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>there is a special tool for the removal of every steering wheel I've ever removed. Diesel engine tech here. Not only is there a special tool, but on most mod

>there is a special tool for the removal of every steering wheel I've ever removed. Diesel engine tech here. Not only is there a special tool, but on most modern vehicles in the last 5-7 years, you have several more nuts to engage as well and a certain direction you need to move the wheel to align it with a pattern before it slides off. that the nut was absent/loose on this vehicle implies a cascade failure in the manufacturing chain. the electrical team, the FA team, the driveline mechanics, everyone missed this failure at multiple steps or simply ignored it assuming someone else would take care of it. Toyota and Honda remedied this complacency thirty years ago with the line stop/all stop switch. basically its a big red button at your workstation where, if you detect any serious error or failure, you can halt the entire production line which triggers an immediate investigation into the failure condition before it ever reaches the customer. this halt can happen anytime, from the initial subframe assembly to something as insignificant as paint. its a massive amount of power and responsibility these companies entrust to each worker.

mikestew 4y ago
...but on most modern vehicles in the last 5-7 years... Thank you for a more up-to-date perspective. My pro years were 30 years ago, and the only vehicles I work on these days are the ones in my driveway (most of which are over 10 years old). And here's the video I was referencing, if anyone wants a look: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuTpEFGqXw4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuTpEFGqXw4
colechristensen 4y ago
Hopefully the NTSB does its job here.
Oxidation 4y ago
> have several more nuts to engage as well and a certain direction you need to move the wheel to align it with a pattern before it slides off. If anyone likes this kind of mechanical puzzle-slash-critical safety interlock, check out strong link/weak link systems in nuclear weapons.[1] [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strong_link/weak_link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strong_link/weak_link
1-more 4y ago
> you can halt the entire production line which triggers an immediate investigation into the failure condition before it ever reaches the customer. That's extremely impressive! But I gotta wonder: is there ever any soft pressure to just quietly fix the missing/loose bit quickly (if you can) and then not hit the button?

mikestew 4y ago

...but on most modern vehicles in the last 5-7 years... Thank you for a more up-to-date perspective. My pro years were 30 years ago, and the only vehicles I work on these days are the ones in my driveway (most of which are over 10 years old). And here's the video I was referencing, if anyone wants a look: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuTpEFGqXw4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuTpEFGqXw4

colechristensen 4y ago

Hopefully the NTSB does its job here.

Oxidation 4y ago

> have several more nuts to engage as well and a certain direction you need to move the wheel to align it with a pattern before it slides off. If anyone likes this kind of mechanical puzzle-slash-critical safety interlock, check out strong link/weak link systems in nuclear weapons.[1] [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strong_link/weak_link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strong_link/weak_link

1-more 4y ago

> you can halt the entire production line which triggers an immediate investigation into the failure condition before it ever reaches the customer. That's extremely impressive! But I gotta wonder: is there ever any soft pressure to just quietly fix the missing/loose bit quickly (if you can) and then not hit the button?