The Lemon Index$2,000 middle bill · most between $1,500 and $2,700
1,017 owner reports on 112 models
Ford Fusion, Ford Explorer, Ford Focus
Owners reported paying a median of $2,000 for a steering rack replacement, with the middle half of bills between $1,500 and $2,700. That's 1,017 owner reports on 112 models (1,016 complaints to NHTSA and 1 YouTube video). Costs vary by shop and region.
What owners paid
- Under $5002%
- $500–$1,0007%
- $1,000–$2,50060%
- $2,500–$5,00027%
- $5,000 and up4%
Share of the 1,017 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 Fusion | 148 | $1,800 | $1,600–$2,200 |
| Ford Explorer | 114 | $2,100 | $1,800–$2,500 |
| Ford Focus | 66 | $2,000 | $1,800–$2,300 |
| Honda CR-V | 52 | $3,600 | $3,000–$4,600 |
| Ram pickup | 47 | $3,000 | $2,500–$4,000 |
| Ford F-Series | 42 | $1,800 | $1,500–$2,000 |
| Honda Civic | 41 | $4,000 | $3,300–$4,300 |
| Chevrolet Traverse | 39 | $1,500 | $1,200–$1,700 |
| Chrysler Town & Country | 28 | $875 | $800–$1,000 |
| Ford Escape | 26 | $2,100 | $2,000–$2,500 |
| Lexus RX | 25 | $1,700 | $1,600–$1,800 |
| Honda Accord | 22 | $2,600 | $2,000–$3,100 |
| GMC Acadia | 21 | $1,400 | $1,000–$1,800 |
| Buick Enclave | 20 | $1,600 | $1,400–$2,000 |
| Chevrolet Colorado | 20 | $2,000 | $2,000–$2,500 |
| Toyota Sienna | 18 | $1,400 | $1,000–$1,500 |
| Dodge Grand Caravan | 15 | $1,100 | $935–$1,200 |
| Chevrolet Bolt | 12 | $2,900 | $2,400–$3,000 |
| Jeep Grand Cherokee | 12 | $1,900 | $1,600–$2,900 |
| Ford Taurus | 11 | $1,100 | $942–$1,800 |
| Chevrolet Silverado | 10 | $2,300 | $1,300–$2,800 |
| Chrysler Pacifica | 10 | $4,900 | $4,000–$5,300 |
| Chevrolet Impala | 9 | $1,100 | $830–$2,000 |
| Chevrolet Malibu | 9 | $980 | $600–$1,000 |
| GMC Canyon | 9 | $2,000 | $1,700–$2,200 |
| Toyota Tundra | 9 | $1,600 | $1,200–$2,000 |
| Toyota Prius | 8 | $3,000 | $2,300–$3,400 |
| Tesla Model 3 | 7 | $3,000 | $3,000–$3,700 |
| Acura TSX | 6 | $2,500 | $1,400–$3,300 |
| Audi Q5 | 5 | $4,700 | $3,800–$5,000 |
| Ford Flex | 5 | $2,500 | $2,100–$2,700 |
| Hyundai Sonata | 5 | $1,200 | $1,000–$1,800 |
| Tesla Model X | 5 | $4,900 | $4,600–$5,000 |
| Tesla Model Y | 5 | $3,100 | $3,000–$3,200 |
| Toyota Camry | 5 | $1,900 | $1,300–$2,400 |
| Toyota RAV4 | 5 | $2,300 | $2,000–$2,400 |
| Toyota Tacoma | 5 | $1,700 | $1,500–$2,100 |
| Chrysler 300M | 4 | too few for a range | |
| Dodge Dakota | 4 | too few for a range | |
| Dodge Durango | 4 | too few for a range | |
| Ford C-Max | 4 | too few for a range | |
| Ford Edge | 4 | too few for a range | |
| GMC Sierra | 4 | too few for a range | |
| Cadillac SRX | 3 | too few for a range | |
| Honda HR-V | 3 | too few for a range | |
| Jeep Wrangler | 3 | too few for a range | |
| Nissan Sentra | 3 | too few for a range | |
| Toyota Avalon | 3 | too few for a range | |
Models with 3+ reports. A model gets its own page and a range at 5+ reports. 64 more models with 1–2 reports count in the totals above.
Related repairs
Brake repair $700 · ABS module replacement $2,000 · Steering column repair $1,100 · 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): 11777527, 11776537, 11773889, 11773833, 11773673, 11773486, 11768831, 11768003, 11767024, 11766875, 11766437, 11766375 and more.
Said out loud on YouTube: $1,400 ▶
Quick answers
How much does a steering rack replacement cost?
Owners reported a median of $2,000, and the middle half paid $1,500 to $2,700, from 1,017 owner reports on 112 models. Costs vary by shop and region.
Which cars need a steering rack replacement most?
The most owner reports come from the Ford Fusion, Ford Explorer, Ford Focus. These are raw counts: popular models get more reports, so this isn't a failure rate.
Why do steering rack replacement 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 1,016 complaints to NHTSA and 1 YouTube video: 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.