Loose steering felt suddenly, lost complete control of vehicle, vehicle veered to the left very sharply into two lanes for oncoming traffic, luckily no traffic was immediately oncoming.
2000 Chrysler 300M steering complaints
Page 2 of 3: complaints 11 to 40 of 53, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Rack and pinion total failure. No control over steering. Towed to garage and rack and pinion replaced.
I noticed when driving my 2000 chrysler 300m over bumps there is a clunking noise. My steering has noticeable play and when I make turns the steering wheel seems to bind slightly and I have to give a little more force to correct the wheel back straight instead of the wheel spinning freely back into place like normal. Also when turning the steering wheel left or right there is this popping noise that I can hear and feel in the wheel. I recently had the inner tie-rod ends, outer tie-rod ends, and adjuster sleeves replaced. A wheel alignment was also done. I test drove my car after the repairs and there is the same exact problem as before. I did see my old inner tie-rod ends and the bushings were worn, but I guess that was not the main problem. We put the car back on the lift rack and all the other visible suspension components were tight. I went online to see if anyone else had this similar problem and I was shocked of the outcome. There are so many complaints of the steering and suspension components of the lh car (300m, intrepid, lhs, concorde). I read that there are many cases of the rack & pinion gears going out. I also read that the bolt that tightens the steering shaft to the rack & pinion shears of and then you loose complete control of the vehicle. I have read that there were a few deaths and possibly more caused by this rack & pinion failure or the bolt shearing off. I now have to bring my car back in and try to explain this to the mechanic. I have read these complaints in so many different websites and there are so many complaints in each website. I hope and pray this problem of loosing control of the steering does not happen to me. I will take my car in immediately for an inspection. In conclusion, chrysler should have come out with a recall for this or at least give out a notice for this known complaint and have and updated bolt kit for the steering shaft so they do not shear off. Everyone should feel safe when driving. I know that I no longer feel safe.
Bolt on rack and pinion sheared off when parking the car.
My steering has a life of its own. Steering pulls hard to the right, almost hit a public bus. I've had 2 alignments and brand new tires, the problem still exist. The front end make a clunking noise and vibrates really badly. I've taken it to a chrysler dealership and got the same response as other have with the same problem "unable to duplicate" the problem. I told them there is a problem. Im afraid of losing my life an risking others on the streets and highway because of this serious issue the no one wants to fix.
Light clunking when I purchased vehicle in the steering gear got worse and worse and louder and louder erratic steering fluid leaking very bad and lots of power steering whines and hard to keep straight while driving. Excessive play in steering and wandering and the front wheels have been vibrating and shaking while driving and it makes the car wobble very scared to continue to drive with my young child but I have no choice in the matter I have another rack I got used for 500 bucks but I have no way to get it fixed because my lack of funds I was told that my steering gear bushings where worn out and that I needed my rack replaced a s soon as possible.
Found play in rack-n-pinion needs replaced and aligned. Found to be unsafe and needs to be replaced as soon as possible.
1. There were no specific event that LED up to this problem 2. When I first purchased the car, the dealership made a repair to my steering column 3. Yesterday, the rack and pinion ( I know it's misspelled) broke on the vehicle out of the blue and I had no steering capability. I had just dropped my 3 month old son off and if he would've been in the car, this could've caused a really serious problem. Maybe even deadly.
Tl*the contact owns a 2000 chrysler 300m. The contact stated that he loses control of the steering and the vehicle pulls to the right when driving 35 MPH. The failure causes the horn and air bags not to work. The vehicle was taken to the mechanic and diagnosed the vehicle as needing the rack and pinion replaced. The repair will cost $1,300. The manufacturer stated that no recalls were available for that component. The VIN and dealer information were unknown. The current mileage was 100,000 and failure mileage was 87,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 2000 chrysler 300m. While driving at various speeds, the vehicle would pull to the right. The repair shop replaced the tie rod, but the failure recurred after 300 miles. The repair shop stated that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The VIN and engine size were unavailable. The current mileage was 95,000 and failure mileage was 94,720.
I have a 2000 300m. It has experienced sloppy steering, ?hitches? And a lack of smoothness, especially in left hand turns, and a tendency to not have the wheel come back to center without undue force being exerted. The front end also makes several different types of noises. The car is now in a asce shop with copies of information and tsb?s found on this site. I am hoping to have it properly repaired and to have my son use it for college (approximately 125 miles away). I am now concerned that, even repaired, the car will be unsafe. I believe I had an issue early on with it and the dealer replaced some tie rods or something. The car now has 160,000 miles on it and I have spent money on many items like brakes, tires, complete suspension replacement, several front end alignment issues, battery, air conditioning, etc. I thought it would be a good safe car for my son. Now I don?t know what to do. Two days ago a 19 year old family friend lost control of his 300m and hit a tree. He is dead.
Tl*the contact owns a 2000 chrysler 300m. While driving 5 MPH, the contact heard a loud clunk. The steering wheel turned, but the wheels failed to turn. The repair shop stated that the cause of failure was the rack and pinion. The rack and pinion failed once before. The current mileage is 44,444 and failure mileage was 20,000. The consumer stated the second time the incident happend, the bolts sheared while driving. Updated 08/15/07.
The first thing I noticed was about 6 months after the purchase of my 2000 chrysler 300 m in 2003 (less than 50,000 on the vehicle at the time) was a popping noise when making right turns. I took it back to the dodge dealer where I purchased it from and was told it was nothing. Within 2 years, I went through two sets of 50,000 mile tires/ finally, the bolt in the rack assemble broke (in a parking lot thank god) a piece of the bolt was left in the assembly. This LED to 1200 in repair work. A year later, there was so much play in the steering it was non drivable. I took it into the shop again and paid another 1100 to replace tire rods and other front end parts due again to "torque problems" with the steering. I have since had the same, brand new bolt tightened twice to keep it from snapping again. Also, been through an additional set of tires. Chrysler needs to do something. I am not the only person with this problem that I know, and there are websites complaining about it all over the place.
