Problems with 1999 Ford Taurus STEERING

Got off freeway and made two left turns going down street with a slight bend to the right steering locked slightly turning to the right, continued till got out of the middle of the road. shut off car and restarted twice before steering lock released. *tr *kb

Tl* the contact owns a 1999 ford taurus. the contact stated the steering wheel was difficult to turn while driving at various speeds. the failure was more pronounced when making right turns. the vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop where the power steering fluid was replaced. approximately two weeks later, the failure recurred. the vehicle was taken to another independent repair shop where the contact was informed that something was blocking the path of the power steering fluid within the power steering fluid's reservoir. the power steering fluid was again replaced. the failure mileage was 42,470.

I am having trouble with my steering wheel it shakes over 45 mph and i have called they place were i bought it and my warranty ran out so i have to figure out how to get it fixed then i see there is a recall n my type of car i want it replaced. *tr

I bought this 1999 ford taurus in 2011. i had to have the power steering rack replaced due to it leaking. once this got replaced the car began to idle really really bad when the ac or heater was turned on, this would also sometimes occur just sitting at a light with nothing on. it would also happen in reverse sometimes stalling the car. i have put over 2000 into the car to try and figure it out. i came across the 2005 ford freestyle that is having the same issue that is being investigated know. i have replaced the idle air control valve, mass air flow sensor, cpu, throttle position sensor, power steering position sensor, cam shaft position sensor, alternator, power steering rack, and there are a few other that i will need to find the receipts for. this is a very unsafe issue because it has almost caused several accidents when i was driving and also my father in law. it sometimes will happen right as you are coming to a stop so it jumps and you almost don't have time to stop. i am very frustrated with the issue and am getting ready to sell the car. i have taken to several ford dealers and had them look at it and see what was happening but could not find anything wrong. they told me they had issues with all of these parts so i replaced. but to my surprise i am still having the same issue. it only has 94,000 so very low miles for the year. i have a child on the way and cannot have a very very unsafe vehicle. *tr

A 51 point inspection done on a 1999 ford taurus i purchased that had the following safety issues: cracked brakes, loose pinion rod, transmission, steering wheel off center to name a few items. required a flushing, oil, etc. i had to pay out of pocket to have most of these items repaired or replaced. some old parts are available, but i also have documentation to support my complaint. i have not had the transmission fixed due to funds. these items are a safety issue and could have cause a major accident. *tr

My 1999 ford taurus has power steering rack and pinion issuses. the car makes whining noises when turning, the steering gets tight after a few minutes of driving. the fluid ozzes out of pump out of cap.can cause a crash it jerks the wheel a little bit also. ive looked this problem up on internet and theres alot of the same issue with their cars.there should be a recall notice for so many of the same issues

Rack and pinion power steering pump failure.*cn

I'll copy anothers post to reflect exactly the way i feel and my experience with this steering issue... rack and pinion seal leaks fluid into the right hand boot and then the ground, causing the power steering not to function properly and failure to the power steering pump. i can't believe ford doesn't care about the safty and loyalty of their customers and take steps to correct this consistant defect quite common in this model.

I was told by the ford service personnel that my car has a bad steering rack which needs to be replaced at the cost of $750. my car was brought to the mechanic because my steering became labored and difficult to control. i was told it is a hazard to operate the vehicle. *nm

Car "bouncing" a lot, brother in law said it sounded like a bubble in the tire. had the tires changed and my husband was called over by mechanic. the mechanic told my husband we had a serious problem and showed him that the rods for steering were loose but that the lug nuts were tight. he said it was the rack pinion. i went online to see if there was a recall or where i could have it fixed and came across 0 recalls yet hundreds of complaints of the same issue in a 1999 ford taurus. *nm

On friday, august 19, i heard noise in the right front of my 1999 ford taurus as i turned into a parking lot. as i left the parking lot, the steering seemed "stiff" and on hard turns there was noise. as a result, i took my car immediately to a local ford dealership. the attendant looked at the steering fluid and found it to be "dirty" and low. it was suggested that we try changing the fluid to determine if that would resolve the problem without costly diagnostics. by the time i arrived home (approximately 5 miles) the steering once again was noisy and "stiff". since i was to be out of town until wednesday, i returned the vehicle to the dealership this morning (wednesday, august 24). the dealership determined that the rack and pinion steering and power steering fluid pump will need to be replaced at a cost of $1,100. the taurus has only 48,700 miles. as i looked at the dot website, i discovered 3 or 4 identical complaints on the 1999 ford taurus. one of these vehicles had 48,000 miles.

