When turning left or right, the driver heard a loud knocking noise coming from the front. The driver has difficulty making turns, the steering wheel locks. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection. The mechanic informed the driver that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. Please provide further details.
1998 Ford Windstar: steering wheel locks up
6 of the 1,424 complaints about the 1998 Ford Windstar describe steering wheel locks up.
- owner complaints
- 6
- of this car's complaints
- 0%
- recalls
- 1
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall and 5 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Steering wheel locks up by model year
- 20032
- 20023
- 20012
- 19994
- 19986
- 19972
- 19955
What owners say
Consumer complained about having problems with vehicle, rack an pinion steering locking.
While being driven at45 MPH, van stalled, resulting in steering wheel locking and brakes completely failing with no pressure. Owner had no other choice but to coast through an intersection with light. Please describe details.
Steering wheel lock, key locked in steering column
While going around a turn and yielding brakes hardened and steering locked up for about 5 seconds. Dealer could not identify the problem. But if the car had died, they probley could have found the problem easier. If driving at a faster speed and steering locked up there could be a serious accident.
While making a right turn the vehicle cut off and the steering wheel locked up, causing loss of vehicle control. Cause unknown. Please give any further details.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Subject regarding power steering line part ordering information
- Some vehicles may exhibit a power steering fluid leak from the end seals of the steering rack and pinion
- The front end accessory drive (FEAD) belt may slip momentarily in wet conditions causing a reduction in...
- Power steering leak at the constant tension clamps
- Power steering line leaks on 95/96 3.8L trailer tow equipped tube and fin cooler systems see oasis message...
Related recalls
Steering: gear box: shaft sector
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles and mini-vans. The rack and pinion steering gears may have damaged input shaft bearings.
- Risk
- This condition can increase steering efforts, affecting steering control.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the date code on the rack and pinion steering gear, and, if necessary, replace those rack and pinion assemblies that fall within the suspect date code range. The date codes for windstar model vehicles are 97jb09 or 97jc08; the date codes for mustang model vehicles are 97j09b or 97j08b.
Recall number 97V165000 · Recall details
Questions about the 1998 Ford Windstar steering lock-up
Is steering wheel locks up a common problem on the 1998 Ford Windstar?
6 of 1,424 owner complaints about the 1998 Ford Windstar (0%) mention steering wheel locks up. The model year with the most reports is 1998.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 1998 Ford Windstar?
There is 1 recall and 5 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 1998 Ford Windstar
Stalling 98Coil spring 85Transmission failure 81ABS 75Ball joint 56Grinding brakes 51Fire or smoke 40Tire blowout 32Adaptive cruise 31Brake failure 28Jerking 27Fuel pump 22Harsh shifting 22Check engine light 20Won't shift 20Slipping 19Door locks 18Sudden acceleration 17Wipers 17Pulling 15Fuel gauge 14Power steering loss 13Engine failure 12Overheating 10Headlights 9Hesitation 8Loss of power 8Power windows 8Seat belt 8Fuel leak 7Fuel smell 6Steering noise 6Knocking 5Won't start 5
VIN decoder
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