The contact owns a 2008 Ford Taurus. The contact was driving 40 mph when the power steering failed and the steering wheel seized. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but the manufacturer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 35,000 and the current mileage was 36,000.

- Louisville, KY, USA

The rack pinion assembly needs replacing after only 29431 miles. The dealer also recommends replacing the sway bar assembly; however, no physical damage to the sway bar assembly is evident. The rack and pinion has not degraded to the point of binding or inhibiting steering at this time. But, it obviously will do so in the future and requires attention. I note that this is a frequent occurrence with this assembly based on other complaints at this site. I have written to Ford ([xxx]) but with no response to date. The failure was diagnosed on 1/25/2012 after my complaining about a pop in the steering assembly during turns. No other incident occurred. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Fort Washington, MD, USA

The contact owns a 2008 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while driving 10 mph, the steering wheel seized, making the vehicle difficult to steer. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer, but the manufacturer was notified. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 114,000.

- Kalamazoo, MI, USA

While driving home Sunday evening on 10/02/20011, steering assist failed and felt like it might lock up. Drove the rest of the way home with partial steering assist. Brought the car to the Ford dealer the next morning. They said the steering gear failed. Cost to repair $985 plus tax.

- Rio Rancho, NM, USA

The power steering has apparently went out in the car. It is difficult to turn left, usually at low speeds, but recently it is also failing at higher speeds. Just bought the car last year, warranty just ran out at 34,000 miles. Dealer assumes no responsibility.

- Van Buren, AR, USA

The contact owns a 2008 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that the steering failed while attempting a right turn. The contact had to use extreme force to complete the turn. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who performed a diagnosis that located the failure at the rack and pinion. The dealer replaced the gear steering kit. The manufacturer was contacted and a complaint was filed. The failure and current mileage was 36,500. Updated 09/02/11 also, the dealer replaced the power steering rack. Updated 09/14/11

- Florissant , MO, USA

Failed steering. Repair required complete replacement of the power steering rack assembly.

- Fairfax, VA, USA

The contact owns a 2008 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that in the attempt to making a turn, the steering wheel would lock; making it difficult for the contact to straighten the vehicle or turn the steering wheel in the other direction. The dealer diagnosis indicated that the steering gear box needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified, but did not assist the contact with the failure. The failure mileage was 46,500. The current mileage was 47,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Cedar Rapids, IA, USA

While attempting to back into a parking space, I was unable to steer the vehicle. I had help driving it to my local service station, thinking perhaps the power steering had gone out. After inspecting the vehicle, I was advised to have it towed to my Ford dealer in tupelo, ms where the determined that the rack and pinion assembly had gone out. With less than 63 miles, a repair job of just under $ 1100. What if it had happened driving at 60 mph? updated 03/10/11

- Van Vleet, MS, USA

The contact owns a 2008 Ford Taurus. After starting the vehicle the contact noticed that the steering wheel would not turn to the left. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the steering gear was replaced. There were no prior warnings of the failure. The current and failure mileages were 39,000. Updated 11/16/10 updated 11/23/10

- Waupun, WI, USA

The contact owns a 2008 Ford Taurus. While driving approximately 5 mph the steering wheel became very stiff then it would not turn at all. The vehicle was shut off and upon restart the steering wheel functioned normally; however, it became difficult to turn at low speeds. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who stated that it was a known failure but he would have to pay for the repair cost. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who replaced the power steering gear. The failure had not recurred. The failure mileage was 41,000 and the current mileage was 42,814. Updated 8/24/10 the repair shop replaced the rack and pinion. Updated 08/26/10

- Gladwin, MI, USA