All Investigations » Investigation PE99044

Defect Investigation of Steering System Rack And Pinion

Subject:	Steering system rack and pinion
Components covered:	Steering
Investigations Summary:	This investigation was opened on Jun. 28, 1999. It was closed on Oct. 29, 1999. Since opening the preliminary evaluation (pe), odi has received 6 additional complaints. During the pe it was determined multiple failure modes are involved in this matter. The warranty claim rate is high for a steering system concern. The issues reported involve premature wear out at the rack and pinion interface with the inner tie rod end(s), binding and sticking of the steering gear, cracked or broken tie rod ends, sheared rack and pinion assembly bolts, and wear out of the rack and pinion mount bushings. Many of the complainants mention steering wonder and loose steering. Three of the most recent complaints allege a complete loss of steering due to sheared bolts. Odi is upgrading this pe in order to perform a thorough technical analysis of the various system failure allegations and to quantify the effect that these failures have on vehicle control.
Vehicles Affected by this investigation:	1994 Chrysler Concorde 1995 Chrysler Concorde 1996 Chrysler Concorde 1994 Chrysler LHS 1995 Chrysler LHS 1996 Chrysler LHS 1994 Chrysler New Yorker 1995 Chrysler New Yorker 1996 Chrysler New Yorker 1994 Dodge Intrepid 1995 Dodge Intrepid 1996 Dodge Intrepid 1994 Eagle Vision 1995 Eagle Vision 1996 Eagle Vision