[phamilyman]

Agree totally with you - this is textbook behavior which is EXPECTED by long term users! As an otherwise happy ex-Swift owner of 9 years, I expect this behavior!

It is dangerous precisely because it can make what was a slightly risky situation into a near-death or fatal one.

The reality is that driving is a substantially unconscious activity with many activities happening basis unconscious muscle memory & coordination. Our hill roads are already chaotic and unsafe - now if you make the car's steering unreliable in the hills, it can be FATAL because such issues only register a fraction of a second later and by then it could be all over on a busy hill highway.

Forget Himachal Pradesh - it could happen on Gurgaon Faridabad road with its twisty highway - no need to go far.

A customer who buys a zero star or 2* NCAP car is consciously trading off safety for mileage and reliability. On this account, the customer is liable to get a shock precisely at the moment they would be least expecting it.

Why is this not a recall yet? This is unacceptable when you consider the GM ignition switch recall crisis - it is Maruti's moment I guess. The earlier they wake up, the better.

Originally Posted by GTO

Drivers should not have to relearn anything when they drive a particular car. Self centering steering wheels are pretty much the standard behavior in all Indian cars. That's why it is dangerous. Because it does not behave as you would expect it to or are habituated to

[stallmaster]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFs6qc3hUME

Skip to 52secs, this Jimny(made in India?) steering selfcenters. This steering monkey-business is definitely a don't-give-a-damn attitude to Indian customers by Suzuki.

Someone else pointed out before in this thread that his CBU Grand Vitara also has good steering.

[shancz]

Drove a friend's 5 year/40000kms old Jazz today. Took a 5-10kmph slow left turn and the steering self centered perfectly! I didn't have to do anything, it was like magic to us MSIL drivers

I think after driving the wagonR I got used to the steering (like most of others who are driving only that car). While the Tiago seemed like a revelation, the Jazz's steering is on another level, reaffirming the fact that the difference in steering response is unacceptable if you drive another(non MS) car.
Note : This is in the reference space of wagonR, Tiago and Jazz, implying that Jazz is the best among these three, nothing more

Confession : Earlier, I was thinking that in the city it wasn't much of a deal and the title seemed a bit overboard especially coming from GTO but today I realized that I was wrong.
While I understood that how it can be an issue but I never felt the full magnitude of the situation.

After today's drive I have the same question Why the heck will Maruti-Suzuki not fix its defective & dangerous steering behaviour?

[FIFTH GEAR]

I've faced similar issues with my new WagonR CNG. The steering is a bit heavy & dose'nt return. This was reported during the first service. The mechanic said that he checked the steering with a laptop (?) & was absolutely fine.

On further discussion I was told by the service advisor that just because I have been driving a Hyundai Santro, the difference is only in the "feel" & no other customers have complained about it.

I wanted to tell them that my 16year old Santro has a better & responsive steering than this new car. However, as I'm now using the WagonR for my daily commute and with the fuel prices hitting a century, I have no option than to live with it...

[stallmaster]

Originally Posted by FIFTH GEAR

I wanted to tell them that my 16year old Santro has a better & responsive steering than this new car. However, as I'm now using the WagonR for my daily commute and with the fuel prices hitting a century, I have no option than to live with it...

Maybe fit a 12kg CNG cylinder in Santro? Best of both worlds...

[humyum]

Being a 2008 Swift Diesel owner, I have faced this issue but let me mention how it was corrected.

When the car was new, after 45 thousand kilometers it had developed a steering noise, still under warranty, first they wanted to try to adjust the steering damper which they did but it became hard and would not self center. From my experience I know that adjusting the damper is a tedious trial and error method which service stations usually don't have the patience for except for Ravi Automobiles in Ghatkopar East.

A new steering was ordered after a few hundred kilometers when I complained that I could not live with this effort and non returning to center steering.

Fast forward 1 lakh kilometers and the sound was back but this time the car was out of warranty so I sat with the Ravi Guys and notch by notch we tightened the damper to a point the noise was gone, steering self centered and it was not too heavy. This worked another 80 thousand kilometers till 1 lakh 83 thousand km till the noise came back, nothing more could be done except to replace the steering bush as a new steering for my Swift version costs 33 thousand rupees.

Along with the suspension overhaul the steering was overhauled too and now I am at 1 lakh 88 thousand km with a little hard steering (new bush, it will become light in a couple more thousand km)a steering which returns and is perfectly weighted up on the highway.

I hope this experience helps.

[shancz]

So, have MSIL listened ? Seems like it

The 2021 Swift piece in Overdrive mentions the following :
"The dynamics of the 2021 Swift have been tweaked as well, with the electronic power steering system updated to reflect better returnability, which should make manoeuvrability more predictable/natural".

Credits to the providers : Overdrive : Swift 2021

Will wait for the reviews/owners to confirm, hopefully someone from TBHP.
Also hope it filters down to all the MSIL cars.

