The Lemon Index$1,100 middle bill · most between $797 and $1,600
599 owner reports on 82 models
Ford Escape, Chevrolet Cobalt, Chevrolet Malibu
Owners reported paying a median of $1,100 for a steering column repair, with the middle half of bills between $797 and $1,600. That's 599 owner reports on 82 models (596 complaints to NHTSA and 3 YouTube videos). Costs vary by shop and region.
What owners paid
- Under $50011%
- $500–$1,00030%
- $1,000–$2,50052%
- $2,500–$5,0006%
- $5,000 and up2%
Share of the 599 owner reports in each price band.
Cars where it comes up most
Owner reports per model. Raw counts, not a failure rate: popular models get more reports.
Every model, what owners paid
| Model | Reports | Middle bill | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ford Escape | 90 | $1,400 | $1,200–$1,700 |
| Chevrolet Cobalt | 80 | $949 | $800–$1,200 |
| Chevrolet Malibu | 69 | $800 | $641–$1,100 |
| Ford Explorer | 39 | $1,400 | $1,000–$1,700 |
| Hyundai Elantra | 31 | $2,200 | $1,800–$2,500 |
| Hyundai Sonata | 24 | $462 | $319–$1,400 |
| Volkswagen Passat | 22 | $1,600 | $1,500–$2,000 |
| Nissan Altima | 18 | $982 | $850–$1,100 |
| BMW 3 Series | 16 | $1,300 | $1,200–$1,500 |
| Toyota Camry | 12 | $728 | $508–$966 |
| Toyota RAV4 | 11 | $800 | $470–$1,700 |
| Chevrolet HHR | 10 | $1,000 | $833–$1,300 |
| Ford Focus | 10 | $834 | $418–$1,400 |
| Jeep Liberty | 10 | $799 | $608–$1,000 |
| Toyota Avalon | 9 | $1,100 | $911–$1,200 |
| Nissan Maxima | 8 | $900 | $822–$943 |
| Chevrolet Impala | 7 | $500 | $432–$750 |
| Kia Optima | 7 | $1,200 | $316–$1,300 |
| Mercedes-Benz C-Class | 6 | $1,400 | $1,000–$1,600 |
| Jeep Wrangler | 5 | $600 | $600–$800 |
| Audi A6 | 4 | too few for a range | |
| Chevrolet Corvette | 4 | too few for a range | |
| Chevrolet Silverado | 4 | too few for a range | |
| Chevrolet Tahoe | 4 | too few for a range | |
| Ford F-Series | 4 | too few for a range | |
| Ford Fusion | 4 | too few for a range | |
| Mercedes-Benz M/GLE | 4 | too few for a range | |
| Chrysler Town & Country | 3 | too few for a range | |
| Honda Accord | 3 | too few for a range | |
| Kia Forte | 3 | too few for a range | |
| Kia Sorento | 3 | too few for a range | |
| Nissan Pathfinder | 3 | too few for a range | |
| Nissan Sentra | 3 | too few for a range | |
| Ram pickup | 3 | too few for a range | |
| Toyota Highlander | 3 | too few for a range | |
| Toyota Prius | 3 | too few for a range | |
Models with 3+ reports. A model gets its own page and a range at 5+ reports. 46 more models with 1–2 reports count in the totals above.
Related repairs
Brake repair $700 · Steering rack replacement $2,000 · ABS module replacement $2,000 · Strut and shock replacement $900 · Brake booster replacement $1,000 · Wheel bearing replacement $600 · Control arm replacement $850 · Brake master cylinder replacement $1,000
The details
How we count
Every number here is a repair bill an owner reported, never a shop's price list. Two sources: the bills owners wrote in their own complaints to the U.S. government (NHTSA), and the dollar amounts owners said out loud in YouTube repair and ownership videos. A figure counts for a repair when that repair is the part named nearest to it. Left out: purchase prices, payments, rentals, towing, warranties and deductibles, amounts under $50 or over $15,000, parts-only prices ("the part was $80 on Amazon"), bills for two different repairs named together, and money someone else paid. One number per complaint (or video) and repair: the biggest, so it's the bill, not the diagnosis fee.
The range is the middle half of the bills (the 25th to the 75th percentile), so one wild number can't swing it. Owners who complain to the government often had expensive repairs, so a typical bill can be lower. Costs vary by shop and region, by dealer vs independent shop, by parts and by miles. This is what owners reported, not a quote for your car.
Check the bills yourself
NHTSA complaint numbers (search them at nhtsa.gov): 11777240, 11775239, 11751122, 11722654, 11719953, 11714892, 11698654, 11684151, 11676557, 11672933, 11668225, 11665334 and more.
Quick answers
How much does a steering column repair cost?
Owners reported a median of $1,100, and the middle half paid $797 to $1,600, from 599 owner reports on 82 models. Costs vary by shop and region.
Which cars need a steering column repair most?
The most owner reports come from the Ford Escape, Chevrolet Cobalt, Chevrolet Malibu. These are raw counts: popular models get more reports, so this isn't a failure rate.
Why do steering column repair costs vary so much?
Shop labor rates differ by region, dealers usually charge more than independent shops, new, used and rebuilt parts cost different amounts, and some bills include other work done at the same time.
Where do these numbers come from?
From 596 complaints to NHTSA and 3 YouTube videos: the repair bills owners themselves reported. Owner reports, not a price quote.
Sources: NHTSA owner complaints and YouTube videos (amounts said out loud), sorted by The Lemon Index. Owner reports, not a price quote. Costs vary by shop and region.