Same job at other shop types (everything else as set above): Independent mechanic $1,453–$2,639 · Dealership $1,790–$3,089 (the headline above). Each figure applies that shop type's hourly labor rate (market estimates, shown above) to the calculator's own hours and parts assumptions. It is modeled, not a quote.
Check a quote against these ranges
This sets your number beside published ranges and owner-written bills. It is not a verdict: ask the shop what the quote includes (parts grade, labor hours, fees, tax). It runs in your browser and nothing you type is sent anywhere.
How serious did it get for owners?
4% of the 2,247 complaints report a tow, the most common serious outcome; the other outcomes counted below are rarer, and an owner can file without mentioning one.
Outcomes owners reported in complaints about this part. Towed: 90; Crash reported: 34; Injury reported: 10.
Counts below are complaints filed with NHTSA, not failure rates: a longer bar means more owners reported it.
Is your car affected?
What it shows: The most common band for complaints about this repair is under 50,000 (44%), against 60% for all complaints: the biggest difference between the two.
What it shows: The most common band for complaints about this repair is 3-5 years (36%). The biggest difference from all complaints is under 3 years old: 26% against 40%.
Is it urgent, and what do owners notice first?
2,247 owner complaints name this part.
What it shows: Recall mentioned is the largest at 32%, followed by Warning light at 18%; the smallest shown is Dealer could not fix or repeat repair at 12%.
What do owners say it led to?
Among the 2,247 owner complaints naming this part, owners most often say lost steering or braking followed.
What owners say happened after the problem. Lost steering or braking: 26 (1%); Loss of power: 5 (0%).
If your car shows the signs above, get it checked before it gets as far as lost steering or braking.
Which other parts do owners name in the same complaint?
Among the 2,247 owner complaints naming this part, power steering is named in 38% of them, more than any other part.
Other parts named in the same complaints. Power steering: 38%; Tie rod: 3%.
Owners name the power steering most often in the same complaint, which is not proof that one caused the other. Ask the shop whether it checked the power steering too, so you are not quoted twice for one visit.
How fast were owners driving when it happened?
55 mph or faster is the largest group at 37%, out of 1,121 complaints.
Owners reported it most often at highway speed. Tell the shop what speed it happens at, because that narrows the diagnosis.
Which model years show up most in the complaints?
2016 is the most common model year in 2,247 complaints naming this part (21%); 4 model years account for 59%.
What it shows: 2016 is the largest at 463 (21%); the smallest shown is 2025 at 36 (2%).
Do rack and pinion replacement problems track days per year that cross freezing, median station across states?
Days per year that cross freezing (low at or below 32F, high above 32F), median station
Complaints against what the makes sold would predict (1.0× = expected)
left map: lower to higherright map: green fewer complaints than expected, red morefurthest from the pattern: AZ, CO, FL, IL, KS, KY, MA, ME, NY, RI, VT, WAfewer than 10 complaints
This describes states, not any one car, and it does not show that the left measure produces the right one.
Every state with 10 or more complaints, most over-reported first: state, days per year that cross freezing (low at or below 32f, high above 32f), median station, complaints against expected, complaints filed.
- ME 110 · 2.11× · 20
- VT 106 · 1.94× · 10
- MA 108 · 1.82× · 86
- RI 102 · 1.65× · 10
- MT 136 · 1.62× · 10
- CT 105 · 1.61× · 39
- FL 3 · 1.51× · 264
- KY 85 · 1.39× · 39
- NE 121 · 1.38× · 13
- NH 116 · 1.31× · 16
- WV 102 · 1.29× · 17
- MO 87 · 1.29× · 50
- PA 102 · 1.25× · 103
- TN 77 · 1.22× · 57
- NC 70 · 1.15× · 90
- OH 88 · 1.09× · 95
- AL 52 · 1.08× · 37
- LA 25 · 1.08× · 33
- WI 92 · 1.06× · 40
- GA 46 · 1.04× · 83
- SC 53 · 1.01× · 40
- NJ 96 · 1.00× · 66
- VA 91 · 0.99× · 75
- IN 86 · 0.98× · 39
- OR 73 · 0.93× · 23
- NV 146 · 0.90× · 18
- MS 48 · 0.89× · 15
- AR 63 · 0.87× · 16
- TX 39 · 0.86× · 170
- MI 96 · 0.85× · 65
- NY 97 · 0.84× · 91
- CA 17 · 0.79× · 219
- MN 87 · 0.78× · 25
- MD 80 · 0.77× · 41
- IL 87 · 0.72× · 54
- WA 81 · 0.72× · 36
- OK 75 · 0.72× · 16
- KS 102 · 0.62× · 10
- CO 154 · 0.49× · 19
- AZ 45 · 0.41× · 20
What it shows: States with more days per year that cross freezing (low at or below 32f, high above 32f), median station tend to sit higher on the chart across 40 states: a pattern in the data, not proof of cause.
