2008 Ford Taurus X

AS I WAS OUT RUNNING ERRANDS AND BACKING IN TO PARK MY 2008 FORD TAURUS X, IT BECAME VERY DIFFICULT TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL IN EITHER DIRECTION. THE STEERING WAS VERY STIFF AND REQUIRED A GOOD BIT OF EFFORT. I IMMEDIATELY CALLED THE DEALERSHIP REPAIR SHOP AND WAS INSTRUCTED TO BRING IN THE CAR FOR EVALUATION. FORD DETERMINED THAT I NEEDED TO REPLACE THE STEERING COLUMN (RACK & PINION) AS WELL AS THE POWER STEERING PUMP & RESERVOIR. PRIOR TO THE INITIAL COMPLETE POWER STEERING FAILURE IN DECEMBER OF 2014, I HAD COMPLAINED TO FORD NUMEROUS TIMES ABOUT THE STEERING AND HAD HAD THE RACK & PINION UNIT & POWER STEERING PUMPS REPLACED (AT 100268 MILES) IN FEBRUARY OF 2013! IN DECEMBER 2014 THEY QUOTED AN ASTRONOMICAL PRICE TO AGAIN REPAIR MY CAR, AT WHICH POINT, I TOOK IT ELSEWHERE AND ORDERED THE PARTS ON-LINE. FAST FORWARD 6-MONTHS LATER (JUNE 8, 2015) AND MY STEERING HAS AGAIN FAILED WITH THE SAME ISSUE - POWER STEERING FAILURE. THE PARTS ARE STILL UNDER WARRANTY AND THE REPAIR SHOP HAS REPLACED THE PUMP - WHICH THEY STATED WAS NOT WORKING AT ALL, BUT MY STEERING IS STILL NOT FUNCTIONING. THIS IS THE THIRD TIME I'M MAKING THIS REPAIR, CLEARLY IT'S A SYMPTOM AND NOT THE REAL ISSUE. WHEN IS FORD GOING TO ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM?!

WHEN TRYING TO MAKE A NINETY DEGREE TURN RIGHT OR LEFT INTO A PARKING SPACE OR PULLING OUT WHILE MAKING A TURN, I LOSE POWER STEERING AND ONLY HAVE MANUAL STEERING. I ALMOST HIT A CAR OR THE CORNER OF THE ROAD/BUILDING AS USING ALL MY STRENGTH, I CANNOT MAKE A SHARP TURN. I HAVE TO BACK UP AND MAKE WIDE TURNS. I AM NOT DRIVING THIS CAR MUCH AS AFRAID I WILL LOSE STEERING AT A HIGHER SPEED. IT HAS BECOME VERY DIFFICULT TO PULL INTO A PARKING LOT TO PARK AT SLOW SPEEDS AS I COMPLETELY LOSE THE POWER ASSISTED POWER STEERING AND I HAVE TROUBLE STEERING IN MANUAL MODE--CAN BARELY TURN THE WHEEL USING ALL MY STRENGTH AT 1 MILE PER HOUR. I LEARNED THAT FORD HAS RECALLED THOUSANDS OF CARS FOR THIS RECENTLY AND ONLINE BLOGS SHOW THERE HAVE BEEN COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE POWER STEERING FOR THIS MODEL.

WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MILES AN HOUR I LOST MY POWER STEERING. MY VEHICLE STEERS VERY HARD AND IS EXTREMELY HARD WHILE TRYING TO PARK CAR. RIGHT TURNS ARE HARDER THAN LEFT TURNS. THE VEHICLE IS HARD TO MANEUVER AROUND SHARP TURNS AND CORNERS. MECHANIC DIAGNOSED IT AS A BAD RACK AND PINION (STEERING GEAR) AND IS A SAFETY HAZARD CONCERN.

