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Steering Wheel buttons..Horn, Heated Wheel not working

31K views 22 replies 14 participants last post by  elv8mymnd 
#1 ·
Posting this for diagnosis help purposes..seems to be a problem that a few owners have seen. So far the only issue I have had in 57K miles.
Symptoms.. no steering wheel buttons work on the LEFT side..no backlighting to any buttons on wheel...Heat does not work on wheel.
Cruise control DOES work. Horn Does Not.

Problem is most likely Clock spring. They replaced mine at no cost even though i was well out of warranty...
 
#3 ·
Yes. I think the key is the EXACT symptoms. apparently it can sometimes be a switch..but it won't be the exact same things that don't work.
 
#4 ·
Exact same issue for me (except the heated wheel part), exact same fix.
However now cruise is intermittent. If I hold the cruise button down and with the other hand deliver a sharp rap to the edge of the wheel I can get cruise to turn on/off, telling me yet another loose connection. Time to go back in

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk
 
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#5 ·
Similar issue here. Volume/track/channel up-down buttons won't respond, then sometimes you press it once and the volume cranks all the way up on the radio. Button back lights go out when moving the wheel slightly back and forth at near the straight position. Had it in to the dealer once, and of course got the "Could not reproduce" response. So thinking this is the clock spring? What is that exactly?
 
#6 ·
The simplest way i can think to describe is its what enables the electrical connections for the wheel to maintain perfect connection as the wheel is turned. Sounds like yours in in process of going out for sure. Allot of people with this issue probably why they fixed it even though it was out of warranty for me.
 
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#7 ·
Thanks for the explanation. This morning i thought i remembered the dealer doing some recall/warranty work on the steering wheel wiring back in 2015. Sure enough, i found it. Anyone recall what the recall was supposed to correct? Looks like all it was some some tie straps and rubber plugs. See attachment.
Text Font Line Document Paper
 
#8 ·
A clock spring is basically a bunch of thin strips of copper wrapped inside a plastic housing underneath the steering wheel and plugs into the wiring harness, and works like a slot car track , it has small contacts that touch the copper strips to make the steering wheel controls work , They do wear out,

And a clock spring can screw up and make contact inside and back feed electrical current out and make a vehicle do weird things, my brothers truck was setting off dash ABS Brake warnings ,And I heard of another one that was back feeding and causing the transmission to shift erratically .

When doing electrical work you just start unplugging known troublemakers , usually a mechanic knows where to look from the symptoms .
 
#10 ·
It was dark and chilly this morning on my way to work. (we got snow last night!) I turned on my heated steering wheel, and when i saw the button lights flicker, the heated steering wheel shut off. I thought i had noticed the heated wheel shutting off prematurely recently. Seems this clock spring is the culprit to this problem too.
Thanks everyone.
 
#11 ·
Attached is a pic of a clock spring from a PT Cruiser. The clock spring carries all the electrical connections from the steering column to your rotating steering wheel. Early models resembled a big spring that would keep a clock running. Ford F-150 had lots of issues with their clock springs in the 1990s & had some recalls because it would disable the air bag.

Auto part Steering part Vehicle Engine Technology
 
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#12 ·
Update
Problem finally got bad enough so i took it back to the dealer today. Basically, none of the switches on the left side and back of the wheel worked. Cruise/gear buttons on right side always worked. Steering wheel heater would shut off immediately.
When i took it in he asked if my check engine light had been on. I said no and asked why. He said it was showing "modules" disconnected. Anyways, just called said said the switches in the wheel were bad and had to be replaced, and the codes were because of the bad switches. I hope he's right, because that seems a bit odd as the lights on all the switches would flicker at night. Maybe they replaced all of them. I guess we will see later today.
 
#15 ·
It acts like a clock spring issue, just show the service writer. And just for future references to anyone having issues , always turn your steering wheel to stop positions in both directions and check for issues which may include airbag warning,transmission shifting issues ,ect...Lots of electrical issues can be caused from a faulty clock spring .
 
#16 ·
Just out of curiosity, I have been having intermittent issues with my NAV 8.4 radio where all controls both on the steering wheel and the radio itself become non responsive. For example, when you adjust the volume up or down, you see the volume slider bar move , but the actual volume won't respond until up to 30 seconds later. Same holds true for source selection and temperature controls. The entire radio unit was replaced, but to no avail.

Thoughts on if the "clock spring" could cause this effect?

thanks
 
#17 ·
If controls are moving adjustments and taking 30 seconds to adjust,probably not . Clock springs usually make electrical issues,horn goes off ,ABS warning, transmission shifts erratic, many of issues can occur from a faulty clock spring. Very easy to replace,just have to know how without making the airbag blow up in your face .
 
#18 · (Edited)
Now, since you have not had any CEL's, wondering if they are only related to the power train?

After watching your video it looks like a bad connection somewhere. The other thing that gets my attention is all the buttons and lights. Kind of looks like an airplane cockpit. Must take a degree to figure out all that stuff. I have some buttons on my steering wheel also. Try to avoid using these things, except for changing the EVIC screen. Looks like way too much technology for something I regard as a simple pickup truck.

Now I would think, with all that computer stuff on board, there would be some on-board diagnostics available.

Keep us updated.
 
#21 ·
I have 2014 Dodge ram 1500. Carmax said it was the switch. They said they fixed it but right off the lot the lights behind the buttons were still flickering. When the lights are off none of the buttons work or the horn.

Maybe they did not change it or is it something else...
 
#22 ·
I just wanted to add my experience and fix for what it is worth to others who may encounter similar problems.

What was working: Cruise Control (right side buttons)
What was not working: Horn, Heated Steering Wheel, Left Buttons, Button Lighting (they were all dark), and buttons on the rear side of the steering wheel (both sides).

Additionally, there were no related error codes. This last bit was a clue for the Dealership as the truck thought it was communicating, even though it clearly wasn't.

The Dealer replaced the steering wheel control module.

It all works perfectly now, it fixed all of the issues.

It cost $428.40 for the parts, and $389.64 for labor. Painful, but not as painful as having that not being correct fix.
 
#23 ·
Hi guys,
2017 Limited 66k miles.
Steering wheel horn, heated steering and left side buttons not working.
Dealer said replace the cruise control buttons. Did it, still not working.
Dealer said replace clockspring. Did it, still not working.
Dealer said replace steering wiring. Did it, still not working.
Has anyone encountered the same and found the fix?
Other suggestions?

Thanks!
 
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