Steering Rack And Pinion problems of the 1999 Ford Windstar - part 1

I bought a 1999 Ford Windstar lx it had 130000 miles on it when I bought it it was making a weird noise when I would turn so I had the power steering pump replaced but it continued to make the noise then a couple months later it became very hard to steer almost imposible to turn and still making the noise so I am now being told its the rack and pinion and also being told by a few different mechanics that they have seen this problem b4 its very unsafe because its all of a sudden you cant turn the wheel as im investigating further about this problem there is other similar complaints something has to be done now im going to try to replace it but am looking at purchasing a used one and am concerned that it will have the same problem and I might not be able to turn causing a major accident so to me this is a major saftey issue that should be addressed to Ford.

Purchased the Windstar used in 2001. After about a year the steering started to make funny (whining) noises and sometimes it would get tougher to turn wheel. At 65k my family and I were driving across country and the power steering went out completely. We had to drive the last 800 or so miles to our new home with no power steering. Took it to a repair shop, suspecting the power steering pump and they said it was not bad, just needed fluid. I had checked the fluid when it originally went out and it was low, but not empty. It drove fine (still noisy) for about a month and then steering went out again. I returned to the same shop and again told me that I needed fluid. I told them I had never seen a leak, but I would check every day to figure out where the fluid was going. About three days later I was driving home from work and the noise became very loud again and when I pulled into my driveway I could see the trail of power steering fluid I left behind. I looked under the car and the fluid was pouring out from the boot on the drivers side. I took it to the same repair shop and they said "blown rack and pinion". Thanks.

On 7/29/05, my 82-year old mother, purchased a 1999 Ford Windstar, with less than 44,000 miles on it. My mother receives minimal social security & I, too, am on social security for disability. We could not afford an extended warranty on top of car finance $200. /mo. ) we did have a dealership limited warranty of 60 days and 3,000 miles. Before that warranty expired, we took the vehicle to be evaluated by our regular mechanic he found only two problems &e actually congratulated us on finding such a great car. We took the minivan back to branford Subaru where we purchased it and they made the repairs immediately. Now that we are one month and 50 miles over the limited warranty, power steering fluid is leaking. Exxon diagnosed the problem as the rack and pinion steering. I had to leave the minivan at bens exxon because the leak was so bad I was having extreme difficulty steering & was losing more than 2 quarts of oil per day. My mechanic found a TSB about it but mantilia Ford dealership refuses to fix it because we are past the original 3-year warranty. They referred me to Ford corp customer relations who gave me he same answer. Obviously, Ford would not recommend the replacement of the original steering rack with a revised unit unless the original unit was defective. Although that fact is not actually stated in the bulletin, it is very clearly implied. Now, here we have an 82 year old and a 59 year old, both on limited income from social security, who took every precaution possible to buy a reliable vehicle and avoid expensive repairs stuck with a vehicle with a defect known to Ford motor company but that we cant have Ford fix because we did not buy the vehicle within the 3 year original warranty period! I have checked your database and found that out of the first 255 complaints against the 1999 Ford Windstar, 26 were about the rack and pinion steering! I stopped looking after 255. I am appealing to you to see what remedies can be pursued.

Sudden loud grinding noise in steering wheel, rack and pinion leakage seal failure. Need to replace rack and pinion before leak damages pump. Replace rack and pinion.

1999 Ford experiencing problems with rack and pinion system, and left lower control arm. All of the hold down buttons were stripped out and stripped in the gear housing causing gear failure.

Rack and pinion steering failed. Leaked fluid until there none was left. This caused power steering to fail.

I was driving down the road and all of the sudden I have no warning and no steering. Power steering fluid was everywhere. It took my wife and I too turn ths van into a parking lot. Unfortunately I had my 3 children in this van with me. I have not had the money to replace the rack and pinion or the power steering pump. I am not even sure if I should or not. I also would like to know if there is anyway to know if the previous owner(s) got the recalls taken care of.

Rack and pinion steering had to be replaced at 42,000 miles due to an end seal failure. Most of the power steering fluid leaked out within 2 days of the leak. There is a know problem with this by Ford they have issued 2 TSB's. This part should never fail at this mileage, it is a poor design with either wrong materials selected for the seal and no life testing was conducted to verify the design. Ford should be embarrassed to talk about quality when cramp like this happens.

I own a 1999 Ford Windstar which I purchased new. At 35,700 miles the rack and pinion steering needed to be replaced (luckily it was still under warranty) now at 59,000 miles I'm experiencing the same problem. I also replaced a tie rod, and the front end is always creaking, but no one can find the source.

Severe power steering fluid leak due to rack and pinion failure.

