Two cop cars loose steering in Montgomery County Maryland.
http://www.wusa9.com/news/article/220903/158/Montgomery-County-Police-Investigate-Steering-Problems-In-Squad-Cars
Hmm, I can't really imagine a safety system such as steering being so dependent on a single piece of plastic...
Did you see the shape of them? Look like about 4 lbs. of rust.
I did notice that, yes. It looked like a moving part that seems to have been completely ignored.
You should be ashamed of yourself. Introducing logic into a topic that the Montgomery Co. MD cops have brought to our attention... for shame, for shame
with the amount of crown vic/marquis' on the road.. I wonder how many will have this issue. I am almost sure that there wouldnt be a difference between the P71 and the standard car as far as the steering shaft.
I just took my steering shaft out about a week ago, it's 26 years old and it looked a lot better than the one in the film. Mine has leather in place of plastic, and even that makes me nervous. I also only saw one guy in that big a$$ shop (doing the inspection). They might think about hiring a few mechanics (budget, budget, budget). I noticed the paint jobs look good! Guess all that really matters is that they look good when they loose control in a high speed chase.... Who's checking the oil?? So... if your on the wrong side of the law and your trying to lose a cop, just head for a wall or a hill and make a hard right(??). GEEZ!!!
I service some vickies and never had this issue!!! But those joints are not greasible and cant be replaced. The newer joints eliminated the traditional rag joints. But we do see these joints bind up on freights and other steering sectors. Even if they are heavily rusted the upper steering shaft should never disconnect or have a plastic coupling. Personally i have never had an upper steering sector apart on a vickie. But a plastic connector part. NOT GOOD!!!
Yeah, I am thinking it is a combination of hard fleet service, poor maintenance and poor design. As Tom said, these joints are not greasible, but that doesn't mean that they can't be checked for wear, binding or excessive corrosion. That being said, I cannot for the life of me, figure out why there would EVER be a plastic coupler in such a critical system... and certainly not buried within the column where it is even less likely to be noticed.
Just like nylon cam gears in the older GM 3800's and in the 302 That I used to build the motor in my bird from. Nylon cam gears with a chain.. Who was the person that thought "Gee, vital part...... Ima make it out of plastic. yep plastic thatll make it a few miles."
Lol, rag joints aren't any better of an idea. Mine in the Stang is toast...least I can get new ones for pretty cheap.
hmm. a vic with a intermediate steering shaft issue. what a surprise......
maybe if they would have felt the binding in the steering shaft for the last 6 months and reported it to be fixed. they wouldn't have broken the plastic in the steering column.
making news out of lack of maint.
A failed rag joint is not even close having the same kinds of safety issues though. In the first place, rag joints are well known components that any competent mechanic or owner can routinely checkup on, since it is quite visible. Secondly, even if a rag joint were to completely fail, the "fingers" would likely provide enough interference that completely and total loss of control is not anywhere near as likely. Lastly, rag joints can be replaced by solid joints similar to products by flaming river and others.
It's been a known problem for years now. All Crown Vics from 1995+ have a steering shaft like that. The ball joints get loose or rusty and start binding. Never heard of the plastic part that can break though.
It's neglect, plain and simple. I've replaced lots of these, just like any other part, and now that NHTSA is involved, that's going to be their conclusion, too.
Rag joints are a pain fore sure. But they will not cause a steering failure. This issue is big real big. And FOE better get ready for the RECALL. Seems like you will be doing a bunch of replacements on this part as a dealer TECH FOE. Get your wrenches warmed UP. Bet they have a recall on the plastic part as well. Those joints should be better designed. People live in snow states and damp climates. Ford and all the other companies should know this is an issue.
You maybe right. I don't think NHTSA is going to find need for a recall, but if they do, I'll have to be ready for it. I'm already doing a least 3 Freestar torque converters a week, 20 or more Escape ABS power overlay harnesses, and many more Escape engine cover mod recalls. Whats a few steering shafts here and there?
Well a year later it looks like it is not just police cars. My 01 Grand Marquis is not included, but I am beginning to wonder.
http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/08/31/ford-recalls-370000-sedans/?_r=0
it says you can have your checked and replaced if necessary at no cost at a ford dealership.
Well GM has had problems with there Intermediate Steering Shaft in their W-bodies from 99-current. The Impala from 2000-2005(7th Generation) and the 2006-2013(8th generation) were used as police also. The problem with GM's is lack of lubrication after awhile and when they start going you can feel everything through the steering wheel. Kind of feels like the front-end is falling out from under the car. I do not even believe the "updated" ISS they came up with fixed the problem either.
It's unfortunate that these things have to go this far in order to have a recall! The average consumer can complain until there blue in the face about the quality of parts design but until you start getting casualties there is no problem? Look at the Ford Windstar vans having the entire ass-end collapsing from corrosion and unfortunately killing a few people. Ford did a buy-back on some of those vans; some up to 10 years old at the time!