Urgent, Ford Galaxy steering locked while driving ?

ScouseMouse

Howya folks.

Just had the wife telling me she was going around a roundabout and the steering locked! There was no click, like the steering lock activating, road was smooth, no mad pot holes or anything. No warning lights activated, just loss of control.

She was pulling the wheel to the right but it wouldnt move !

Does this sound mad or is there something seriously wrong with the car.

I just took it for a spin and did 20 ish turns of varying degrees around a roundabout, both to the left and to the right, and I cannot see anything wrong.

She is not imagining it, she had someone in the car with her that saw it happen.

Any ideas folks ?

gyppo

Did the engine cut out?

ScouseMouse

No it didnt, but it was labouring as she was to high a gear and was changing down, but it did not cut out. And no lights came on. She restarted the car and away it went.

Atlantic Dawn

With the car stationary did you try full lock left and full lock right to see if there's any resistance?

ScouseMouse

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

With the car stationary did you try full lock left and full lock right to see if there's any resistance?

Just tried that. No resistance what so ever.

jimmy2pens

I could be away off here, but i had a bearing in the top of the front shock that seized in a peugeot, this caused very strong resistance in the steering, I know of another person who crashed because they could not steer around a bend, it turned out to be the bearing on top of the shock, however that said both of these were high milage vechicles.

knotknowbody

Had an Carina II years ago that done this on me twice a couple of months apart, could not figure it out the first time, the second time it was off the road with her till problem was resolved. It turned out there was a universal joint on the steering column at a change of direction where it passed from the interior to the engine compartment it had gotten stiff with age and would lock in certain circumstances, when I discovered what was causing the problem I was able to consistently reproduce it in the yard, replacing the joint solved the issue, it took a while to find it though.

ScouseMouse

Its got 95k on it. I did a full check on it before I bought it in the UK, the mileage looks ok. It also has a folder full of paperwork for serviceing.

I am hoping it is herself getting flustered going around a roundabout in two high a gear and maybe stalling it - but lights didnt come on as you would expect.

Gonna get it into Brownes this week I think. Told her to stay off the m50 and stay at 30 or below.

keithclancy

superscouse wrote: »

Its got 95k on it. I did a full check on it before I bought it in the UK, the mileage looks ok. It also has a folder full of paperwork for serviceing.

I am hoping it is herself getting flustered going around a roundabout in two high a gear and maybe stalling it - but lights didnt come on as you would expect.

Gonna get it into Brownes this week I think. Told her to stay off the m50 and stay at 30 or below.

Probably stalled it and the power steering went.

Would give the impression that the steering was 'locked' alright.

Frankie Lee

There are a lot of power steering pump issues with the S-Max all right but I'm not sure if is the same as the Galaxy. Hopefully it is still under warranty ifit is.

2 stroke

Very much a longshot but could the car have been flood damaged. A friends van had similar trouble twice, the second time it was decided to change the entire steering rack as there was no obvious cause. Mechanics opinion was that the car had spent time in fast flowing flood water as there was mud and grit everywhere that it shouldn't be, even inside cv joints.