Ford Mondeo steering problem - sympathy warranty?

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oopsbuddy

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One for Ford Mondeo drivers and Ford dealers perhaps? Recently bought a 2003 Mondeo, at a fair price for the mileage and age. VGC, and drove well. More recently steering issues have developed, pulling to one side, rough notchy patch when steering one direction, etc, and to make a short story boring, my mechanic has now fully investigated everything to do with the steering, and all looks well, so his assumption is that whatever the problem is (and he confirms there is a problem) it is in the steering rack? This is apparently a whole, complete rack which may need to be replaced, €600 to €700 plus LOTS of labour (it will involve an almost complete front end strip down). Anyone have similar problems with a Mondeo? I understand that an 06 Mondeo at local dealer had a similar problem recently. Is it possible that Ford may acknowledge this to be an inherent fault, and therefore contribute to (or cover?) the cost. Full Ford service history to date.
 
Ha Ha,You'll be lucky!! Had;I stress HAD a Fiat Marea in which the rack started to leak 2 weeks after the meagre 3 months pre-owned warranty had expired. The car was 3yrs old at the time with FSH from the same main dealer who sold it to me.They didn't want to know.Parted with €1200 to fix it,parted with same car not long after Bought an Octavia,not a bother since
 
Did you not get a warranty when you bought the car? This should cover it if you have shouldn't it? I had a similar problem with a Ford Galaxy and they fixed it under the warranty - not sure it was the same issue as yours but the symptoms were the same in that it was pulling to the left. They mentioned tacking as part of the fix but I ain't no mechanic so not sure what that means!!
 
I got a second-hand steering rack from B & S parts in Duleek for my Opel Corsa and it was only about 150 euro compared to a new one. Got it fitted in Wards garage in Ashbourne Ind Est for a reasonably price. Passed NCT once it was fitted and the difference driving after it.
 
Mileage about 90k (was 85 when I got it), but its a diesel, and no issues with the engine. I believe it was looked after well and everything else is fine. I also bought it privately, so no warranty, but had it checked out by an experienced and knowledgeable Mondeo owner (but not a mechanic) and all appeared well. I'm not griping about being done, ...s**t sometimes happens, but I just wondered if there were other similar experiences out there re Mondeos that might throw light on the likely cause. I just visited my local Ford dealer and they will take it in for a look next week, but they advised that there were no regular issues with Mondeos steering, and would be reluctant to put in a new rack unless absolutely necessary. Some reassurance at least that they don't want to do unnecessary work on it either! Thanks all!
 

perhaps its worth getting the car completly checked out before doing anywork and well if its got other major issues, then a trade-in could be the order of the day!?
 
It has now been completely and thoroughly checked, and apart from this problem, all appears fine. The car itself is fine, its huge (an estate), is very comfortable, and has lots of poke (130bhp) and will satisfy all my car needs for some time to come. Being a Ford, it also depreciates quickly so you can get a lot of car for your buck...if you can keep it longterm, so I'm happy to keep it (as long as this problem can be fixed - and I couldn't flog it anyway as it is!) Thanks for yer reply.
 
I reckon get it fixed and all will be well again. Expect no assistance from Ford - it's outside warranty. Uk has a 3 year warranty btw (I assume it was imported).

www.honestjohn.co.uk and www.parkers.co.uk are good sources for info. but the steering system on Mondeo's doesn't appear to be a problem on a large scale.
 
Thanks RS2K - I did a google on it too, and similarly found nothing exceptional apart from complaints about tracking not being done properly. This was a UK import (not by me though) and if it did have a 3 year warranty, its not long expired!! However, I'm not really that concerned about help from Ford (unless they agree to some!) but I would like to get it fixed, cos otherwise, as I said, its a grand bus!
 
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" rough notchy patch when steering one direction",
i have this problem too but only for a short distance after taking off.also a diesel 2 litre zetec model.i got the power steering belt changed which made a small difference but its still there.
 
manukev said:
" rough notchy patch when steering one direction",
i have this problem too but only for a short distance after taking off.also a diesel 2 litre zetec model.i got the power steering belt changed which made a small difference but its still there.
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That's very interesting Manukev, that sounds very similar to my problem. Its worst when its cold, and later gets better, but never goes away. I will mention this to Ford when they roll up their sleeves next Thursday, but I really want the problem to GO, rather than just improve. Does your car also suffer from a short grating, rubbing noise when starting off (forwards or reverse) but only then? The Ford manager did mention that this was sometimes a complaint in the steering, but he suggested it was more of a Focus problem than a Mondeo.(I'm sure they're much the same though!) If enough people have the same problem, it might be possible to make it a bigger issue with Ford. Thanks
 
can't say i've noticed this grating noise yet maybe that comes next.i keep saying i will go to the ford dealer to get this looked at but have not done so yet.just hope i dont wind up stuck on the road some evening.when i do get it checked or fixed will let you know what the problem is,if you would'nt mind doing the same.talk soon happy motoring
 
Latest from a Ford test drive and examination confirms that it is PROBABLY the steering rack (90 to 95% sure). This would cost about €1,200 to €1,300 (incl VAT) to fix. Will look at alternative quotes from non-Ford garage, but their advice (to be fair) was also to wait a few weeks and see if it deteriorates further. They were also a little concerned that such a cost would not necessarily provide a remedy. They could not give any suggested cause either, as there is no evidence of any external force (crash) that might have caused it. Not hopeful of any relief from Ford either (no surprise though). Bit of a bummer!
 
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