Rack and pinion steering system failed. I have read of numerous other Ford vehicles manufactured within a few years of mine having this problem. Even a neighbor had the same problem. My vehicle is a 1999 with 56,000 miles. Not even 5 years old when the problem occured. This componet should last for a vehicles' lifetime. When I contacted Ford, they offered no help. I would love to see an investigation! it cost over $800 dollars to repair, and being that it was replaced with another Ford rack and pinion system, I should probably start saving my money now for future repairs. Our mechanic told us to not reward Ford anymore, and buy from a different manufacturer.

At 71,876 miles the rack and pinion steering and power steering pump failed on my 1999 Ford Windstar, leaving me without power steering while driving. On a car of this size it is, I believe dangerous to drive without the power steering.

My power steering just recently started making a grinding noise at 64,000 miles. I noticed that the fluid was low. I filled it up and it keeps losing fluidi found a site on the internet where a lot of winstar owners are complaining about the same. Problem. . . Premature failure of the power steering system. Some repairs are over $1500. 00. . Read more...

We bought our 1999 Windstar in 2002 with only 27,000 miles on it; from the beginning the power steering would groan and make noises. We complained about it to several shops, but we were assured that it was "normal. " yesterday the power steering noise was very loud and constant and there was difficulty steering. Today the steering went completely out while I was driving to work. The repair shop says it is the rack and pinion.

1999 Ford Windstar. Only 60,000 miles, rack and pinion is leaking power steering fluid on both sides. Very expensive to fix, and should not be happening with so few miles on it. Vehicle becomes very hard to steer, when sitting at a store and you come out, it is hard to steer to get it home.

Power steering fluid is leaking out of rack on left side. Vehicle only has 52,950 miles on it. Dealership states there are no service bulletins but according to this web site there are. The dealership should pay for repairs if they have been aware this is a problem.

While driving, lost the rack and pinion steering control on my 1999 Windstar van. Only 31,000 miles on the van even though it is 4 years old.

Steering fluid leaked from the steering rack and pinion. Dealer notified and stated there was a technical service bulletin on this problem# 01-5-6-6.

Rack and pinion steering is not working properly, dealer notified.

1999 Windstar se - steering problems, replaced steering "rack" in March 2003, is already going out again. Reputation of bad "racks", so bad our local Ford dealer keeps them in stock. About 52,000 miles.

1999 Ford Windstar rack and pinion failure could not turn vehicle came very close to a collision this is a known defect also the vehicle is leaking powersteering fluid which is a fire hazard! Ford refuses to acknowledge this problem. I have notified Ford about the premature failure and they dont seem to care that someone could lose thier lives over Ford putting vehicles with faulty parts on the road.

While in motion, a loud noise emitted from the steering wheel. The vehicle was service by a technician. The technician noticed that the rack and pinion was leaking fluid and needed to be replaced. Ts.

Massive powersteering /rack and pinion leak , difficult to steer at any speed. Mr.

Rack and pinion was replaced on two separate occasions within 50,000 miles by dealer. However, problem has reoccurred. Feel free to provide any further information.

The valve on the rack and pinion steering dried out and now leaks. The entire rack and pinion steering system must be replaced now at a cost of $600. The mechanic told me that it is the 4th Windstar he has seen with this same problem in the last two weeks. I contacted Ford about this problem and they logged it in but are doing nothing for me at this time.

No summary listed for above vehicle.

While driving 35 mph, slowed to make a turn and steering became difficult to turn, making an awkward sound. Please describe details.

While pulling into the driveway wheel locked up. Vehicle towed to the dealer, and they informed consumer that rack and pinion steering needed to be replaced. Feel free to provide any further information.

I have found too many persons on the internet with the same problem. No safety defect listed.

Rack and pinion steering component is leaking power steering fluid, resulting in loss of ease in control. Vehicle has been checked by dealer.

Rack and pinion steering broke, and it became real hard to control vehicle.

Rack and pinion steering had to be replaced while the consumer was driving. Steering froze up, and then it became harder to steer vehicle.

While driving vehicle will pull, there will be clicking noise. Then, will lose steering. Contacted dealer. Rack and pinon steering went out.

While driving, consumer could heard a noise coming from steering, just like when power steering was low in fluid, consumer then took vehicle to two different mechanics, they said that problem was with rack and pinion steering that had a leakage. Manufactrurer was contacted at the time, but could not provide any other help.

The power steering on this vehicle went out as my wife was rounding a curve. She described it as going off and coming back on. When it stiffened up, she turned harder and it loosened up fast. This caused her to go partially off the right side of the road. She got it home and it would hardly turn while in the driveway. Power steering fluid is leaking from the right side rack and pinion boot. A Ford dealer showed me article no. 01-5-6 dated March 8,2001 that discusses this issue and states it is for information only. Thank you for your time and help.