I have a 2008 Tribute (Ford Escape) 4cyl all wheel drive. Last night the steering wheel stopped steering the car. I took a pic that I will attempt to attach in this message. My question is, I clearly need to replace the rack. It looks fairly easy, but is an electric/mechanical system. No Youtube videos on how it is done... anyone out there do one of these before and can give advice? I am a fairly competent DIY car repair person, and if there are no special tools or techniques required I would have no issues giving it a try. VIN is 4F2CZ92Z38KM24811. Not a hybrid. Thanks in advance!
If I were you I would pay mechanic like me to check it out first because it isn't necessarily the rack that's bad they are electronic systems that have many different parts to them. And even if you replace the wreck you'd still have to pay a mechanic to reprogram the car to accept it so it's steered correctly.
Thank you for your reply, Scotty. The image is terrible, but I have never seen the input shaft area back out of a rack like that! Really crazy! I will have it taken in and fixed, as I also realize that there are other components that may not be serviceable by me.