Ford Raptor Power Steering Pump Failure

[Josh A]

Guys,

We were out putting up deer stands the other day and my father-in-law stuck his new 2500 HD 6.0 liter. I hiked two miles back and got my Raptor....drove around him through the mud to get on hard ground and jerked him out. After pulling him out I noticed that steering was tough and figured it was just mud in the wheels. Washed everything out, checked for damage, and still had issues. Took it to the dealer and explained the issue, told them why I was in the mud, and that it was nothing unusual to go through mud deeper than this with my older Chevys and Power Strokes, and I expected warranty coverage (note I bought the ~$1,500 bumper to bumper upgrade on purchase). In addition the Raptor "Off Road Driving Manual" says it can handle water that deep and deeper. Still waiting to see if they will warranty it because they acted like they might not because of the mud. In the mean time I got to researching and it seems a lot of Raptors are having this issue with it well documented on the various Raptor forums. The issue seems to be a poor design on the power steering tank leading to pump cavitation and ultimately pump failure. My question to y'all....has anybody else had low mileage steering pump failures in their Raptors, F150s, or Power Strokes?

Josh

 

[Josh A]

Warranty Covered But Still A Bad Design

Guys,

Found out today they are going to warranty cover the issue with the steering pump. Still curious about the issue as my Raptor only has 12K miles and my 2008 Super Duty had a multiple similar issues at less than 50K miles sans any obvious reason (mud, water, or off reading). I'm starting to question Ford's steering pump design.

Josh

 

[mga]

new design, new problems.

i'll bet the next generation has that issue corrected. Ford, as well as all the others, hesitate to issue recalls unless the Highway safety makes them.

after spending that much on a truck, they had better cover the damn thing!

 

[sawdust_wizard]

Idk if there is room on your truck, however on the power steering return line add a power steering filter. I Have one installed them on all my rides ands never had to replace a power steering pump or gear box. however if it involved water, it doesn't do much good

 

[blades]

Note on current models the power steering fluild is also used to boost your brake system. From what I gather there seems to be a cross contamination or something going on. At any rate the Mercon 4 or 5 that is used for your ps system is overheating. The mechs on the ford forums are recommending flushing the system at regular intervals and yes installing a filter in the line is also recommended. I was doing fluid changes and checks on my 06 250 yesterday and noticed the ps was fairly low and it didn't look to good, which lead to some research I listed above. No noise or leaks in the systems. Also most are recommending Mobil 1 universal ATF fluid as a replacement fluid.