loose steering?

lelola

Member
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2009 Mazda3 GT
When driving, is it normal to be able to turn the steering wheel slightly to the left or right without the car turning to the left or right? Should there be any "play" in the steering wheel?
 
How much play are we talking about? On a completely stock 3 there may be a very small amount of play, but there shouldn't be more than a couple mm.
 
It's completely stock...

If you think of the steering wheel as a clock and my left hand is on 9 and my right hand is on 3, I can turn the wheel so that my left hand is almost on 8.5 or 9.5 - right hand would almost be on 2.5 or 3.5.
So I guess I would say that's more that a few mm's.

Any ideas what the problem might be?
 
Sorry for the delayed response.
I took the car to the dealership and they told me that they couldn't find anything wrong. Suspension, steering, shocks, etc. are all normal. So now I don't know what to think...
 
It didn't seem to matter what speed I was going.
But since I had the power steering recall problem repaired and my winter tires installed, I haven't noticed much "play" anymore.
 
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