Steering rack in 1999 ford tarus. per the auto shop this is a common problem with type of vechicle, stated that it was just a poor design

Under 40,000 miles on my 1999 ford taurus and it has a power steering pump failure which causes no power assist to the steering, even after refilling unit with fluid. loud whine from engine compartment does not abate with fluid refill. problem came on suddenly and wife had difficult time driving home with children in the car. unit does now seem to hold fluid, but fluid pouring out the top of cap is evident, and whine is still present.*ak

The steering wheel locked up. the consumer will take the vehicle to a mechanic for the repair of the rack and pinion. *jb......repair shop removed and replaced power rack and pinion steering gear, and bled power steering system. *ak

1999 ford taurus se: while turning, started hearing grinding, sqealing noises. power steering fluid level was fine. brought it to mechanic, said the power steering rack and power steering pump had to be replaced. vehicle has 65000 highway miles. per mechanic and ford dealer, this is a very common problem in the 1999 ford taurus. cost: over $900.00 usd. planning on filing complaints with ford and taking them to court, if necessary, to get reimbursed. this should not happen on a 5 year old vehicle that has been maintained by the book! i've done some searches on the internet, and there are tons of people out there with this same problem...please look into asap...*ak

The vehicle lost power assistance while driving 45 mph, the vehicle was taken to the dealer. the dealer informed consumer that the rack & pinion needed to be replaced. please provide any further information. *jb

When following behind a semi truck or a pickup pulling a trailor the turbulance from the truck or trailor causes my 1999 ford taurus se to shake violantly and is hard to control.

While driving 2 mph steering wheel locked up. vehicle was towed. dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak

My 1999 ford taurus power steering pump and/or steering rack failed, causing me to have extreme difficulty to drive the car.*ak

The "rack and pinion" on my 1999 ford taurus needs replacing. i think this is too soon under "normal" city driving. the car is still under the 6 yr.-75,000mi. warranty. *ak

While driving on pa turnpike on feb 6, 2004, the driver side control arm broke causing loss of control to the vehicle, resulting in damage to the frame and resulting in the vehicle being deemed a "total loss".*ak

The vehicle rack and pinion was replaced at 54000. the vehicle was involved in a head on collision. the driver's air bag partially deployed and the passenger's air bag did not deploy. *nm *mr

Upon starting vehicle consumer heard a noise. consumer checked the power steering fluid level and found out that the level was low. fluid was draining into the bellows, which was a rubber boot that protected the inner tie rod. consumer determined that a snapped ring was missing from the bellows. *ak

Rack and pinion seal leaks fluid into the right hand boot and then the ground, causing the power steering not to function properly and failure to the power steering pump. i can't believe ford doesn't care about the safty and loyalty of their customers and take steps to correct this consistant defect quite common in this model.*ak

Power steering pump seal had drastic leak. this caused the fluid to leak out and dramatically increase the effort required to stear the vehicle. such difficulty in stearing could have resulted in a crash.*ak

Power steering failure- steering pump growling and whining was followed by overflow of power steering fluid around cap. repair shop replaced power steering pump ($200) which worked for less than 30 minutes before power steering assist failed again. repair shop is now diagnosing problem as rack and pinion seal leakage issue and recommending replacement at another $ 200+ for parts plus 2+ hours of labor. purchased this car 11 months ago with 26,000 miles on it. ford says it isn't their problem. i will remember that when i buy my next car!*ak

Just out of the blue, i started having difficulty with my steering. for a couple of weeks, i had to constantly replace power steering fluid. what really scared me was when i had to travel out of state to get back home. i put in power steering fluid and it just disappeared right in front of my eyes. it was at that time i took it to a mechanic and he was amazed when he saw my power steering fluid leaking out of the rack. the seal had broken badly. he informed me that the rack pinion had to be replaced. i expect i would eventually have car problems as with anyone else but i almost fell to ground when i was told how much it was going to take to repair the problem. i am just really disappointed with ford. i have always spoke very highly of ford and i am sure i still will and i am sure my next vehicle will be a ford. i just found it so hard to believe that i had to pay for something this major so soon. sad thing is, i feel even worse after learning there are so many other consumers who has had the same problem. i was amazed to find there was so many others. even now, my car does not feel the same. i have got to take it back to the mechanics because the wheel has started to tighten up again.

Power steering squeaks and makes noises when turning corners. vehicle was taken to dealer, and consumer was told that power steering pump was not working properly.*ak consumer noted they wouldn't repair the pump at first, but after a few phone calls, they replaced it. it started to run fine afterwards. *ph

My 1999 fprd taurus se with 47,995 miles had the power steering pump break and spray power steeing fluid throughtout the car, the rack and pinion steering is gone, leaking everywhere, and the defrost, fan, and blower have stopped working.*ak

Consumer states rack and pinion steering was installed incorrectly, causing steering to fail. dealer notified. *ak

