Team-BHP (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/)

-   Technical Stuff (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/technical-stuff/)

-   -   Steering column collapse (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/technical-stuff/26006-steering-column-collapse.html)

A perplexing thing has occured in my santro (March 2005) xing, yesterday my driver called me and showed me that the steering has some play vertically, in the sense that, it can be moved up or pulled upwards by about a centimetre and a half, also, when I drove it earlier in the morning I had noticed that the indicator switch does not operate automatically after completing the turn.

Today, I asked the driver to take it to Trident Hyundai, spoke to the advisor and asked him to look into it.

His findings were:
The steering column has collapsed.
His probable reason: Car could have been driven harshly on rough roads, or suffered an impact.

Now the car has not met with any accident so far, and it is driven only within city limits and on good roads (lucky to still have a few in the route the car is driven everyday).

The indicator switch thingy was also attributed to the steering collapse.

He has quoted approximately 4000/- for replacement including labour and says it would take about 3 hrs for the job to be completed.
He did not have stock of the spares required, so it was not done today itself.

My questions now are:
1) Does a steering collapse so easily?
2) If that is indeed the case, would it not be impossible to drive the car?
3) Is it safe to drive a car, whose steering wheel has a vertical play?

Car has run about 35500kms mostly driven by drivers, and the present driver is a sensible and experienced guy who does take care of the car.

Inputs please.

Thanks.

Steering collapsed in 35500 kms without any accident? :confused:

Talk to a different A.S.S.

i thnk the same...plz get it checked frm another service station...maybe you get a different response

This is quite amazing. Automobile parts are made to withstand a lot of abuse and more so the steering unit. For the steering column to collapse, it requires a major impact.

Like a heart patient advised for a by-pass goes in for a second opinion, similarly go to another A.S.S and check it out. Also, go to a reputed private mechanic and get the opinion there as well.

Will be doing that, i just wanted to know if things like that happen with no rhyme or reason. Thanks guys. Cheers.

Steering is a very critical component & hence while designing extra measures are taken care of. Vertical play doesnt mean complete collapse, but failure of steering hub bearing, which is a difficult to find spare.

Your dealer might be planning to change complete set instead of repairing Hub.Please get a second opinion, or else get it done from outside.

In my opinion Hub bearing is worn-out, nothing major. But neverthe less take opinion of a competent mechnanic first.

A funny question. Why in my xeta manual it is written "The steering is collapsible". My dealer told that collapsible steering column is a feature. His car may have that feature.And it is not locking now.

@Neel... didn't really get your question. Could you rephrase it pls?

Also AFAIK it is the steering column that is collapsible, and not the steering wheel. So your dealer was right.

there is no lock. the collapsible steering column means that the whole steering shaft collapses instead of stabing the driver in case of an accident

Collapsible steering is a part of almost all new generation cars, it just means that on impact or in a collision the steering column collapses inwards preventing the steering wheel or other protrusions from injuring the driver. There is no locking system for that.

Well finally got down to getting the steering rectified. As discussed earlier, I sent the car to Rai Motors on the Hebbal Ring Road, I used to give my Cielo for service there as he was the A.S.S for Daewoo. They do servicing and repairs of most cars nowadays, moreover Vinay Rai, the owner, is a good friend of mine.

They dismantled the steering column and discovered some wear in the main shaft which led to the slight movement upwards.
The shaft was sent to the lathe for some milling work and some minor welding. The bearings and bushes were not damaged and there was no other fault noticed.

Once the shaft was ready, they reassembled the steering column and the car was back to its original shape.

Total cost of repairs:

Lathe work - 250/-

Labour charges - 400/-

Total - 650/-

Price estimate by Trident Hyundai - approx 4000/- (they wanted to replace the steering column)

I would not blame the Hyundai ***. What you have done is rebuilding a component, and that is something not done by ASSes - they just replace components. Of course, intelligent people should not behave like asses. :)