Off the wall steering wheel swap

I was just asked a question by a person close to me who is not a car person and I didn't immediately know the answer. You know where I turned.

She wants to buy her husband an f150 steering wheel for his edge!

Reason: he has an edge base model and his dad has an f150 platinum. He has been driving dad's truck the last week or two and can't stop talking about how much he likes the steering wheel on the truck. I can attest that he does thrash steering wheels. He has a habit of holding the top of the steering wheel with one hand and twisting it forward and back as he drives, which does actually beat them up pretty good. I think the platnum wheel is wood in that area not foam/rubber like his base model edge.

So, will an f150 wheel fit on an edge? Both vehicles are circa 2010.

I'd love to answer without having to tear apart two airbag steering wheels. Seems like it would likely fit, but I have my doubts about the electrials.

My first reaction with knowing nothing about this is you’d have better luck trying it with whatever the Lincoln version of the edge is. MKC? MKX? Dunno, that’s a job for Wikipedia to tell us which one, but I’d imagine that that would be the best place to start. 

Of course, Ford at one point used the same steering wheel in a Taurus as they did in an Aston Martin, so...

I drive a 2012 F-150 Platinum. I don’t know, but I doubt it. 

The Platinum was the highest trim level, and they did weird things to make their high end customers feel special. 

First question- the diameter. The F-150 has a 16” diameter wheel. That might be pretty big for the Edge cabin. 

There are a LOT of switches on the Platinum wheel. 11 different switches, with several being multi position rockers. 

There is:

- A 5 position control for the Instrument cluster Message Center

- Cruise control on/off

- Cruise control set +/-

- Radio volume +/-

- Radio preset search

- Media control switch

- Cellphone connect switch

That doesn’t include column switches. There are several (which would also be in the harness)

Here a pic, if it helps:

One more thing...

The Platinum varies a lot more than you would expect. I can’t even find the harness adapters etc for an after market stereo. Stuff is not interchangeable with the lower trim level F-150s. 

You didn't give anywhere enough info to go on; as an approximate date leaves me with little more than a guess.


mtn has a great idea, since at least you would be dealing with the same approximate body.  (and hopefully assembly plant)

Unfortunately, the MKX has the "wood" in the wrong location to solve the problem.



However, this new MKZ wheel (listed as 2010-12) has the "wood" on top from approximately the 10:30-1:30 positions-


 

Keep in mind the mounting attachment from spline to the hexagon at some point for some vehicles (This is advertised as a 2010 F150 wheel)




 

While this is supposed to be a 2010 Edge wheel (notice that it is splined)-



Which brings up the fact that most of these wheels are sold without airbags, and since they don't match the Edge wheel, will up the cost considerably.   Also, other options, different modules, and clockspring differences can make this a nightmare.  If you were doing this for yourself, I would say hit the junkyards and start pulling wheels and comparing them.

But since this is a favor for a non automotive person, I would say you should spare yourself the endless headaches and tell him to stop destroying his steering wheels and get one of these-

 
 

LoL.  SVreX  said basically the same thing more succinctly in the half hour plus it took to build my case.

Assuming you find a wheel that fits & functions with the vehicle, you’ll likely need to either find a willing dealer, or possibly be able to use Forscan(free) to program the vehicle to use any new/additional switches on the wheel. 

Mmmmm I didn't really think about the airbag yet. 

Safe to assume the airbag from a different car would probably not be a smart idea?

I'll let her know the Lincoln idea. But I agree there is lots behind this "simple question".

There is probably also a company out there that will do this for you.

CARiD?  But it's not cheap. At all. 

Plus the core deposit is $150, IIRC.  The finished results may vary.  Some customers have had issues wth their OEM parts fitting correctly to the wheel.

Are steering wheel airbags all the same shape and size? I guess I assumed the one in a truck would have different deployed dimensions than the one in a car that could make it a terrible idea but maybe the wheel to driver dimensions are all close enough that the bags can be the same. 

I would first check companies that make steering wheel adapters, like Grant - see if they have one that is listed for both models. GM tended to use the same splined column on everything from trucks to sedans to Corvettes; it would not surprise me if Ford did the same. Getting the wheel to physically fit may be easier than getting the electronics to swap over... but usually a button is a button, if you're willing to desolder any circuit boards they may be connected to.

In reply to MadScientistMatt :

As I posted above, the 2010 F150 wheel has a hexagonal shaft opening, while the 2010 Edge has a splined shaft....