- A moderate pattern, probably real but not certain: about 1 in 5 patterns this clear turn out to be false alarms. Weak spot: hold very hot days equal and only 39% of the days per year that cross freezing, median station pattern remains, so part of it may be that factor.
Are the parts for this repair getting more expensive, or only the labor?
The federal producer price index for new steering and suspension parts rose 10.9% from December 2019 to August 2026, while the consumer price index for motor vehicle repair, labor and parts together, rose 55.2% (BLS, national).
Prices of new steering and suspension parts, as shops buy them from makers, since December 2019, against consumer prices for motor vehicle repair. New steering and suspension parts: +10.9%; All motor vehicle parts: +17.4%; Motor vehicle repair, labor and parts together: +55.2%.
Has the replacement part I am buying been recalled?
NHTSA lists 3 equipment recalls that name rack pinion since 2015 (suspension and steering), covering 219 items sold as parts rather than whole vehicles; the largest, by Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing in 2021, covered 151.
| Year | Maker and product | NHTSA component | Defect | Items |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing: Tundra. | rack and pinion | certain JTEKT power steering gear assembly service parts for 2007-2021 Tundra and 2008-2022 Sequoia, part. | 151 |
| 2022 | Chrysler (Fca Us, Llc): Steering Rack & Pinion | rack and pinion | certain Mopar Steering Rack and Pinion Electric Gear Assemblies with part numbers 68498478AA, 68499163AA. | 53 |
| 2019 | Chrysler (Fca Us Llc): Elec Power Steering Gear | electric power assist system | certain Mopar Steering Rack and Pinion Electric Gear Assemblies for Ram 1500 trucks (part number 68419897AB). | 15 |
Has this part been recalled abroad on cars that may share it?
Manufacturers filed 4 foreign recall campaigns that name rack pinion with NHTSA since 2015; the latest, from BMW of North America in 2021-02. These are recalls abroad, and they apply to U.S. cars only if the same model is sold here.
| Filed | Manufacturer | Foreign recall no. | What the filing says |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-02 | BMW of | 039 | Electric power steering assist motor to the steering gear housing (rack and pinion assembly). |
| 2018-06 | Mazda Motor. | 109 | Of the affected vehicles that contain the subject condition: Unknown Description of the Defect: When manufacturing the steering rack assembly, the durability of the pinion gear teeth may not be sufficient due to inappropriate heat treatment. |
How many recalled cars are actually fixed, so should I check mine?
Across 6 NHTSA recalls that name rack pinion filed 2015 to 2024, 86.6% of the 272,858 recalled vehicles had been repaired after 8 quarters, against 66.2% for all recalls, which leaves about 36,629 vehicles still carrying the defect.
| Year | Vehicles | Recalled vehicles | Repaired | Component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Honda Civic | 264,567 | 86.5% | rack and pinion |
| 2018 | Mercedes-Benz C 350 E, E 300 | 6,373 | 89.8% | rack and pinion rack |
| 2022 | Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe; Dodge Durango | 931 | 77.0% | rack and pinion |
| 2023 | Honda Pilot | 519 | 93.3% | rack and pinion rack |
| 2024 | Honda Ridgeline, Passport | 245 | 96.3% | rack and pinion |
| 2021 | Ford F-150 | 223 | 97.8% | rack and pinion |
What do owners who wrote down a dollar amount say they paid?
Among 85 NHTSA owner complaints about this part that name one component and one repair, the middle dollar amount an owner wrote was $3,000, with a quarter at $2,200 or less and a quarter at $4,000 or more; these are selected owner reports, not a representative price.
| Measure | Amount or count |
|---|---|
| A quarter of owners wrote this much or more | $4,000 |
| Middle amount owners wrote | $3,000 |
| A quarter of owners wrote this much or less | $2,200 |
| All complaints naming the part with any dollar amount, before the filter | 240 |
| Complaints with one component, no repeat or tow wording, and a dollar amount | 85 |
Which counties have the roughest roads?
