While backing out of a parking space, I heard a loud snap and the suddenly lost the power steering. I could not make it home and had the vechicle towed to a local service station. The aaa tow truck man noticed that the serpentine belft was off the pulley. The power steering pump bracket snapped off the engine block. The head to one of the bolts on the bracket sheered off, leaving the stud in the engine block (probably needs to be drilled out or rebored). I plan to replace the part with the same aluminum dealer part, but I am very concerned about the related safety issue. I had my wife, infant and 3-yr old son in the car. If this would have happened at highway speeds or on a sharp turn, the results could have been disastrous. The dealership claims that this is a typical problem and the bracket can break. This is unacceptable!.

- Issaquah, WA, USA

While backing out of a parking space, my wife heard a loud snap and suddenly couldn't steer the vehicle. She was able to make it home, where I discovered the serpentine belt was off the pulley.. upon further inspection the next day, the mount that holds the power steering pump onto the engine block had snapped in 3 places. I have since found more information on the internet that this has happened to others. I am replacing it with the same dealer part; however, if the part itself is defective, this could have disasterous results if it happened while on the road. Here is a link to the info I found: jeepsunlimited.com/zj/steering/bracket.htm.

- Portland, CT, USA

Fracturing of defective power steering bracket lead to sudden and complete loss of power assist; serpentine drive belt also slipped off of pulleys, rendering generator, water pump, and other mechanical devices inoperable.

- Glen Ellyn, IL, USA