Table 1 shows three common steering related problems of the 2009 Ford Taurus.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Steering Is Loose problems | |
| Steering Tie Rod Assembly problems | |
| Steering Rack And Pinion problems |
Suddenly wouldn't turn to the right when stopped, got increasing difficult from stopped position. The faster the vehicle would go the more the steering would loosen up. Makes intersections very dangerous and impossible to maneuver. Pulled shoulder muscle trying to steer out of the intersection.
Taurus starts from a full stop accelerating and at 40-45 mph the car jerks hard to the right, there is a grinding noise from drivers side wheel, and the traction control light comes on and can not be turned off. 101 k miles. Just replaced struts, tie rod ends, cv half shafts, and lower control arm/ball joint.
Steering suddenly becomes very difficult like the power steering failed. It intermittently has power assist and the fluid level is good. I was told this a well known problem that is more common in the 2008 model. Diagnosis indicated the rack and pinion and/or gearbox is bad. It's a very dangerous situation when it suddenly cannot be controlled. The first time, I was at an intersection making a left turn going 15 mph when I was completing the turn, the steering wheel became extremely difficult to straighten out direction of travel forcing me brake hard to prevent going into head-on traffic until I could force the wheel back. Now, it has limited intermittent power assist going through the full steering range.