FMCSR 393.51 Steering Wheel Free Play: Driver Q&A

Yes — and the odds are very high. Across 11,283 all-time citations in our inspection records, 8,400 vehicles were placed out of service under 393.51, producing a 74.4% OOS rate. That means roughly three out of every four drivers cited for excessive steering wheel free play were parked on the spot. You cannot legally move the vehicle until a qualified mechanic corrects the defect and, where required, a re-inspection clears it. Do not assume an inspector will let it slide — the data shows they almost never do.

393.51 carries a severity weight of 6 in the FMCSA SMS Vehicle Maintenance BASIC. That base score is then multiplied depending on how recently the violation occurred: inspections within the last 6 months receive a 3× time-weight multiplier, dropping to 2× for months 7–12 and 1× for months 13–24. So a fresh 393.51 citation effectively hits your SMS record as an 18-point event before any other adjustments. Because this also triggers an OOS condition 74.4% of the time, the OOS indicator adds further SMS exposure on top of the severity score.

Get the steering system inspected and repaired before moving the truck. Here's what to do right now:

1. Do not drive — at 74.4% OOS, the vehicle is likely already parked by order.
2. Call a certified mechanic to measure and correct free play to spec for your steering system type.
3. Check for companion defects. Our inspection records show that in the last 90 days, 393.51 citations shared inspections with inoperable lamps (393.9, 244 times), defective windshields (393.78, 191 times), and fuel system leaks (396.5B, 129 times). Inspectors writing up steering issues are also finding these — fix everything in the same shop visit.
4. Get documentation — a signed repair order protects you if you pursue a DataQs challenge.

Yes — it's significantly more severe than most Vehicle Maintenance violations. The all-FMCSR average OOS rate across all codes is 31.4%. At 74.4%, 393.51 runs more than double that average. Compare it to peer codes in the same category: inoperable required lamps (393.9) carries only a 6.9% OOS rate, and windshield defects (393.78) sit at just 0.3%. Even the general inspection/repair code (396.3(a)(1)) at 45.3% is well below 393.51's rate. The data is clear — excessive steering free play is treated as an immediate safety threat, not a paperwork deficiency.

Yes, you can submit a DataQs Request for Data Review (RDR), but equipment violations are harder to win than documentation errors. Because 393.51 is a physical equipment finding — an inspector measured your steering wheel free play and judged it out of spec — a successful challenge typically requires evidence that the measurement was performed incorrectly or that the inspector applied the wrong standard for your steering system type. Useful supporting documents include a repair order showing the vehicle was within spec at the time of inspection, or a post-inspection measurement by a certified mechanic that contradicts the inspector's finding. Submit your RDR through the FMCSA DataQs portal within the standard review window.

Texas leads by a wide margin. Our inspection records for the last 180 days show Texas issued 1,097 citations — far ahead of any other state — with 767 of those resulting in OOS orders (69.9% rate). North Carolina is second with 72 citations and an 88.9% OOS rate. Illinois ranks third with 24 citations and an 83.3% OOS rate. If you run lanes through Texas in particular, steering free play is a live enforcement priority: Texas alone accounts for the overwhelming majority of recent 393.51 activity in our database.

Extremely urgent. The 74.4% OOS rate means you are more likely than not to be parked if an inspector finds this defect. Volume data confirms enforcement is active: our records show 561 citations in just the last 90 days, and monthly citation counts have run consistently above 200 for most of the past year — peaking at 304 citations in a single month. There is no indication enforcement is easing. A defect that puts 74.4% of cited vehicles out of service, across a high-volume enforcement pattern, is not something to monitor and address later. Repair it before your next roadside contact.

Both the driver and the carrier take a hit. Under FMCSA's SMS methodology, vehicle maintenance violations like 393.51 are attributed to the carrier's Vehicle Maintenance BASIC, since the carrier is responsible for keeping equipment in safe operating condition. However, the inspection also appears on the driver's inspection history and contributes to their individual SMS profile. If the driver is also cited for operating the defective vehicle, that driver-specific record follows them regardless of which carrier they work for. Fleets with multiple 393.51 hits — like the carriers in our database with 10–21 citations each — face compounding BASIC percentile pressure with every additional citation.