[tharian]

Originally Posted by humyum

Along with the suspension overhaul the steering was overhauled too and now I am at 1 lakh 88 thousand km with a little hard steering (new bush, it will become light in a couple more thousand km)a steering which returns and is perfectly weighted up on the highway.

I hope this experience helps.

I have a 2005 Swift that makes a tak-tak noise like a spring under tension sound, when the wheel is turned left or right, stationary and while driving. The noise is more prominent at slow speeds. The car has run 65k kms. I checked with the Authorized service center and they said the bush for the steering and both the link rods have to be replaced. The link rods were replaced less than two years ago and I was surprised that has to be replaced again.
They gave a quote of 11k for the work.

Does that sound right? I am more concerned about the diagnosis and if it will fix the issue.

[humyum]

Originally Posted by tharian

I have a 2005 Swift that makes a tak-tak noise like a spring under tension sound, when the wheel is turned left or right, stationary and while driving. The noise is more prominent at slow speeds. The car has run 65k kms. I checked with the Authorized service center and they said the bush for the steering and both the link rods have to be replaced. The link rods were replaced less than two years ago and I was surprised that has to be replaced again.
They gave a quote of 11k for the work.

Does that sound right? I am more concerned about the diagnosis and if it will fix the issue.

The tak tak noise could be fixed, could not be fixed with the bush replacement, it will reduce for sure. I am sure the service station people have told you that.

About the link roads, by that you mean the stabilizer bars? If so, please go ahead, they don't last really long. Mine are goners every 25-30 thousand kilometers and this is in a highway run car.

1)The steering overhaul is 4000 ( assuming this is what they charge you there too),

2) Stabilizer bar, - Can you put a price what they quoted? I don't seem to remember how much I paid for it last, but it can't be more than 2-3 thousand for the complete job.

3) Tie rod ends? Are they saying this too? Mine were replaced during the overhaul and Ciaz one's were put on my Swift Diesel instead of the Swift Diesel ones as they said its all the same but costs 1/3rd the price. Its been 5-6 thousand kilometers since the overhaul which also included strut assembly, lower arms and stabilizer. Everything is running perfect to the T.

[tharian]

Originally Posted by humyum

The tak tak noise could be fixed, could not be fixed with the bush replacement, it will reduce for sure. I am sure the service station people have told you that.

About the link roads, by that you mean the.

I took a second opinion from a Bosch Service centre that I know. They said the front strut bearing is worn and one of the dampers were leaking. These have never been replaced either. As per them, the complete strut assembly including the bearing, coil spring and dampers come as a set.
This made more sense than the steering bush and link rod given by the A.S.S. Will use the car for a while like this and then replace if later since now the sound doesn't come always and only when the steering is turned full lock.

[wantarangerover]

Apparently this behaviour is because it is not engineered into the system, probably to save cost or avoid steering wear or reduce load on the EPS.

I was watching a video (sorry, it is in malayalam, no subtitles. Btw, I liked this channel, if you understand malayalam, no affiliations!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WP_EXnERWiY&t=1184s

. Around the 40 minute mark, they talk about how this is not engineered into maruti products (at least lower end ones), and how this is corrected in Ertiga and the new swift dual jet. They still haven't engineered it into the steering geometry, but apparently the steering motor is acting in reverse to return the steering to centre.

Also, as per them the Kwid and some Hyundai models do not have a proper self centering steering.

[darkbull]

Hello All

After successful chasing the MSIL center in Bangalore, I got my steering column changed in my baleno. My vehicle warranty was over, but it was done in some good gesture by Maruti. Now the steering is super smooth and returns to center post a turn.

The only other worry I still have is that the steering feels super light at 100+ kmph. While I know it is not advisable to drive at those speeds, imagine a empty NICE Road and you cannot accelerate fearing the car may change course. Can anything be done

Cheers
Arun

[puneetakhouri]

Originally Posted by darkbull

Can anything be done

I too had the same problem earlier. And my problem was that at 120 the steering would suddenly become superlight. I escalated it to very high ups and maruti engineer actually test drove my car. He told me to get a proper wheel balancing done. And as it turns out that was the culprit. I got my WB done from an outside shop who had settings for Baleno in his machine and the problem is gone.
Now don't get me wrong, the steering is still relatively light but definitely that earlier issue of sudden lightness is gone.

[Leoshashi]

I shot this video today, the steering returnability in my XL6 seemed pretty fine to me. Do you guys see any issue?

https://youtu.be/_odoQ3u2vgg

Regards,
Shashi

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

I shot this video today, the steering returnability in my XL6 seemed pretty fine to me. Do you guys see any issue?

https://Youtu.be/_odoQ3u2vgg

Regards,
Shashi

Looks fine to me. I guess XL6's steering has been calibrated differently.