Three problems related to steering have been reported for the 1997 Ford Thunderbird. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
While driving down the road steering was stiff and then loosened up noticeably. Problem when making a right or left hand turn. Car would hesitate after turning. Would hear a grinding or popping noise while making turns. Contacted dealer and manufacturer, not able to help.
Prior to failure, car pull to the left during braking, and steering did not return to center after left or right turn.
The shudder in the steering is bad when braking from higher speeds and causes loss of directional control, the replacement of the pre-load spring in the rack as per Ford's TSB did not work to correct the shuddering.