Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | |||||
| 98258 | 12/21/1998 | 603646 | A vibration / noise felt in steering wheel on right turns. | 03/01/1999 | |
| STEERING - COLUMN LOCKING - ANTI-THEFT DEVICE | |||||
| 8269 | 04/01/2000 | 613628 | Information regarding passive anti-theft system (pats) transceiver wiring may be broken due to improper wire routing and / or a misplacement of the connector near the base of the steering column. **mr | 07/26/2000 | |
| 98241 | 12/07/1998 | 604053 | Diagnostic service tips on passive anti theft system ( pats ). *yc | 03/16/1999 | |
| STEERING - LINKAGES | |||||
| 99219 | 10/18/1999 | 6089673 | This bulletin mentions that the workshop manuals do not contain a procedure for inspecting the pitman arm ball joint for wear. *tt | 02/11/2000 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | |||
| 12/08/2003 | 1 | ||
| While starting the vehicle driver tilted the steering wheel causing the wire harness to break off. consumer had the vehicle towed to the dealer for analysis, and the mechanic replaced transponder harness. *ak *mr | |||
| 1 | 04/01/1998 | ||
| Steering joints making noise when turning wheel. | |||
| STEERING - GEAR BOX (OTHER THAN RACK AND PINION) | |||
| 03/15/2003 | 66545 | 1 | 06/01/2000 |
| Two bolts in the steering box had become completely broken. they appeared to have not been tightened properly by the factory, the lock tights were visible on the thread, and portions of the broken bolts were extracted from the gear box. *nlm *scc | |||
| 10/01/1998 | 1 | 05/06/1998 | |
| Steering gear assembly out of order. yh | |||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | |||
| 12/21/1998 | 8 | 10/01/1998 | |
| When car goes through a body of water on the road (during and after a rain) the steering wheel is jerked out of the operator's hand due to failure of the power steering when the mechanism gets wet. i consider this a dangerous malfunction. *ak | |||
| 12/05/1997 | |||
| While driving over a bumpy surface in the road, the vehicle loses its steering. vehicle veers out of its lane. *ak | |||
| STEERING - LINKAGES | |||
| 07/01/2006 | 139871 | 1 | 06/01/2001 |
| Dt*: the contact stated a squeeking sound was heard coming from the front right wheel. the contact treated the wheel with wd-40 and the sound went away. also, while driving 10 mph in a parking lot, the right front wheel fell off. the vehicle was towed to a service dealer, who determined that the upper and lower ball joints had failed and were replaced as well as steering gear. the manufacturer was not alerted. updated 12/18/06. *jb | |||
| STEERING - LINKAGES - ARM - IDLER AND ATTACHMENT | |||
| 08/25/2006 | 82000 | 1 | 08/18/2004 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while traveling at various speeds the vehicle would not steer properly. an independent repair shop determined the idler arm seized to work and it was replaced. | |||
| STEERING - LINKAGES - TIE ROD ASSEMBLY | |||
| 01/01/1901 | 73000 | 1 | |
| 1998 lincoln towncar. consumer states that while backing out of the garage the left tie rod dropped from its retainer. *mc the consumer stated the incident would not have happened if the parts had grease fittings. *jb | |||
| 09/20/2003 | 45000 | 1 | 03/03/1998 |
| While pulling out of driveway at 2-3 mph consumer heard a noise, stopped vehicle, and noticed tie rod end were dragging on the ground on the right side of vehicle. dealer stated tie rods had disconnected. also, the ball joints were not lubricated and rusted. both tie rods were replaced.*ak *jb *nlm | |||
| 05/08/2002 | 1 | 02/21/1998 | |
| At 25 mph vehicle suddenly veered left. consumer had vehicle towed to dealer. outer tie rod had snapped.*ak the steering linkage and tie rod end falied. the dealer refused to pay for repair of the vehicle. *jg | |||