WHILE DRIVING ON A SECONDARY ROAD THE VEHICLE'S POWER STEERING SYSTEM STOPPED WORKING MAKING IT VERY DIFFICULT TO MAINTAIN CONTROL. AFTER GETTING THE CAR OFF THE ROAD I SHUT OFF THE ENGINE AND CHECKED THE POWER STEERING BELTS AND FLUID. BOTH WERE FINE. WHEN I RESTARTED THE VEHICLE THE STEERING SEEMED TO BE WORKING PROPERLY AGAIN SO I DROVE HOME. THE STEERING WORKED FINE UNTIL ABOUT A BLOCK FROM MY HOUSE WHEN IT FAILED AGAIN. *TR

THE STEERING EFFORT BECAME VERY GREAT IN MAKING TURNING RIGHT FROM A STANDSTILL. IT REQUIRES INTENSE EFFORT WHEN MOVING FROM A PARKED AREA. STEERING IS EFFECTED TO A DEGREE WHEN AT TRAVEL SPEED BUT LESS SO IN STRAIGHT OPERATION. ALL RIGHT TURNING IS EFFECTED AND REQUIRES TREMENDOUS EFFORT. THE SAME EFFECT IN EITHER FORWARD OR REVERSE MOTION. *TR

WHILE BACKING AND TURNING OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY AT SPEEDS AT OR NEAR 1 MPH I NOTICED THE STEERING WAS TIGHT - AS IF THE POWER STEERING NO LONGER WORKED. AFTER PULLING OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY AND PROCEEDING APPROXIMATELY 1 MILE (SPEED LIMIT LESS THAN 25 MPH) TO A STOP SIGN, I WAS UNABLE TO MAKE THE LEFT TURN FROM A STOPPED POSITION (HAD TO BACK UP AND TRY AGAIN - FORTUNATELY NO OTHER CARS IN INTERSECTION). MOMENTS LATER, STILL AT SPEEDS OF 25 MPH OR LESS, THE STEERING BECAME HYPERSENSITIVE WHILE GOING AROUND A BEND IN THE ROAD, CAUSING ME TO NOT ONLY ENTER THE OPPOSITE LANE, BUT TO ALMOST DO A 360 DEGREE TURN (AND OFF THE PAVEMENT). I WENT HOME AND HAD THE CAR TOWED TO FORD DEALERSHIP. FIRST, A FAILED STEERING RACK WAS DIAGNOSED, THEN A LOWER STEERING ROD JOINT FAILURE (NOT SURE IF ONLY THE LATTER OR BOTH SINCE THE CAR IS STILL IN THE SHOP). FORTUNATELY, NEITHER I NOR ANYONE ELSE WAS INJURED - BUT THE CAR WAS NOT CONTROLLABLE. ALSO FORTUNATELY I HAD PURCHASED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY (4TH TIME I NEEDED IT, BUT FIRST SAFETY ISSUE). I READ OTHERS HAVE SIMILAR ISSUES SO I AM REPORTING IT. *TR

WAS DRIVING ALONG PARKWAY DRIVE AND TRY TO TURN INTO A SIDE STREET AND AFTER MAKING THAT TURN THE STEERING WHEEL GOT VERY TIGHT I FIRST TAUGHT THAT MY RACK AND PINION WENT BAD BUT THERE IS NO SIGN OF LEAK OR DAMAGE TO ANY PARTS IF IT WAS ONE SIDE I WOULD HAVE THINK I LOOK OVER SOME THING AND MISS SOME THING BUT IT IS HARD TO STEER BOTH SIDES AT ANY SPEED. *TR

I WAS BACKING OUT OF A PARKING SPACE WHEN I LOST ALL POWER STEERING. TURNING THE WHEEL MADE A GRINDING NOISE AND ON THE DRIVE TO THE MECHANIC'S GARAGE SOME POWER CAME BACK, BUT IT WAS MUCH EASIER TO TURN LEFT THAN RIGHT. MY MECHANIC REPORTED THAT HE FOUND A TSB FROM FORD ON THIS ISSUE DETAILING THE EXACT PROBLEM I HAD AND HOW TO FIX IT (REPLACE RACK AND PINION UNIT, REPLACE STEERING PUMP, POWER STEERING FLUID EXCHANGE - COST APPROX. $1600) FORD IS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. THESE VEHICLES SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED. *TR