2004 Steering wheel moving up/down several times

[Steiny]

Sometimes when I turn the car off the tilt function raises the wheel and then it goes up down,up down several times a couple inches and then stops in the up position. Any ideas?

This page contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated. As an eBay Partner, and Amazon Associate I may be compensated if you make a purchase at no cost to you.

 

[Icewine]

Sometimes when I turn the car off the tilt function raises the wheel and then it goes up down,up down several times a couple inches and then stops in the up position. Any ideas?

My 2004 does the same thing on occasion. It is supposed to retract and tilt up in order to allow for easier egress, but it should happen in a single motion. I have taken to giving the power tilt/telescope switch a quick nudge if I notice the repeated motion.

 

[edward301]

My only idea is the position sensor has some bad areas on the sensor area, which
is what tells the computer exactly where the steering wheel is.

 

[HKS]

View attachment 5045 My only idea is the position sensor has some bad areas on the sensor area, which
is what tells the computer exactly where the steering wheel is.

Agree, most likely.
HKS

 

[highwayghost]

Before I took it to the dealer I would first disconnect the battery for 30 minutes or more. The longer the better to clear any unwanted memory. Anything that has a computer, and everything does these days, occasionally needs a 'reboot'. Once the battery is reconnected, use the procedure similar to reprogramming the windows. Run the switch down and hold, run the switch up and hold. Hopefully Ford would use the same window procedure to reset the wheel sensor/programming. It won't cost anything to try.

 

[Steiny]

Before I took it to the dealer I would first disconnect the battery for 30 minutes or more. The longer the better to clear any unwanted memory. Anything that has a computer, and everything does these days, occasionally needs a 'reboot'. Once the battery is reconnected, use the procedure similar to reprogramming the windows. Run the switch down and hold, run the switch up and hold. Hopefully Ford would use the same window procedure to reset the wheel sensor/programming. It won't cost anything to try.

Thanks, I’ll give it a try.

 

[BluByeU]

Disconnecting the battery for however long you wish to wait will not correct the steering wheel positioning. It will make you reprogram the up/down window drop feature and the entertainment center's settings as well as the PCM (Powertrain Control Module) will have to relearn your driving habits when the transmission shifting.
Replacing the control switches will cure the problem.

 

[Frankie the Fink]

Disconnecting the battery for however long you wish to wait will not correct the steering wheel positioning. It will make you reprogram the up/down window drop feature and the entertainment center's settings as well as the PCM (Powertrain Control Module) will have to relearn your driving habits when the transmission shifting.
Replacing the control switches will cure the problem.

Are you talking about the one up/down/fore/aft square switch on the left of the steering column ?
Can you even find one separately ?

 

[highwayghost]

Disconnecting the battery for however long you wish to wait will not correct the steering wheel positioning. It will make you reprogram the up/down window drop feature and the entertainment center's settings as well as the PCM (Powertrain Control Module) will have to relearn your driving habits when the transmission shifting.
Replacing the control switches will cure the problem.

I disconnect my battery for the entire winter storage(4-5 months) and sure I have to program the radio stations, no big deal, but I don't have any of the other issues you speak of.

 

[Sierra977]

My 2004 does this if I have tilt in full UP position when ignition switch is turned off. Bump tilt down a small amount and it does not happen.

 

[BluByeU]

Highwayghost,
You will never notice the PCM relearning your driving habits to create it's shift points. It is very subtle, but it occurs. This is even mentioned in the owner's manual in the section regarding the battery.
If your car doesn't have to have the window drop feature reprogrammed when you bring your Bird out of storage you are fortunate. Not that it is difficult to do.
My point was in my previous post was that disconnect of the battery will not fix the steering wheel positioning feature on the Retro Bird.