About two years ago I started to notice a noise from the front end of the car. Over time it gradually became louder and more frequent. When I went to my local garage , the noise would not initally be present. Finally it became more present and the local mechanic said that it was probably the tie rods and that ford was known to frequently have that problem. He also indicated that it would probably be fixed by the dealer under warranty. At that time I had about 40,000 miles on t he car. I took it to the ford dealer and told them what the mechanic said. They repaired the car and charged me for the repair since they claimed that there was no warranty on the car (hidden or otherwise) since I had pressed this point with the service manager and later with his manager. Note: I had previously seen many complaints on your web site regarding this same problem. It does seem that tie rods should not be failing at 38-40,000 miles. And, that ultimate failure could result in serious crashes and injuries.
1998 Ford Windstar steering complaints
Page 4 of 6: complaints 71 to 100 of 143, newest first, as owners wrote them.
The power steering failed.
The steering rack and pinion failed and had to be replaced. I am told by my mechanic this is unusual for a vehicle with this mileage. I also found that ford had a recall for the steering rack, put into vehicles manufactured in september 1997. My vehicle was manufacured in june 1997. Perhaps I had one on the bad ones put in before the problem was caught. Anyway it cost me $667.00 fr the repair.
Ford is saying its my responsibility cause the warranty has lapsed but the car is only three years old. No safety defec tlisted.
6th time in 6 months lugs: bolts have sheared, normal driving w/ no incident. Wheels, hubs, tie rods and lug bolts have all been replaced w/ no change in regularity of event. No substantive vibration experienced. Mechanics have all been advised of history. Cowles ford, c&j auto, d&b auto, aaa and and firestone have serviced the incidents. Requested review on tsb's and other complaints to ford - to no avail. Real serious - one to four lugs have sheared on each incident; involved both front wheel assys and one rear assy.
Vehicle was traveling aproximately 65mph and engine shut down. Power brakes and steering went out without warning. Brake pedal was pushed to the floor to stop vehicle. Dealer stated it would be too expensive to find out what was the cause.
The outer tie rods created a grinding noise when the vehicle turned at low speeds and likely due to lack of adequate lubrication.the failure of the right inner tie rod was much more serious, in that it created a very bad vibration at highway speeds, was a scary situation, and could very well have resulted in loss of vehicle control.
It was hard to steer vehicle, and it was noisy. Consumer went to an independent mechanic who found that fluid in rack and pinion was very dirty. Shaft bearings and gears were damaged by fluid again after they test drove vehicle. Consumer contacted ford regarding recall 97v165000/manufacturer's recall 97s85. But this vehicle was not included, due to VIN.*ak
Internal rack and pinion problem with the steering, difficulty aligning the vehicle, after two alignment steering still squealing and pulling to the left.
Steering column sticks, has to jerk steering wheels. Also vehicle pulls to the left. Consumer can hear a whistling sound on left side. Contacted dealer. Dealer kept vehicle for about one hour, and told consumer it wasn't anything wrong with vehicle.
Right hand side of power steering pump has rusted through, resulting in difficult steering. Dealer has been contatced. Please provide further details.
Consumer stated vehicle steers hard, dealer replaced the power steering pump.
Received recall 97v165001 concerning steering gear. When turning steering wheel in right or left it was making a loud noise like vehicle was out of power steering fluid. But vehicle was completely full. Consumer took vehicle to dealer, and they stated other consumers were having the same problem.
Consumer took vehicle to repair shop because front tire tires were balled inside. Mechanic told consumer that upper ball joints and tire rod ends were defective. Consumer replaced them. There was no accident.
Inner and end tie rods have been replaced 6 times in 2 years. First time at 16000 miles. Consumer hears noise from front end, then, has vehicle inspected by dealer, who then finds tie rods are breaking.
