Lucid Replaced Our Entire Steering Wheel Because of This One Air Part
Also: How Gravity is already learning from Air.
Who knew one tiny part could cause so much drama? After a small plastic tab-like button popped off our yearlong Lucid Air test car's steering wheel during normal use, we saw the light. Literally, as the light normally shielded by the volume/mute button was now exposed, creating an unpleasant imperfection in an interior that beautifully blends luxury with high tech. Oh, and did we mention the frunk started to nuzzle up against the lightbar's silver trim on the front fascia every time it opened?
0:00 / 0:00
Looks like we need to visit a Lucid service center.
Seeing the Light, Ignoring the Light
We lived several months with the broken steering wheel button, but once we had more than one issue for a Lucid dealer to address, we took action. We waited for a service appointment to open that guaranteed the use of a loaner car. No problem, we can handle a faulty lightbar, missing steering wheel piece—and oh look at that, the trunk no longer opens when the parked car is unlocked and you're standing behind it. (Via the car's screens and app, however, it still worked.)
When we told the dealer our primary reason for making a service visit, they ordered a completely new steering wheel. To our surprise, there's no easy way to just add that one small part back. The steering wheel was backordered, but we weren't in a hurry. Once it arrived, we headed over and left in the nicest loaner car I've ever had: a non-Performance Lucid Air Grand Touring. With a sweet ride like that for nearly two weeks, we're glad we waited for a day when our dealer had a loaner car.
No More Creaking!
When we returned to pick up our Air Grand Touring Performance, the first thing we noticed was how quiet the steering wheel was—no more creaking! More than one Air we've driven emitted subtle creaks at low speeds, and for a while, ours was creak-free. Awesome.
The dealer also replaced our Air's slim key fob's battery, which they do every time we visit. Smart, considering how poorly the fob communicates with the car and how quickly it eats coin batteries. It's no accident the new Gravity SUV has a different key fob that doesn't have this issue.
As for the lightbar, the dealer saw that the left side of the hood was catching on the trim when it opened and replaced the trim altogether. They carefully gave it more clearance when that frunk opens, which is only noticeable if you're looking for it. We also appreciate that the dealer recalibrated the sensors and front camera, too, but this is not something that should need fixing to begin with.
As for the trunk, we're not sure why the left-side decklid harness needed to be replaced. Could that have been a result of a minor incident during the first half of MotorTrend's time with the car, or from normal wear and tear? That's not clear, but we will say that some Air trunks we've experienced don't open smoothly or the rubber inside the edges makes a noise as the trunklid lifts.
All of this was covered under warranty, so at no cost to us.
Gravity Weighs In
At least with the steering wheel replacement, Lucid has already learned its lesson. I'm a huge proponent of physical controls in cars, but clearly, in this case, it caused an issue. Lucid is still a new automaker, and the Air was its first vehicle.
When I first sat in the 2025 Lucid Gravity SUV, one of my initial impressions was a set of touchpads where the Air's physical tab-buttons are (they're pictured above). We've heard we aren't the only ones to experience this issue, and we understand why the Gravity has moved on.
The Verdict
Everyone we've interacted with at our local dealer has been friendly and patient. As for the tiny service center itself, we're not fans. With the Gravity SUV on the way, Lucid's dealer-network expansion can't come soon enough.
We also wish the Air had better and more consistent build quality, negating the need for this service visit at all. This is something we've noted before in our extensive experience testing different trims of the Air, which remains an exceptional car no matter the model. Increasingly, though, we're realizing that life with a Lucid Air requires patience to appreciate its excellence.
For More on Our Long-Term 2022 Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance:
- We're Testing the Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance for a Year
- Winter Road Tripping Our Long-Term EVs Has Been Interesting
- An Extreme Winter Test in Our Long-Term Lucid Air Left Us Hot and Cold
- Who Builds a Better Luxury EV? Tesla or Lucid?
- Does a 1,050-HP Lucid Air Belong at the Dragstrip?
- What's the Lucid Mobile Service Experience Like?
- The Lucid Air EV Should Be a Road-Trip Champ. Our 2,300-Mile Trip Exposed a Problem
- Deal Breaker? Why the Lucid Air Isn't a Good Fit for This Type of Driver
- Who Wants to Race a 1,050-HP Lucid Air? These Los Angeles Cars Did
- Testing Our Lucid Air Resulted in a Loud Bang, Loss of Power, and Two Tow Trucks
- Lucid Air vs. Mercedes S-Class: 5 Ways Each Luxury Sedan Can Learn From the Other
- Five Lucid Air Interior Tricks Your Luxury Car Doesn't Have
- What Happens When Your 446-Mile Lucid Air Runs Out of Range? We Didn't Expect This
I’ve come a long way since I drove sugar packets across restaurant tables as a kid, pretending they were cars. With more than 17 years of experience, I'm passionate about demystifying the new car market for shoppers and enthusiasts. My expertise comes from thoughtfully reviewing countless vehicles across the automotive spectrum. The greatest thrill I get isn’t just from behind the wheel of an exotic car but from a well-executed car that’s affordable, entertaining, and well-made. Since about the time I learned to walk I’ve been fascinated by cars of all shapes and sizes, but it wasn’t until I struggled through a summer high school class at the Pasadena Art Center College of Design that I realized writing was my ticket into the automotive industry. My drive to high school was magical, taking me through a beautiful and winding canyon; I've never lost the excited feeling some 16-year-olds get when they first set out on the road. The automotive industry, singing, and writing have always been my passions, but because no one seeks a writer who sings about the automotive industry, I honed my writing and editing skills at UC Irvine (zot zot!), serving as an editor of the official campus newspaper and writing stories as a literary journalism major. At USC, I developed a much greater appreciation for broadcast journalists and became acquainted with copy editing rules such as why the Oxford comma is so important. Though my beloved 1996 Audi A4 didn’t survive my college years, my career with MotorTrend did. I started at the company in 2007 building articles for motorcycle magazines, soon transitioning to writing news posts for MotorTrend’s budding online department. I spent some valuable time in the copy editing department, as an online news director, and as a senior production editor. Today, MotorTrend keeps me busy as the Buyer's Guide Director. Not everyone has a career centered on one of their passions, and I remind myself all the time how lucky I am.
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