Speed sensitive advice

[Chriscross70]

Hi, I have just joined. I've Asked a mechanic or 3. About the speed sensitive steering issue on my recently purchased xc70 2012.
There is a slight disconnect before it engages/play in steering wheel. Also under braking it feels like the wheels are tracking in different directions.
Any advice would be appreciated, before I have to either visit main dealer or my closest specialist 180 miles away.
😁 Cheers Chris.

[Chriscross70]

PS one mechanic didn't know, couldn't find any related faults. Other 2 said they didn't know what it could be. There is slight play in top mounts.

[Kev0607]

Hi and welcome.

If the car feels like its going all over the place when you brake, that could be worn control arm bushings. Play in the steering could be track rod ends. As you have worn top mounts, its likely other components in the suspension are worn too. How many miles is on the car? Any uneven tyre wear?

Have these other mechanics actually had it up on a ramp to check the suspension over properly?

[Chriscross70]

Thanks for reply. Mechanic had it on the ramp. He could only identify very slight play in top mounts. All other components good, car has 85,000 miles on it. Tyre wear even. No conclusion in fault codes either.
I've been told by other people it is possibly steering rack😩 or a position sensor.
I was just putting it out there before venturing into the financial unknown 😥

[Kev0607]

Originally Posted by Chriscross70

Thanks for reply. Mechanic had it on the ramp. He could only identify very slight play in top mounts. All other components good, car has 85,000 miles on it. Tyre wear even. No conclusion in fault codes either.
I've been told by other people it is possibly steering rack😩 or a position sensor.
I was just putting it out there before venturing into the financial unknown 😥

Unfortunately, it sounds like you may need specialist diagnoses and a trip to the not so local garage may be your best bet to find a solution.

[Chriscross70]

I have heard mention, it could be adaptive headlight fault causing the issue

[xavierx]

You need to see with your eyes where the problem lies.

Jack up and remove the driver side front wheel, make sure passenger wheel is firmly on the ground.

Remove the wheel arch liner so that you have a clear view of everything.

Make sure the steering is unlocked and through the window jiggle the steering left and right slightly and look at what is moving and what is not moving.

If you can see the steering/track rod end jiggling, but not the hub, then take a look for play in the track rod end.

If you cannot see the track rod end jiggling, the play may either be in the inner steering tie rods, or the rack itself is worn and needs the pre-tension adjusting.

If none of the above, check the lower control arm balljoints for play.

If still nothing, check the steering rack is firmly bolted to the subframe and has no play.

Still nothing. Re-assemble the car and try bumping the front wheels up and down a curb, if you are feeling a clunk when doing this, then suspect suspension top-mounts/bearing

[xavierx]

Originally Posted by Chriscross70

I have heard mention, it could be adaptive headlight fault causing the issue

Headlights are not physically connected to the steering in any way, it is electronic so it's definitely not this.