how dangerous is it to drive a ford explorer with a broken rack and pinion? it judders when i turn. have to get it fixed for the sticker next month- but in the meantime…
In the meantime, you could find that your steering suddenly and unexpectedly binds up on turns.
This is a major safety hazard and is essentially an accident waiting to happen.
Incidentally, in the event of an accident with another vehicle, your liability in this situation will probably wipe out your salary for the next 20 years or so.
Be a responsible driver and have it fixed NOW, or park the vehicle until you can afford to fix it properly.
I wouldn’t dare drive a car with a known problem of this nature. The rack and pinion is your steering system, one of the most important features of your car, second perhaps only to the brakes. I test drove a customer’s car once that had a bad rack and pinion and it broke while I was driving it. That was one of the most exciting experiences of my life, but not one I would want to go through again. Don’t do it. Park the truck until you get the problem fixed. You might even consider having it towed to the shop where the work is to be done to prevent endangering your own life and the lives of those who share the road with you.
How sure are you that it’s the rack and pinion?
What about fluid level, belt tightness and condition, etc.?
You did not state the year model, mileage, anything about the vehicle history, etc. but a symptom like this can also be caused by an alignment problem, binding differential if a 4WD or AWD, etc.
Does the horn work? As long as the horn works so you can let people know to get out or your way if the steering locks, no problem.
thank you. I was tempted to just drive on local errands until I read your response.
Thanks for your help. The garage told me (trusted mechanic). It’s a 1999 explorer and has 100,000 miles. Levels etc have been checked. I am not driving it until it’s fixed now.
thanks- I get it.
i am now not driving the car anywhere. thank you for your advice.