[arjungod]

I own a Dzire vxi amt(purchased on 9th October 2017) with a current odometer reading of 14000 Kms, recently I felt that the steering has become a lot tighter and I could hear a slight noise(like plastic pieces rubbing together).I took my car for periodic service to a MASS and highlighted the steering issue,they checked it and confirmed that it was a known issue for which there was a recall/replacement.However they told me to approach a nearby dealership to get it replaced.I took my car to the dealership on 11th October 2022 wherein they also confirmed the issue with the steering.

They informed me that since my car is 5 years and 2 days old they need to take a confirmation from Maruti Suzuki.They requested me for service details of 2019 which was not available on their App(remaining was availiable on the App) for which I was able to get a partial job card from the MASS where it was serviced.The dealership send all requested information to the TSM of Maruti Suzuki, but they were not able to get any response from him.Thereafter I send any email to the TSM asking for a resolution but there was no acknowledgement or response.I then escalated the issue to the RSM of Maruti Suzuki who assigned somebody to follow up the issue and within 3 days I got a call from the dealership that Maruti has agreed to bear only 50% of the cost as a Goodwill since my vehicle is out of warranty(I do not have extended warranty).
Since I have read about this issue extensively on Team-BHP and seen some cases where it was done free of cost for even out of warranty vehicles, I send an email to the RSM attaching the circular with affected VIN prefix and Chassis numbers and that I should be offered the replacement free of cost since it is a manufacturing defect acknowledged by Maruti and it should be resolved irrespective of the warranty status.
I have not yet received any response from the RSM.(I have decided to wait for a week for his response before escalating further)

I believe the way Maruti Suzuki has handled the whole issue is not befitting a company of its stature, they should have issued a normal recall and replaced the parts(Now they even have child parts) instead of waiting for the part to fail and the customer approaching them for replacement.
Also if the car has a very low running(like mine), the issue might pop up in the Sixth or Seventh year or even Tenth year for which we cannot expect Maruti Suzuki to give us a free replacement.
Since the recall/replacement circular was not made public, I am pretty sure there would be many people who might be facing this steering issue on a daily basis but might be ignoring considering that it might be a normal behaviour.
I will update the response of the RSM once I receive the same.

[arjungod]

I received a response today from ASM of Maruti that 50% of the cost is the best they can do and that discount is from the dealer and not from Maruti.Since my car was 5 years and 2 days old on the day issue was reported and without extended warranty, they cannot offer anything more.I told him that I will try and escalate it to the higher management of Maruti, he told me to go ahead but warned me that the dealer may go back on the 50% discount they have offered.

[arjungod]

I have decided to go ahead by paying Rs.8900(50% of the cost).
I tried escalating with the TSM,ASM and RSM of maruti and this is the best they could do (infact they just pressurised the poor dealer to absorb 50% of the cost).
To the fellow BHPians, in case even if you have an iota of doubt that your steering has a problem during the warranty period please insist on getting it replaced.After warranty period Maruti will just wash their hands off saying that there was no recall and you have to pay up to rectify it.

[arjungod]

I went ahead and paid 50% of the amount that is Rs 8900 and replaced the steering column (child part) and now the return to the center has improved but the steering has become more tighter than before.

The Service personnel asked me to use the car for a few thousand Kilometers and check for any improvement but there is no change in the tightness.

The service center cannot offer any solution for tightness in the steering and have asked me to live with it as it is the best they can do.

Kindly advice what can be done to reduce the tightness of steering.

[chembilath]

Hi @arjungod, I have gone through the same with my CIAZ 2016 ZXI model. Upon multiple mails and calls, they changed my steering column and steering gear free of cost post warranty, as I kept bugging them really bad, though I had realized by then after multiple researches that it wouldn't change the steering feel or feedback at all.

I had contacted many car enthusiasts and experts on the same and 1 auto journalist in Kerala had asked me to try a method, which in turn did give a slight relief though not complete. My Ciaz was running on stock 185/65/15 alloys. He asked me to check with a wider tyre and lower profile . So i did check with a friend's 195/55/15 and it did work out. The steering feels a little more lighter, but the feedback is more or less the same. He also asked me to check with wheel spacers, which I was not able to get.
You can contact me by mail on kiran0chm@gmail.com. I'm no dealer, just wanted to help a fellow enthusiast who is going through the same ordeal I had undergone for a long time

[arjungod]

Originally Posted by chembilath

He asked me to check with a wider tyre and lower profile . So i did check with a friend's 195/55/15 and it did work out. The steering feels a little more lighter, but the feedback is more or less the same. He also asked me to check with wheel spacers, which I was not able to get.

Thank you for the information.I am planning for wider tyres on the next tyre replacement and will keep you posted if there is any improvement.

