Thrustmaster Warthog is behaving erratically

User Support Hub Hardware & Peripherals
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Yes, all mods disabled

Brief description of the issue:

I have been using the Thrustmaster Warthog joystick and throttle without any problems until about three months ago, when all of a sudden, soon after take off, the gears, flaps and spoilers go up and down erratically, several times per second. I am usually flying the Fenix A320 but the problem persists with the FBW A320 and even the MSFS A320.

I have made a complete new installation of MSFS in its plain vanilla state, without any addons or mods, but the problem persists. I have reinstalled the latest firmware for the Thrustmaster Warthog, which is version 23 for the the throttle and version 12 for the Joystick.

I have tried an older and simpler joystick and there is a minor “trembling” of the power lever, as if it received conflicting instructions of where to set the power, which leads me to the suspicion that this is a more general bug and not one specifically related to the Thrustmaster Warthog.

Provide Screenshot(s)/video(s) of the issue encountered:

I have tried to make and upload a video (using Game Bar), but either MSFS crashes or the file is too big to upload.

Detailed steps to reproduce the issue encountered:

Start a new flight with the A320. Soon after take off, observe gear, flaps or spoiler levers, whether they are trembling or going outright up and down, several time per seconds. You may have to take gears up to trigger the phenomenon.

PC specs and/or peripheral set up if relevant:

11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900F (8-Core, 16MB Cache, 2.5GHz to 5.2GHz w/Thermal Velocity Boost)
32GB, 2x16GB, DDR4, 3466MHz, XMP
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 12GB GDDR6

Build Version # when you first started experiencing this issue:

The current build version of MSFS is 1.33.8.0 but I have observed the problem with previous versions already, starting about three months ago.

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Do you have the same issue if you follow the OP’s steps to reproduce it?

Provide extra information to complete the original description of the issue:

If relevant, provide additional screenshots/video:

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Hello @Olavi20,

I have personally experienced a similar issue with a Warthog stick in the past. In my case, moving the stick a certain way was causing multiple buttons to register as if they were being pressed even though I wasn’t pushing them myself, which in turn was causing those functions in the sim to activate/deactivate seemingly at random.

In Windows, open the start menu and type “Set up USB game controllers”. Then select your Warthog stick from the list of peripherals and click the Properties button. You should then see a screen like this one. Move your stick around in its full range of motion very thoroughly and see if any of the buttons “light up” as if they are being pressed. If they do, that is indicating that the stick is sending false inputs to your PC. If you have those buttons bound to flaps, spoilers, landing gear, etc., that would explain the behavior you are seeing in MSFS.

image

2 Likes
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Dear SeedyL3205

Thanks so much for your advise which I have tested and indeed, certain stick movements are sending false inputs. What’s the solution? Is this a hardware problem? Do I have to buy a new joystick?

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Unfortunately, it is a hardware problem with your stick. If it’s still under warranty, then you can contact Thrustmaster support about a possible repair or replacement. If it’s out of warranty then yeah, you’ll need to buy a new stick. :frowning:

Thanks,
MSFS Team

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Edited for clarification (thanks @SeedyL3205)
Definitely go for warranty coverage if still available to resolve issues with the TM products.

If your TM product is out of warranty and you’re going to give up on it (and therefore can’t do any more damage!), there are a ton of youtube videos on repairing the stick for various issues. Might be worth a look if you’re so inclined.
Regards

1 Like
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Just for the sake of anyone reading, including people who may have searched for this online months or years into the future and found this thread, please read the following important cautionary note:

Disassembling your stick and attempting to repair it yourself will void the warranty. Do not do this if your stick is still under warranty and you could get support/repair/replacement from the manufacturer. Only try repairing it on your own as an ultimate last resort if your stick isn’t covered by warranty anymore and you were otherwise going to throw it away.

Thanks,
MSFS Team

1 Like
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If your Warthog stick is out of warranty there are lots of videos on how to repair or upgrade them.

But if you choose to get a new joystick, look to VKB instead. Their ‘entry-level’ Gladiator is a very well designed and built bit of kit, and the components and gimbal design used are far better then anything from Thrustmaster or Logitech, despite costing less than an X-56. It can also be repaired or upgraded in the future if necessary, and you can add further button, throttle and autopilot modules as time and budget allow. Their high end Gunfighter base and MCG grip take the build quality and flying feel even further ahead.

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Does anyone know if it would be the base. Or the stick? Both can be purchased sperately as far as I know. It’s unlikely both are broken, and would be the cheaper out of warranty option.

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I have found a simple solution: I have just unplugged the stick from its base and plugged it back in again, and halleluja, my joystick is working properly again! Note that the joystick is being delivered with stick and base separate, so I haven’t done anything that should void the warranty!

2 Likes
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It would be worth inspecting the connections in the base, and ensure there are no contaminants there. I can’t remember which end has the pins, but I’d check both just to be sure.