Most Heated Steering Wheels Have A Strange Quirk That Annoys Some Drivers

People who frequently interact with new cars sometimes complain about the tech features being overwhelming, simply unnecessary, or not particularly useful. For what it's worth, for every tech feature that new cars have that seems useless, there's at least one that's incredibly useful and always nice to have, almost to the point of being worth the trim level upgrade. One example of this is the heated steering wheel.

The heated steering wheel has been around for quite a while, and it's a great idea in the winter. Press a button, or tap an option on the infotainment system, and combined with the heated seats and the car heater, every part of you is warm. Staying warm in the car is a serious matter, especially in sub-zero temperatures; the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class even has heated seatbelts!

In some cars, however, the heated steering wheel can be a bit of a hit-or-miss. As someone who tests new cars frequently, this is something I've noticed myself, and a lot of modern Toyota owners have too; one part of the steering wheel is cold, while the other is so hot, making it uncomfortable to touch. What's this all about?

This quirk was first pointed out by John Covello over on the 2023-2026 Toyota Tundra Owners Facebook group. Covello attached shots from a thermal imaging camera, which show that while the outer part of the steering wheel comes in at around 35 degrees Fahrenheit, particularly around the bottom spoke, the inner rim on the top half of the steering wheel measured well over 114 degrees Fahrenheit. 

As Covello explains in his original Facebook post, he loves his truck, and he was simply wondering if this is something that his truck needs to go to the dealership for. The commenters reached a unanimous agreement that there wasn't anything wrong with Covello's Tundra, as the same thing happened in all of their trucks when using the heated steering wheel. All that John would need to do is just hold the steering wheel in a slightly different way while it's heating up to avoid getting uncomfortable.

It's easy to see why Tundra owners would express concern that there might be something wrong with the steering wheel heating, as despite Toyota's legendary reputation for reliability and longevity, the third-generation Tundra has a few known problems and hasn't performed quite as well as you might expect.