FHWA's road-condition records show poor ride quality (above 170 inches per mile of roughness) on 89.1% of measured road miles in District of Columbia, DC, 74.1% in Baltimore city, MD and 65.4% in Marion County, WV, against 13.8% in the median county.
What it shows: District of Columbia, DC is the largest at 89.1%, followed by Baltimore city, MD at 74.1%; the smallest shown is New Castle County, DE at 51.9%.
If this part was recalled, is the repair free?
Federal law (49 U.S.C. 30120) requires a maker to fix a recalled defect without charge for cars first bought within 15 calendar years (tires within 5), and NHTSA lists 16 recall campaigns for parts matched to a rack and pinion replacement since model year 2015, covering about 580,173 vehicles.
| Rule or count | What it says |
|---|---|
| Age limits | The free-remedy duty does not apply to a car first bought more than 15 calendar years, or a tire first bought more than 5 calendar years, before the recall notice. |
| Failure to fix | A repair not done adequately within 60 days of presentation is prima facie evidence of failure to repair within a reasonable time; the maker must then replace the vehicle or refund the purchase price less depreciation. |
| Free remedy | A maker must fix a recall defect without charge. |
| NHTSA recalls matched to a rack and pinion replacement since model year 2015 | 16 recall campaigns covering about 580,173 vehicles |
Is it recalled or covered?
| Recall number | Vehicles | Cars recalled | What the recall says |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23V-704 | Honda Civic 2022–2024 | 264,567 | A damaged tire can fail and increase the risk of a crash or injury. |
| 26V-590 | Volkswagen Tiguan 2018; Volkswagen Atlas 2018–2019; Audi Q3 2019–2021 | 208,724 | A broken steering rack housing can result in a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash. |
| 18V-204 | Tesla Model S 2015–2016 | 70,421 | Loss of power steering assist would require a higher steering effort, especially at lower speeds, which may increase the risk of a crash. |
| 21V-920 | Toyota Tundra 2015–2021; Toyota Sequoia 2015–2022 | 22,462 | An oil leak may cause a sudden loss of power steering assist, increasing the risk of a crash. |
| 18V-850 | Mercedes-Benz C 350 E 2018–2019; Mercedes-Benz E 300 2018; Mercedes-Benz C 300 2017–2019 and 6 more | 6,373 | A car that cannot be properly steered has an increased risk of a crash. |
| 19V-637 | Jeep Cherokee 2019–2020 | 5,294 | A loss of steering control increases the risk of a crash. |
| 22V-154 | Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe 2022; Dodge Durango 2021–2022 | 931 | Difficulty steering, or a loss of steering control, can increase the risk of a crash. |
| 23V-735 | Honda Pilot 2023–2024 | 519 | A loss of steering control or steering lock-up can increase the risk of a crash. |
8 more recalls name this part, on smaller fleets. The car finder at the top checks yours.
NHTSA defect investigations naming this part (1)
| Case number | Vehicles | Opened | Status | What NHTSA looked at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RQ26002 | Mazda CX-90 2024–2025; Mazda CX-90 Plug-IN Hybrid 2024 | Jan 26, 2026 | Open | Momentary increase in steering effort after recall. |
A bulletin is a repair procedure a maker sends its dealers, not a safety defect: if your maker is listed, ask the dealer whether one covers your car and quote its number.
| Maker | Vehicles | Bulletin number | Date | What it says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeep | Wagoneer S 2025; Cherokee 2025 | 113824 | Aug 3, 2026 | The bulletin file gives no description beyond its title (gear). |
| Chevrolet | Equinox 2026; Equinox EV 2025 | N252531220 | Dec 16, 2025 | Certain vehicles may have a condition in which the Power Steering Control Module, located within Electric Dual Pinion Rack and Pinion Steering Gear, is unable to be programmed. |
| Dodge | Charger EV 2024–2025 | 9100612 | Jun 12, 2025 | "Gear Assy - Steering Rack Dealers are replacing EPS gear for C2217 overlooking the TSB: 08-098-25. |
| Jeep | Wagoneer 2024–2025; Grand Wagoneer 2024–2025 | 9100596 | Jun 2, 2025 | "Gear Assy - Steering Rack 1) If below DTCs are observed, please refer to 08-095-25 REV. |
| RAM | 1500 2025 | 9100575 | May 20, 2025 | Gear rack and pinion: Custodian would encounter steer feel being heavier and may feel some pulling. |
| Audi | RS 3 2017–2020; A3 Sportback E-Tron 2016–2018 and 8 more | TSB-2077014_1 | Feb 24, 2025 | This bulletin provides information when there are cracking noises from the steering rack when steering. |
57 more bulletins name this part; the car finder at the top checks yours, and the NHTSA bulletin file linked below lists them all.
