Hi All new here but seems like a good place to ask a few questions.

I recently purchased a brand new Fiesta ST3 overall I love the car except for a couple of issues.

1st is Molten Orange paint - my rear bumper was such a bad mis-match Ford UK warranty have agreed to repaint it. So that will get that out the way.

Second is mechanical grinding whilst carrying out slow speed manoeuvres where full lock maybe required in reverse and partly in forward gear.

Took car to a main dealer within 10days as originally assumed brakes were bedding in. The mechanic jumped in grabbed the steering wheel and said "that's not right" get it booked in.

It was taken in for a full investigation - report back appears to be a very tight CV joint put another 1000 miles on it to see if it loosens up.

Raised a complaint with Ford UK asking since when had they invented self healing cars?

Told after another 10 days or so take it back for another inspection.

Visited the Ford dealer and a "Master technician" jumps in the car start to carry out slow speed manoeuvres and straight away told " that's not right I can even hear the grinding" let's get it in and we will do whatever is required to sort it!

4 days later get a call from the dealer "your not going to like this" but we have investigated cannot find a definitive faulty part and are putting it down as a characteristic of the car, in fact it's a Fiesta characteristic as another car demonstrated similar trait.

You should not be using full lock/tyres possibly scrubbing/tight CV joint and a few others have all now been offered as a causes but no further action.

I'm gutted as it is totally crap in this day and age to suffer such a terrible mechanical grinding to get told its a "characteristic"

I test drove another ST and after a number of manoeuvres could not replicated the grinding.

Can any of you fellow ST or Fiesta drivers confirm that you all suffer from a really bad grinding/vibration that us audible even to the untrained ear during mainly slow speed reversing on virtually full lock???

TIA

Great forum too :)

It's normal mate my fiesta does it and my mums facelift does slight grind feeling on fulllock particualy when reversing left.

My focus st has the odd grinding noise on full lock don't worry

My 2011 titanium has the same when driving,like a slight grinding noise,normal for fiesta.

its normal for fiestas even the mk6.5 did it lol i just got told its the noise from the power steering at full lock and is the normal as when ever are you in full lock unless parking really

Not sure if I'm thinking of the same thing but I think my Black Edition does this too? You can almost feel it in the wheel when you full lock.

Yeah that's it Ollie

So in short it's a "Characteristic" of Ford... I still had mine under 4 year warranty and I didn't even pick it up, the service technician did and they replaced a part of the steering rack column, been 100% so far and it's a year later

Thank you for your replies.

This is the first time anyone has said their cars did this, all other forums have told me its not normal and I have thrown my toys out with the dealer I bought it from and Ford UK.

But why has it taken me going to one of the biggest main dealers in the Southwest more than once and all the mechanics saying its not right then back tracking after not being able to find a route cause. For you to confirm its a characteristic!

Yes full lock left hand down my grinding is horrendous, especially as I do it every night to park up in my drive.

Sometimes it's not too bad others it is very very noticeable both through the steering wheel and audible.

Not had any other car do this that is why when the Ford garage claimed it was unique I pursued it.

Would be interested in what was replaced on your steering column as I tried another ST and it did one very small grind but mine is extreme, so any pointers may help make this "characteristic" more bearable :)

Yep my 2011 Titty does the exact same thing. PS welcome :)

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Can't say that I've noticed any noise on mine. Then again it's currently in the dealership for the stereo to be replaced.

Zico, its not the noise that you notice it's the grinding like the CV joint is binding the noise is audible when mine is extreme on the grinding.

Mine grinds (vibration through steering wheel) all the time both reverse and forward at slow speed whilst on full lock. I personally would not consider this to be deemed acceptable.

As said I find it unreal that Ford could not tell me within 2 mins of turning up at the dealership that this is "normal"

If something is normal you would not expect various Ford trained mechanics/me and many other people that have sat in my car to say "that don't feel right"!

It's never a good idea to hold it on full lock.

It's never a good idea to hold it on full lock.

That's what i always got told

Genuinely interested to know why this is so?

Right update;

I have just returned from another Ford dealership where a technician and the Ford warranty technician have just test driven my car.

This is a fault and as far as they are concerned my steering rack is potenially faulty!

