Q: steering completely broke driving down the road
While I was driving down the road without any warning at all my steering broke. Wheel could spin all the way around and wheels would not move. 5 weeks earlier I had had the steering gear rack and pinion and tie rod replaced. Could they have tightened something too tight that caused my intermediate steering shaft to break
My car has 108000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.
This sounds a lot like the steering shaft snapped and is no longer connected to the steering rack. You can check this by looking underneath the dash up above the gas and brake pedal (you can’t miss the steering shaft) to see if it is still connected. While looking at this have someone turn the steering wheel. If the shaft spins, it is still connected and is likely something else related to the steering rack. If it does not spin, this suggests the shaft itself is no longer connected. Also, there are two couplings at the base of the steering shaft, one is a slide coupling that allows the rack and sub-frame to move fore/aft with respect to the steering column, the other is a universal that bends the shaft into the steering rack. Either of these may be broken as well. I would recommend having an expert from YourMechanic come to your home to diagnose this steering issue and repair.
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