What do owners say?
4 complaints quoted word for word, each with its NHTSA number.
Took it to dealer they said steering rack went bad and had to pay $2000 for new steering rack.
The dealer diagnosed the problem, reporting that the steering rack is causing the noise and needs to be replaced at a cost of $3,700.00.
Have taken it to multiple dealerships to be told a "recall" was done on it already and nothing can be done but to pay out of pocket to replace entire rack and pinion a $2,000 job.
I took my truck to lynn smith chevrolet in burleson tx and was told the power steering control module was bad and the entire steering rack needed to be replaced which is $3,000 out of my pocket.
Check your car
Rack and pinion replacement cost lands at $1,790–$3,089 in our calculator's default: a hydraulic rack, done at a dealer, alignment included. A car with an electric (EPS) rack, which is most 2012 and newer, runs $2,472–$4,552 at a dealer.
How Much Does Rack and Pinion Replacement Cost?
Our calculator's default for rack and pinion replacement cost is $1,790–$3,089 (hydraulic rack, dealer, alignment included). Change one input and the number moves. Here are the three settings that matter most:
| Setup | Estimate |
|---|---|
| Hydraulic rack, dealer (incl. alignment) | $1,790–$3,089 |
| Electric (EPS) rack, dealer (incl. alignment) | $2,472–$4,552 |
| Hydraulic rack, independent mechanic (incl. alignment) | $1,453–$2,639 |
The part is the same kind of part. You're mostly paying a different hourly rate.
Other sites publish wildly different numbers, and they don't say where the figures come from.
That spread is the reason to ask what a quote covers. Some ranges bundle the alignment, fluid and tie rods, and some leave them out. Before you compare two numbers, ask each shop three things: which rack (hydraulic or electric), which part grade (new, remanufactured or OEM), and whether the alignment is on the ticket.
One more thing. Use it to sanity-check, then get a second quote for your VIN.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a rack and pinion replacement cost?
Our estimate is $1,790–$3,089 for a hydraulic rack at a dealer, $2,472–$4,552 for an electric rack at a dealer, and $1,453–$2,639 for a hydraulic rack at an independent shop, all with alignment.
How long does rack and pinion replacement take?
Detroit Axle puts most replacements at 3–6 hours of shop labor. Vehicles with tight engine bays or a subframe to lower take longer, and the car also needs an alignment afterward.
Sources
Data shown on this page
- NHTSA owner complaint file (2015-2019 · 2020-2024 · 2025-2026) downloaded 2026-10-05
- NHTSA recall file downloaded 2026-10-05
- NHTSA defect investigation file downloaded 2026-10-05
- NHTSA service bulletin file (2015-2019 · 2020-2024 · 2025-2026) downloaded 2026-10-05
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (annual), joined to NHTSA owner complaints downloaded 2026-10-12
- BLS Producer Price Index, commodity data for motor vehicle parts (series WPU14120502); BLS Consumer Price Index item SETD for the repair row downloaded August 2026
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, Foreign Campaigns (filings under 49 CFR 579.11, public API) downloaded 2026-10-05
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall quarterly reports (basis of the Annual List of Recall Completion Rates) downloaded 2026-10-05
- FHWA Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS) national section data, roughness (IRI) by county; poor-ride cut from the FHWA Conditions and Performance Report data from 2026
- 49 U.S.C. 30120 (Remedies for defects and noncompliance), text via Cornell Legal Information Institute; NHTSA recall campaigns data from 2026
Terms: US government data, public domain.
Observed: records as filed; owner reports are unverified and are not failure rates. Derived: computed from the records; an association, not a cause. Rule: a published legal rule, not a measurement; whether it covers a given repair depends on the car and the facts.
What is our own estimate
The price range comes from our calculator's formula. Its parts prices, labor hours per job and shop-rate tiers are CalcScrape estimates, not a published price dataset. Checked against RepairPal's range ($2,307–$2,572) on 2026-10-10: our default's midpoint is 0% above the middle of that range. Price evidence grade C: one outside published range; the hours and parts prices behind the estimate are CalcScrape assumptions and have not been checked against repair invoices. Methodology