1) car made loud clunking noise when going over bumps and traveling at slower speeds. Had car looked at by 2 different mechanic shops and they couldn't figure out the problem. 2) finally took car in for a 3rd time and mechanic found the problem. 3)car needed new tie rods, sway bars, etc. For steering/suspension problems. Car only had about 50,000 miles on it. Repairs cost over $1000.
Dt*: the contact stated the steering wheel felt noticeably loose. The vehicle displayed signs of wheel clicking from the steering wheel while the vehicle was driven at 30 MPH. The nature of the failure was permanent gradual worsening. The clucking noises were more perceptible with the turning round of the wheel on every road condition. The vehicle was not under warranty.
Driving our 300 m year 2000 turning the steering wheel I heard a loud snap and the steering wheel would just spin around and the car kept going straight. When I went out I saw an amount of rusty metal lying on the ground. We had just returned from a trip on 7/14/05 with 90% of the driving a interstate road at speeds of 60-75 miles per hour. If this had let loose during that my wife and I would probably would have been killed since there was not way to control the car.
My 2000 chrysler 300m suddenly lost steering as I was driving. Luckily nothing happened. I was able to force the steering wheel to get it to a gas station. $850 later, its ok now but how can the rack and pinion go bad on a 45000 mile car? My mechanic said it was all apart beyond repair. I saw on the internet other people complained about steering on their chryslers, so I figured id add to the pile.
While driving approximately 45 MPH consumer almost lost control of steering. Consumer took vehicle to dealer for service, and it was determined that tie rods failed.
Vehicle started leaking fluid on the ground, I had it checked out and the result was power steering hoses leaking fluid. Manufacturer is having me replace the part. Old part is still on vehicle, due to I heard they had faulty hoses on their mini vans and I feel mines should be replaced at no cost to me by dealer! Also steering wheel is not leather and melts. It has been replaced once by the dealer and they refuse to replace it again as it has melted again due to them saying its the cream in my hands. The seats have not melted and I also own a 1993 jeep grand cherokee with leather steering wheel that has not melted and it has 180k miles on it, so its not any cream I am using!
Rack and pinion assembly failed with only 48,000 miles on vehicle. Steering was loose, clunking sound and sticking during turns. Manufacturer won't cover because car is out of warranty. Cost to me was $1200 for new rack and pinion. I don't feel this serious a problem should occur in a car with under 50,000 miles. If I hadn't had the problem checked out, it could have resulted in a seriour crash. Manufacturer doesn't care about its reputation or about safety for its customers.
The steering on our 2000 chrysler 300m became very loose. The steering worsened to the point that we felt uncomfortable driving the car. We took the car to a local dealer, lithia dodge, to investigate. The problem was a failed steering rack and pinion. The car only has 46,000 miles. The repair was $850 for a refurbished rack and pinion replacement. The repair was not covered under warranty: the 3 year/36,000 mile warranty had expired and the steering rack and pinion is not covered under the 7 year/70,000 mile power train warranty. We strongly believe this is a serious safety issue and consider ourselves lucky that we did not experience complete steering failure.
Premature failure of the safety related steering equipment has occurred on my 2000 year chrysler 300m. The rack and pinion failed and I am now scheduling repairs at my cost as the warranty is expired. I took the vehicle to a dealer numerous times for over a year without satisfaction on their review. They initially would say the condition was "normal". I have found an independent repair shop and will be having them replace the rack and pinion. This is an apparent problem with most of the 300m and intrepid models based on consumer information I have reviewed. Such a wide spread premature safety related problem should be corrected by chrysler.
Vehicle lost power steering without warning while reversing out of a driveway. This was caused by rack and pinion failure. This was the second time this part failed and was replaced. The first failure occurred at 19,000 miles. *ak
Steering is loose and makes noise over bumps. Noticed this at about 40,000 miles and dealr confirmed the problem on myy 9, 2003. This seems to be an extremely common problem with this car and the their siblings. Daimler chrysler certainly knows about this problem as it has been a point of discussion on numerous web sites. Just search chrysler 300m steering problems and you'll see pages of complaints.
Steering rack failed at 51,000 miles. Excessive play, loose, locking on turns, excessive noise. Replaced by owner since dealer would not repair as warranty was expired.
The vehicle experienced a problem with the rack and pinion steering. Vehicle lost power momentarily. Later it went back to normal. The problem occurred when the vehicle was stopped at a traffic light or stop sign. Provide further details.....................................
Unable to adjust vehicle toe. Dealer replaced steering wheel due to peeling and did a front end alignment and oil change. Vehicle came back with steering wheel cocked at a 45 degree angle when driving straight. Took vehicle back and it was returned to me with the wheel straight. I ran through two sets of tires when the tire dealer admitted the toe adjuster was frozen on one side and that he and possibly the mechanic before had set both wheels to a slightly toe'd out condition to allow the steering wheel to be straight. Otherwise the vehicle would have the steering wheel cocked at a slight angle. The vehicle is no longer under warranty. But the adjuster has been "stuck" of frozen since the first trip to the dealer.
Steering wheel cover peeling, wheel has been replaced by dealer once before. (14,000 miles).
Steering: loose feel in steering wheel/clunking noise from steering box at end of steering column behind motor.
The consumer noticed while making turns, the steering wheel did not respond to turns due to the rack and pinion needing to be replaced. *ak *scc
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