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Question

my steering. I asked a question regarding my airbag light coming on and a crunching sound in my steering column. According to a shop owner, it is a broken 'clock spring' that connects my airbag to the computer (see link below for original question regarding crunching sound). It seems to steer fine, but not sure if it'll damage or hurt the steering, the more I use it. I can't get it fixed until Saturday.

My question now is: is it ok to drive the car this way, assuming it is a broken clock spring? If I drive the car this way until Saturday, will it hurt anything or cause any internal damage?

Answer 1

It depends on what you term Crunching sound, but what happens is the ribbon wire inside the housing behind the steering wheel folds. It is designed to wind up and unwind, much like the clockspring it is named for. Once it folds, it contacts the housing, and makes a scrunching type noise. Or, it may have separated completely, which turns on the airbag light. It will not damage the steering in any way, but the airbag will no longer deploy in the event of a frontal collision.

The repair is normally about 2.0-2.5 hours labor, which is replacement and clearing trouble codes and retest airbag system integrity. Not sure the part cost....Ford's run about a hundred bucks or so....

Answer 2

a clock spring is just a device used to maintain electrical contact while the steering wheel is turned. it won't damage your steering. the only danger you may potentially encounter is the fact that your air bag may not deploy if you wreck your car.

Answer 3

You can drive it, but your air bag might not work if you are in a wreck. A crunching sound doesn't sound like a clockspring to me but I could be wrong. Have them check the intermediate shaft for joint wear or any clearance issues.