD 18” Michelins that is about a month old. So here is where I need some help on just before I call the service department again tomorrow.
So the first week or two when I was getting used to driving it I felt like it was pulling to the left. It would go over the lines in the middle and start headed to the sidewalk if I let the wheel go or just barely held it. If my steering wheel is at say turned to 9:00 o’clock and I try to put it back to 12:00 it’s really tight and hard. If the steering wheel is at 3:00 and I go back to 12:00 it feels normal.
I called my salesman and he said that definitely shouldn’t be happening bring it in. When I took it in the service guy said we’ll check it out if it’s out of alignment we’ll fix it. He said he sees this happen once in a while. He came out and told me yes you were right it’s off to the left we’ll fix it. When he came out with the keys when they were done he told me I’m all set that the tech needed to do it THREE TIMES and that it’s actually better then just doing it once. I was saying to myself
SERIUSLY???? that sounds strange to me.
When I left the dealer of course I was testing it in the ride home and I was so happy that I got it fixed. As the week went on I was like you gotta be kidding me it’s back to what it was originally doing and I’m not to thrilled about it. Does anyone have any idea what might be happening? I’m just trying to get a little educated from some of the people on this great site so when I go back there I have some ammo.
Ty in advance.
So the first week or two when I was getting used to driving it I felt like it was pulling to the left. It would go over the lines in the middle and start headed to the sidewalk if I let the wheel go or just barely held it. If my steering wheel is at say turned to 9:00 o’clock and I try to put it back to 12:00 it’s really tight and hard. If the steering wheel is at 3:00 and I go back to 12:00 it feels normal.
I called my salesman and he said that definitely shouldn’t be happening bring it in. When I took it in the service guy said we’ll check it out if it’s out of alignment we’ll fix it. He said he sees this happen once in a while. He came out and told me yes you were right it’s off to the left we’ll fix it. When he came out with the keys when they were done he told me I’m all set that the tech needed to do it THREE TIMES and that it’s actually better then just doing it once. I was saying to myself
SERIUSLY???? that sounds strange to me.
When I left the dealer of course I was testing it in the ride home and I was so happy that I got it fixed. As the week went on I was like you gotta be kidding me it’s back to what it was originally doing and I’m not to thrilled about it. Does anyone have any idea what might be happening? I’m just trying to get a little educated from some of the people on this great site so when I go back there I have some ammo.
Ty in advance.
from fords WSM
Pull Drift Compensation (PDC)
EPAS equipped vehicles have a Pull Drift Compensation (PDC) feature to assist drivers in compensating for variation in road and driving conditions. The feature adjusts power assist offset by reducing the steering wheel effort (input torque) required to keep the vehicle traveling straight. The Pull Drift Compensation (PDC) feature is automatically enabled at vehicle speeds above 40 km/h (25 mph) with sensors indicating the vehicle is traveling straight. Pull Drift Compensation (PDC) is designed to compensate for variations in road crown, the system detects input torque to the wheel by the driver to slowly ramp in a steering assist offset to neutralize, in most situations and within limits, steering efforts for the duration of time those driving conditions exist. Full compensation requires up to 45 seconds. Changing lanes on a multilane road and the expected change in road crown would trigger a change in torque input and a compensation adjustment, and is a normal operation of the Pull Drift Compensation (PDC) feature. The feature updates automatically and continuously, however, since it is based on input torque, the feature only works with hands on the steering wheel while driving in a straight line. The system does not compensate when turning or during slight curves on highways. The system does not compensate if driver input torque, steering wheel angle or vehicle yaw rate is too large. For the system to compensate, the driver must have both hands on the steering wheel.
EPAS equipped vehicles have a Pull Drift Compensation (PDC) feature to assist drivers in compensating for variation in road and driving conditions. The feature adjusts power assist offset by reducing the steering wheel effort (input torque) required to keep the vehicle traveling straight. The Pull Drift Compensation (PDC) feature is automatically enabled at vehicle speeds above 40 km/h (25 mph) with sensors indicating the vehicle is traveling straight. Pull Drift Compensation (PDC) is designed to compensate for variations in road crown, the system detects input torque to the wheel by the driver to slowly ramp in a steering assist offset to neutralize, in most situations and within limits, steering efforts for the duration of time those driving conditions exist. Full compensation requires up to 45 seconds. Changing lanes on a multilane road and the expected change in road crown would trigger a change in torque input and a compensation adjustment, and is a normal operation of the Pull Drift Compensation (PDC) feature. The feature updates automatically and continuously, however, since it is based on input torque, the feature only works with hands on the steering wheel while driving in a straight line. The system does not compensate when turning or during slight curves on highways. The system does not compensate if driver input torque, steering wheel angle or vehicle yaw rate is too large. For the system to compensate, the driver must have both hands on the steering wheel.
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Dec 2018
Posts: 13
Likes: 2
Thanks for the information. I did a little research on this and found a bunch of other threads with the same issue. Has Ford admitted yet that there is a problem and do they have a solution for it yet?
just because there are a bunch of threads on an internet forum does not mean its a wide spread issue. Keep in mind the 'sample size' of us on this forum compared to the number of F150s on the road
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Dec 2018
Posts: 13
Likes: 2
I understand that and agree with you. I’m just glad and want to thank you for finding out what is probably my issue so quickly. Now when I call the dealer I’ll ask them to look into this SSM 47589 issue and see what they have to say.
all that SSM is, is tells the tech what pinpoint test to use
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5 Year Member
Joined: Jan 2018
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I don’t know about the EPAS but in my experience a vehicle that pulls one direction is most often caused by improper tire inflation. It can also be effected by the road surface and the specs of the tires. Usually bad alignment just causes tires to wear unevenly. I’m not saying alignment can’t cause pulling, it just wouldn’t be my first suspicion as the cause, especially when it started again shortly after an alignment.
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 2,117
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From: Greater Seattle Area
Can you post your alignment sheet? Is the right side caster more positive than the left side on the alignment? Vehicles tend to pull toward the least positive caster. Any idea if the steering angle sensor was recalibrated/aligned?
Last edited by GMC to Ford; Jan 16, 2019 at 08:44 PM.