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Telescope Wheel Developed by General Motors Saginaw Steering Gear Division (now Nexteer Automotive), the telescoping wheel can be adjusted to an infinite number of positions in a 3-inch range. The 1955-1957FordThunderbird had a telescoping steering wheel.[16][17] The Tilt and Telescope steering wheel was introduced as an exclusive option on Cadillac automobiles in 1965.
It seems that most cars are like this now. I like it this way, but it's definitely different from the old domestic tilt wheels. I've only had one domestic car since I started driving, and they have all been adjustable columns (except the one domestic). A few didn't even have an adjustable column either.
The steering wheel on my Honda Ridgeline moves up and down on an arc. That means it tilts. It just doesn't tilt to a bus wheel angle like my mother's Olds Vista Cruiser.
I've noticed this in more modern cars, too. It may have something to do with the airbag angle. My SIlverado will almost do the bus-wheel thing, but the Caravan CV I drive at work sometimes has a very narrow range, where I actually have to drive it with the wheel all the way up. (One of them has a broken column, where sometimes the column won't lock in one position.) The Silverado has the little lever under the column while the Caravan has a lever, so that doesn't matter. The last domestic car I remember having a more bus-like angle was the Ciera and Century from the mid-90s, but that was an early 80s design.
Of all the cars I used to sit in at the Detoilet Auto Show (I don't go anymore) the Nissans and Subarus had the worst tilt wheels, iirc, and possibly the Mitsubishis but I don't remember for sure. I specifically remember the Nissans having little range.
It keeps the airbag aimed at the chest and not the face (bus angle).
Didn't think of that, but that sounds like a very good reason to me. I also remember somewhere along the line that it was simply much easier to just allow the wheel to tilt versus the entire column which was a more complicated and expensive mechanism. The standardization of airbags probably led to the industry being forced to adopt the more complex mechanism. My guess is the OP's latest vehicle is the first one they've owned built in the past decade or two.
My '04 Chevy Venture has a traditional tilt wheel, so did the '99 Grand Prix I had before that. Both have airbags.
Sorry, for the assumption on my part. I did a little digging around and it basically comes down to manufacturer choice of how they are going to do it and what they perceive people to prefer, there is no federal mandate regarding the operation of tilt mechanisms do to standardization of airbags. The only thing NHTSA recommends is that one tilt the steering wheel of an airbag equipped vehicle so that the airbag faces your chest.
Basically, it all comes down to what the manufacturer wants to do. On the most basic tilt mechanism the amount of tilt is dependent on where they place the knuckle. The easiest and cheapest is to place it directly behind the steering wheel, this causes the wheel itself to tilt more, this used to be the most common setup. The next is to place it deeper into the column which gives greater range of movement, but little tilt. These all generally operate on a ratchet mechanism that have fixed points of adjustment.
Then you get into telescoping and adjustable columns which basically leave the wheel tilt fixed into position, but allow a much greater range of movement. These are generally held in place with compression locks or moved by electric motors.
So, there really is no standard and every car is going to be different even among the same manufacturer. The current trend is to go with adjustable columns with compression locks and these won't tilt the steering wheel, but allow a greater range of movement.
My '04 Chevy Venture has a traditional tilt wheel, so did the '99 Grand Prix I had before that. Both have airbags.
My '99 GMC has a traditional tilt wheel. Have a crash in the full up position and you'll get a face full of airbag.
My '07 Altima has an adjustable column. At it's highest point of adjustment, it's still aimed at my chest.
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