I'm now driving around in a car with potentially FAULTY steering rack with unknown consequences.

How can a huge Ford dealership with Ford trained technician's and master technician having fully investigated my car on two seperate occasions, so badly misdiagnose my fault with the symptons my car is displaying and put it as a "characteristic" of these cars?

I'm now re booking the car in with a Ford dealer a dammed long way from me to try and get this sorted.

Now back on war path again :(

Right update;

I have just returned from another Ford dealership where a technician and the Ford warranty technician have just test driven my car.

This is a fault and as far as they are concerned my steering rack is potenially faulty!

I'm now driving around in a car with potentially FAULTY steering rack with unknown consequences.

How can a huge Ford dealership with Ford trained technician's and master technician having fully investigated my car on two seperate occasions, so badly misdiagnose my fault with the symptons my car is displaying and put it as a "characteristic" of these cars?

I'm now re booking the car in with a Ford dealer a dammed long way from me to try and get this sorted.

Now back on war path again :(

A don't believe it's a fault lol

A think if I had a risky steering rack you wouldn't be driving it they would take it off u straight away and as said before mk6 mk6.5 mk7 and mk7.5 do it

It's just the steering under strain as you push it by it's limits that's why you don't force it into full steering lock :/

Lol

Nothing is being forced, I'm extremely mechanically aware and been repairing and fixing cars/motor vehicles since the early1980's.

The vehicle is being driven well within its mechanical ability, limits and the PAS is electric, so you do not get the hydraulic bypass noise that is a characteristic of earlier PAS on full lock.

I will leave it at that, enough said.

I'll update on mine when I get it back.

If it's such a problem the garage would have had to take it (if it's to do with steering rack) and

why hasn't it been fixed on mk6,mk6.5,mk7 and mk7.5 i had ma mates van earlier and it done the same noise he works for Ford (Evans halshaw mechanic) and said all have it As it made same type of noise :/ I've drove countless Ford's at ma work and never thought it as a problem nor has ma mates and co workers

Either that or ur talking about a different type of noise at full lock

Take a sound clip bud

But good luck wae the Ford places

Ps when I said limits on a earlier post I ment limits to how far you can turn the wheel not the mechanical structure or the materials it's made of. Obviously the wheel can't turn anymore than what you put it at therefore that is its limits of turning.

Unless you have a wheel that can turn 360° then that wouldn't have limits :p

As said...there is a world of difference from a traditional/characteristic full lock grumble to what my car has done since new only 5 or 6 weeks ago, this is why I posted here as I have been fobbed off twice by a Ford dealership.

Obviously if the Ford Tech's thought the steering rack would or could catastrophically fail in any way they would have said and taken action. There are many other components within the steering system that "could" be affected by this "faulty" steering rack.

Now when 4 x Ford Tech's test drive a car, bearing in mind these are the "experts" and they are jumping in and out of hundreds of this vehicle type day in day out, to ALL say initially "that is not right" and I /me being of sound mechanical knowledge and mind express it is not right, then this is not a characteristic.

Please stop telling me the MK6 etc did it, they were traditional hydraulic PAS and as said I understand how the bypass valves/system operates and its characteristic whine if you push hard to the stop! As an engineer I work on hydraulic systems most days.

Electric speed sensitive PAS is a whole new ball game to me and with ECM's controlling this and that, a gremlin could easily have been playing havoc with the electric motor control unit etc.

As said I've been around a little while and know the difference between an acceptable characteristic and a real fault but asked in a forum to gauge if it is a very common fault of a MK7.5 :)

Thanks to all for the feedback.

I think it's not the same noise,mine is like road noise from driving,like you can hear the disc going

through the pads and the road noise lol,like a rubbing / grinding or something.

Weird way to explain it but can't think of another way :)

The normal fiesta noise i have always been told by loads.

DartmoorST - Did you or FORD ever find the fix to your problem? I am experiencing the exact same problem you have described in this thread with my 2019 Fiesta ST with only 10k miles. Its still under warranty but I have not taken it in yet. Hoping you could provide some insight! I realize this thread is old, but hoping you or anyone else that has experienced a similar issue can help. SoS!!!!!!!

Respectfully - Ben

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