Is a quick release steering wheel safe?

If you have ever been to a Cars and Coffee (or any other car show) you know car enthusiasts love to modify their car. A lot of people do it for looks, power, or both. Any mods done for cosmetic reason are very subjective to people’s taste and there are a wide variety of popular mod trends that negatively affect performance and some even affect safety.

One mod I’m seeing more often among the tuner/stance car scene is the quick release steering wheel. This isn’t something I gave a lot of thought to as it didn’t interest me and I have never had the desire to have one. ChrisFix, a famous YouTube mechanic that drops a ton of educational car videos, recently posted an excellent how-to video on installing a quick release steering wheel and the safety aspects that should be considered before installing one. As a former firefighter who certified in Technical Rescue: Vehicle Machinery Rescue I wanted to speak on this subject to caution people against doing this kind of mod on a street car. For much of this article I will reference timestamps of ChrisFix’s video and elaborate from there. Below is the full video for context.

Why install a quick release steering wheel?

In a track car with a fixed racing seat and a roll cage, a quick release steering wheel can be a huge safety feature for not only normal entering and exiting of the vehicle but most importantly if the vehicle was wrecked it can help prevent the driver from becoming pinned in the seat by the steering wheel. ChrisFix demonstrates entering and exiting the vehicle’s roll cage at 0:18. At 25:34 he demonstrates exiting the vehicle once the quick release steering wheel is installed. In an unmodified street car after a front-end collision the steering wheel can become a hindrance to rescuers trying to extricate a patient. In this kind of scenario, rescuers and perform a dash roll using hydraulic tools (commonly referred to as the Jaws of Life) to spread the dashboard away from the frame lifting the steering wheel away from the driver. This kind of technique might not be effective if even possible in a track car with a full roll cage. It should also be noted that track cars driven under extreme conditions are more susceptible to catching fire then street cars that are operating properly. While the lack of an airbag in a track car can increase the chance of injury during a collision the addition of a quick release steering wheel provides a better opportunity for escape after a collision or patient access if they are unable to move.

Should I install a quick release steering wheel in my street car?

Going from a factory to a quick release steering wheel in street car takes away more than it gives. In many modern cars you may be giving up your airbag, cruise control, horn, infotainment controls. Losing that many features will negatively affect the value of your vehicle no matter how cool it looks. Having addressed the superficial aspects of the mod let me know address the safety of it. ChrisFix at 1:34 actively discourages people from doing this in street cars factory equipped with airbags. While airbags are still controversial in regards to the regulations that forced them on consumers giving them no choice in buying them, and despite the Takata airbag recall in recent years, they still manage to save a lot of lives. Removing these systems is generally a bad idea. If that wasn’t bad enough, what quick release steering wheel you buy could create further safety issues. At 4:10 ChrisFix goes in to the lack of safety regulations regarding aftermarket steering wheels and even demonstrates what can go wrong if one is cheap and poorly constructed.

So, I’m doing it anyway

If you have made up your mind and your going to do it please watch ChrisFix’s video from beginning to end. It’s my hope that the take away from this post is that if someone does it anyway, they make an educated decision, buy a quality steering wheel, have it professionally installed. For some people it just looks cool and that will always win, or maybe they live in a bad area and want to take their steering wheel inside with them at night. I’m not one to advocate for more regulation but if people continue making bad decisions when it comes to vehicle modifications that will inevitably lead to more regulation. I give you the Carolina Squat. It really just comes down to make a quality build and stay safe.