My wife and I initially took our car in for serious problems with power steering/binding of the steering wheel in 2013, we had no power steering and needed it to be fixed. The Ford Dealership said an alarm had been hooked up to the power steering circuit and had shorted out the power steering box. Funny thing - no alarm had ever been put on this vehicle. Seriously. We tried to tell them they were full of it but would not release the car until the price was paid. $$1500. We bit the bullet and just said the hell with it.

In 2014 we get a letter stating that there was a recall on the power steering etc...torque sensor...etc.. Knowing this now, we called the Ford Dealership back and explained what happened. We took the car back in to the same Ford Dealership (7520 North Military Highway Norfolk, VA). The vehicle was "fixed" and checked out with a FORD APPROVAL and assured us that the issues we were experiencing were taken care of with the torque sensor reprogram etc...now the alarm will light up..etc.... To get our money back after the recall we had to go to FORD directly. FORD refunded the money to us. The Dealership refused.

Fast forward to 2016, the same steering issues we experienced before are now back. This time we must have had a competent tech because he found the real cause of the issue. There is a U-Joint just behind the inner firewall that connects to the lower shaft of the steering. Once again they tried to charge us $1200 dollars to fix this issue. I basically said F U and paid the diag fee. I then went to Advanced Auto - bought the part for $75 (it even says on the description of the part...FIXES BINDING ISSUE AND POOR DESIGN in OEM - then I went to chiltondiy.com and bought the technical manual for the 2008 Mercury for 16 dollars.

So I now have the part - the manual. Total time taken fix - less than an hour.

I now have no more issues with my steering. Drives like a new car.

To FORD: You do have a serious problem with the quality and performance of your U-Joint - You need to recall these and have them replaced immediately unless you want people to die due to your faulty U-Joint that causes people to completely lose steering.

Took the vehicle to Bismarck Ford dealership on the steering recall back in October or November 2014.

End of February 2015, when I took a left turn at intersection, I heard a pop noise and after that every time I took a left turn it would make popping noise. When I drive down the highway their was a lot of play in the steering, swaying to the left or to the right. It was very scary.

Then after while their was a whole lot of knocking in the steering wheel column, it didn't matter if I took a left turn or go straight it would make knocking noise.

I had the LOWER STEERING SHAFT, OUTER TIE-ROD ENDS, REPLACED. ALSO, HAD FRONT BRAKE PADS AND TURNED THE ROTORS REPLACED.IT WAS A PAIN IN THE ASS. WHAT else it going to give out?