I bought the car new and it has never been wrecked. at 44,000 miles the rack and pinion seals began leaking power steering fluid into the cv boots. the first symptom was loss of power steering fluid, pump noise, and pump overheating. the rack and pinion is going to get replaced and the service manager at the dealership is going to try to get ford to pay for part of the repair. the car is out of warranty.*ak

Rack and pinion steering failed while driving, causing loss of vehicle control. upon repair, mechanic advised that rack and pinion had been previously replaced.*ak

Rack and pinion went out at 84k miles - $750-$800 for repair. after reading the 30+ other complaints, i'd figured i would add mine as well. *jb

While driving at 20 mph consumer heard a noise near the engine compartment, and it became hard to steer. consumer took the vehicle home and called a mechanic. the mechanic examined the vehicle and determined that power steering pump needed to be replaced. fuel pump had been replaced four times since ownership of the vehicle. *ak

Swaybar endlinks are junk but dealer insists oem only way to go. aodx transmission kicks in and out. now experiencing p0500 code (faulty speed sensor)? rear brakes have always squeeled (even with oem pads) have had two apparent blowouts of pass side seal in rack.

There were steering power problems. while driving, the power steering had gone out, and the consumer was not able to drive the vehicle. the manufacturer was not contacted. *ak the problem occurred as the consumer had taken a yield to the right on the highway. the steering was stiff and difficult on turns, especially right turns. the front seal was found busted and leaked out of the cluster cover. *scc *jb

Power steering rack failed. seals let go. *nlm

While driving and without warning the rack and pinion snapped and caused the consumer to lose steering control. *nlm. *ak

Steering rack and pinion had to be replaced. also power steering pump due to blown seal in steering rack were replaced. *tt

Power steering failed due to broken seal in steering rack. spent $711 to replace. appears to be frequent occurrence on many fords. should recall. *nlm

Consumer states this second time the rack and pinion is broke. dealer notified nothing they can't do. please provide further information. *tr

When i purchased the car everything was ok. then within a 6 months the power steering went out... took it to a mechanic because the car wasn't covered under warranty anymore. the mechanic said it was not only the power steering but also the whole steering front end. they said the power steering pump going out was the result of the rest of the rack going out, since it's all hydraulic. well i got it fixed for 600.00 and low and behold 6 months later the same thing went out again. i went through this site and found several people talking about relatively the same issue. since manufacturers are not responsible for their product.. .that is unless someone dies, then i'm assuming nothing can be done... but to keep shelling out $$$$$. and the saddest part is... i'm still paying on the car. *nlm

Car made grinding noise while turning. progressively got worse. had car checked and needed power steering rack replaced. mechanic said it was failing, at less than 40,000 miles. bought car used at 35,000 miles. ford needs to recall the power steering unit as it is obviously a bad design. called ford and explained situation, but to no avail...

Heat only operated on max. bought repair manual and repair part and fixed it myself. (vehicle was 1 month out of warranty and dealer would not help). steering gear failed. (vehicle warranty was under mileage but over on time. (dealer would not help with parts or labor even though they knew the part was defective).

Hile driving steering wheel would be hard to turn. dealer notified.*ak

1999 ford taurus lost power steering, pump and rack needed to be replaced. the car had 36,264 miles, warrenty was up at 36,000. we thought this was a safety issue, contacted ford and they were not overly concerned. we also thought they should reimburse some of the $1400 cost to replace the parts.

I have owned the vehicle for fourteen months. as i was parking in front om apartment, my right front tire bumped the curve and triggered my air bags, which in turn exploded and caused $3,000 in damage. the ford certified dealer in my area was unable to find a reason for the airbags to go off. and when i called ford the lady on the phone told me that she had never heard of such a thing. she said she had heard of people complaining that the airbag did not deploy when they felt it should, but not the airbag deploying from a <1mph impact of a tire into a curb. ford insisted they could not help me. this has really been hard on me considering my insurance company was hesitant to cover the incident because according to them no collision occured for the airbags to deploy. however, my insurance company finally accepted claim. although in return my rates have went up and i had to take a loan of $500 to cover the deductible. everyone i have talked to has been resistant to help me. is there anything you or i can do to resolve this issue with ford? this incident i must note is not the only major issue with this vehicle. it is a 1999 ford taurus 92,000 miles.

Had first alignment done and rack started leaking into boot directly after. dealer replaced under warranty. new rack leaks, replaced out of warrenty by wheel works. rplacement rack leaks, replaced under wheel works warrenty. replacement rack leaks, resivour went dry after just 10 miles. i hope they replace it under warenty. somebody needs to wake up and address this issue!.*ak

Power sterring went out at 72,000 miles. had to replace the rack and pinion. still doesn't feel natural. power sterring fluid keft overflowing, eventually leaking into the boots. at high speed 65-70mph it feels very unstable.

Intially diagnosed as power steering fluid leak - turns out that the problem was a leak in the rack and pinion steering.