While traveling in warm weather ,making sudden stops/parking and while in stop and go traffic, vehicle would stall without any indication. Please provide further informaiton.*ak air bag light illuminated due to faulty module, the drivers side door adjar switch was sticking causing the door adjar light to illuminate, outer tie rod failed causing noise in the front end, vehicle experiences loss of power/slipping due to faulty transmission, check engine light illuminated and vehicle stalled, dealer replaced sensor, speedometer was off. Nlm
Rack and pinion steering may have a damaged input shaft bearing from a service bulletin owners letter # 97s85 .also, bulletin was given by the dealer. Consumer's vehicle was experiencing similar problems, but ford stated nothing could be done until there was a recall.
While driving vehicle becomes very difficult to steer, vehicle rides extremely rough, and at times is hard to control. Dealer states that problem occurs within rack and pinion.
While vehicle is in operation and making any type of turn, there is a loud "metal to metal" sound coming from front of vehicle. A private mechanic has replaced tie rod in an effort to repair problem. *ak
While traveling at approximately 10 MPH vehicle started pulling to right, and came to a stop. Consumer examined vehicle, and saw that left rear tire was positioned against bumper of vehicle. Dealership has examined vehicle and determined that rear axle/ tie rod broke. Please provide any additional information/attachments.
Tie rod ends are failing. Dealership service representative advised us this model was designed with no lubrication fittings; and that failure typically occurs between 50 to 60 thousands miles. I consider this a hazard that was deliberately designed into the vehicle in order to save money at the expense of the consumers safety.
Power steering line malfunctioned while driving, rendering vehicle difficult to steer, dealer has repaired vehicle.*ak consumer also stated the air conditioner was not cooling, there was a loose connection at compressor, the doors would not lock, the power door actuator was the cause of the doors not working, windows would not go down because of a bad window motor.
Consumer states power steering fluid stays low, consumer requested that it be checked for leaks, mechanic discovered that rack and pinion was leaking from left boot area, this part has failed 4 times.
There is a grinding noise coming from front of vehicle when traveling slowly and making a turn. Dealership examined vehicle and informed consumer that tie rods were defective. A firestone service center informed consumer that problem was due to rack and pinion steering. There was the federal safety agency recall 97v165001; however, manufacturer informed consumer that this vehicle was not included in recall due to VIN.
When making either right or left hand turns there is a clicking sound from steering. Took vehicle to dealer, who insisted it was a rock in steering column. Did not remedy problem. *ak
No summary listed for above vehicle.
Tie rod and rotors needed to be replaced at approximately 35000 miles. Please provide any additional information/attachments.
Consumer has experienced several problems with the transmission, dealer has replaced it once, however problems continue, consumer has filed for a request for arbitration, vehicle bucks, jerks, and jumps into gear before taking off. Vehicle shimmies from one side to another upon acceleration, there is a thumping sound heard also at times while driving. Vehicle experienced a speed sensor circuit problem. Speedometer jumps. Problem with power steering, dealer adjusted rack and pinion and made other repairs to steering mechanism. Right side brake light bulb failed. Battery failed. Consumer stated it felt as if vehicle was going to stall sometimes, engine has no power at acceleration, engine belt was noisy and was replaced. Tire had a slow leak due to loose tire valve.
When turning steering wheel left or right it will make a terrible grinding noise. Dealer has replaced rack and pinion steering, but noise has reoccurred again.
Various problem with power lock locking by itself/windshield wipers working intermittently/dome light not operating, and door ajar light staying on. Vehicle been in / out of dealer shop on several occasions, and problems still reoccurring. *ak possible electrical problem with failure of power locks, windshield wipers, dome light, door ajar light, door ajar switch, lift gate door ajar switch, battery saver relay inoperable, and washer light illuminating. Brakes noisy at times, dealer stated this was due to brake dust. Power steering is noisy when turning back and forth, dealer replaced tie rod end. Sliding door rattles while driving over bumps, dealer added foam tape to back side of panel, driver door rattles, sliding door hard to open at times, dealer lubed sliding hinges and latch. Dealer replaced shocks due to rattling noise when riding over bumps. Drivebelt replaced. Maf sensor replaced due to hesitation. Window guide did not fit tight.
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