[XLR8]

Folks-

Took my wifes' 2018 Swift ZXI AMT for a regular service today. It's run 54K KMs. Post a test drive they claimed that the steering stickiness issue has set in and that this has to be fixed immediately.

According to them, the steering could lock itself while on the highways leading to fatal accidents. The dealer is quoting approximately 35K to fix via dealer or 18k to fix via a backdoor vendor.

I have pushed back asking them for a goodwill replacement. They said that they will check and come back to me in an hour. My question is, 'Is there a risk of steering locking up as they claim'?

Thank you..

[arjungod]

Originally Posted by XLR8

Folks-

According to them, the steering could lock itself while on the highways leading to fatal accidents. The dealer is quoting approximately 35K to fix via dealer or 18k to fix via a backdoor vendor.

I was also told that the steering might lockup and I didn't want to take a risk.
The prices quoted are on the higher side as I was quoted 18K officially and given a goodwill discount of 9K (After a lot of emails to Maruti).
You can read about it in my Earlier posts.

[SlowDough]

I am happy to report that Maruti seems to have found a fix. Steering return to action seems to be perfect in the Fronx that I tested today.

More details in my other post here (2022 Maruti Brezza Review).

Hopefully they will update this in their other cars too.

[thirdmainroad]

I don’t drive the wife’s Ignis AMT much, and something I’ve always had an issue with is the steering not returning to the center by itself after taking a U Turn. Took it for a quick errand today and it seems to have gotten worse - it won’t even correct itself after turning 5/10/20 degrees. The wife drives the car everyday but won’t know if it was how it was or gotten worse and I can’t really remember.

Does the Ignis AMT have 0 steering returnablity or has something gone wrong in the car, that needs a check?

Tyre pressure is fine. Alignment and wheel balance also seems fine - no shudder at low or high speeds (over 80 kmph) nor while braking, neither is there any steering pull toward any side.

Wife swears its been like that from day one - I know for sure it wouldn’t return after U turns, but don’t remember it not returning even after slight turns. I am sure I’d have noticed if it was this bad while even small turns!

[Shreyans_Jain]

This is a standard Maruti cost cutting issue, and plagues every Maruti car apart from Jimny and maybe Grand Vitara (return to center is not outright inexistent but it is very weak). This has been discussed at length in this thread.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/road-...behaviour.html (Why the heck will Maruti-Suzuki not fix its defective & dangerous steering behaviour?)

[AutoNoob]

Originally Posted by thirdmainroad

Wife swears its been like that from day one - I know for sure it wouldn’t return after U turns, but don’t remember it not returning even after slight turns. I am sure I’d have noticed if it was this bad while even small turns!

Which year model is your vehicle ? If it's pre-Feb 2020, it's a design issue. Check for the service bulletin at nearest workshop. Raise issue and get the steering column replaced under warranty. It won't fully solve the problem, but will reduce to certain extent.

If it's post-Feb 2020, then there seems to be a malfunction, please get it checked.

Originally Posted by Shreyans_Jain

This is a standard Maruti cost cutting issue, and plagues every Maruti car apart from Jimny and maybe Grand Vitara (return to center is not outright inexistent but it is very weak). This has been discussed at length in this thread.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/road-...behaviour.html (Why the heck will Maruti-Suzuki not fix its defective & dangerous steering behaviour?)

From what I have observed by driving different cars from Maruti stable, this was definitely an issue. However, in newer vehicles it has been corrected (most likely by modifying ECU program and some sensors).

Quoting my previous post :

Originally Posted by AutoNoob

I am aware that such return mechanisms (and programming in Steering ECU) are provided in vehicles from other OEMs as well. So, it may be posible that Maruti has adopted something similar, though in facelifted versions or new launches. This mechanism upgrade may not be possible in the older vehicles already on road.

So, I tried to map the launch timelines :
Jan 2019 - Baleno facelift
Jun 2019 - Glanza
Feb 2020 - Ignis facelift
Feb 2021 - Swift facelift

[bravo82in]

I am considering the Alto K10, but I find the steering (not returning to centre) to be very odd, especially at low speeds. The issue seems more pronounced since I own and drive Honda and Toyota cars.
Are other Maruti Suzuki models, such as the Celerio, Wagon R, Ignis or Swift, also affected by this problem? If this issue has been resolved in these models, I could consider them instead. Alternatively, are there any aftermarket solutions to address this problem?

[Draunzer21]

I have a 2017 Swift and it's steering centers automatically. I have taken multiple u turns in last 7 years and it comes back to center every time. ��

[jinojohnt]

Our 1996 model Maruti 800 had "self centering" steering wheel, even though it didn't have power steering. I fail to understand how it is called just as a convenience feature - should be standard by now.
A quick google search reveals that it is not a complex mechanism at all, it can be managed by setting proper caster angle during suspension design (it doesn't even need power steering to do this).
https://www.motor1.com/news/299470/w...le%20as%20well.