Evoque Owners Club banner

Steering rack fail

23K views 32 replies 21 participants last post by  Jok 
#1 ·
Hi looking for some help.
My Evoque steering failed today when reversing out my drive.jan28th 2021 car is registered 2015 new.
Basically sitting out the front and I have no idea what to do. It is out of warranty and land rover have said they will investigate but can't guarantee anything and I will be liable for any costs. Car steering will not move at all and sounded like a grinding nose.google points towards steering rack failure .has it been recalled ??
What should I do and what kinda cost will I likely face :-( any help/advice welcomed guys thanks stu
 
#2 ·
Have a search on this forum. There’s plenty of information about how others have dealt with the same situation. I think a fair few people have managed to get it fixed by JLR for free. Good luck.
 
#3 ·
 
#4 ·
 
#5 ·
The link to Donnas post says the following:

"Inform the dealership you are not paying towards the diagnosis £180 as you have informed JLR complaints your aware this is a known fault and is covered by a fail and repair policy that you saw on the driving agency safety standards UK"

I can’t seem to find that on the driving agency safety standards U.K. . Can anyone put a link up to it - I’m sure that would be of use to those that come on here looking for help with that particular problem.
 
#6 ·
One consolation was that you were going slowly in reverse, rather than at speed forward.

There is two things that you want to ensure works correctly in a car and that's steering and brakes. When a car fails on me with that, I sell it. I had steering rack problems on my Smart Soft Top Roadster (interference fit causing noises and vibration at slow speed), a common fault on that car as owners found out later, and they replaced my whole rack under warranty with a new one (the only solution), and I sold the car soon after when warranty finished, as I no longer trusted the car.
 
#7 ·
Just have a look on eBay for prices of new and used racks. The range is very wide from £350 for used ones up to £1850. There looks to be some genuine new Bosch ones on at £799 and one place is doing recon racks fitted for £799.
I guess main dealer prices will be crazy so personally I would seek out a good independent that specialises in racks. Most regions have one or two. If it is just the drive belt that has gone they are available for £60.
Let us know what you do please.
 
#8 ·
Personally from what I have read on here recently over this issue I would get it to an authorised JLR dealer to fix......you have to accept from their point of view to start with that the problem could be anything but 99% it is the failed bolts......the argument with them should be whether you have to pay the diagnostic fee for them to check this out....obviously the options in order of preference are:

  • they don’t ask you to pay it
  • don’t pay upfront but accept liability for it if its not failed bolts
  • pay it on agreed basis that if ends up being failed bolts and covered by JLR then you will get the diagnostic fee back

I would play hard on the safety recall and risk to life / how upset you are blah blah blah to try to get some goodwill from the dealer initially re the diagnostic work....but ultimately I would pay the c£200 for them to confirm its the bolts that have failed.....make sure you dealer knows all about this issue beforehand as they should ie they will then simply follow through to get approval from JLR for the repair and give you the diagnostic cost back....

Its unfortunate you have to go through this process but you have to look at it from both sides ie it may not be failed bolts and they cannot accept liability until that is established......

The main risk is in the unlikely event its not the failed bolts.....you will then have to take it somewhere else to get whatever the problem is repaired cheaper.......but you would have had to pay them for a diagnostic as well so even though you have paid out £200 its not all a cost you would not have incurred anyway ....

.....its 99% failed bolts that why I would go the official route which should lead to a fully free repair ;-)
 
#9 ·
Personally from what I have read on here recently over this issue I would get it to an authorised JLR dealer to fix......you have to accept from their point of view to start with that the problem could be anything but 99% it is the failed bolts......the argument with them should be whether you have to pay the diagnostic fee for them to check this out....obviously the options in order of preference are:

  • they don’t ask you to pay it
  • don’t pay upfront but accept liability for it if its not failed bolts
  • pay it on agreed basis that if ends up being failed bolts and covered by JLR then you will get the diagnostic fee back

I would play hard on the safety recall and risk to life / how upset you are blah blah blah to try to get some goodwill from the dealer initially re the diagnostic work....but ultimately I would pay the c£200 for them to confirm its the bolts that have failed.....make sure you dealer knows all about this issue beforehand as they should ie they will then simply follow through to get approval from JLR for the repair and give you the diagnostic cost back....

Its unfortunate you have to go through this process but you have to look at it from both sides ie it may not be failed bolts and they cannot accept liability until that is established......

The main risk is in the unlikely event its not the failed bolts.....you will then have to take it somewhere else to get whatever the problem is repaired cheaper.......but you would have had to pay them for a diagnostic as well so even though you have paid out £200 its not all a cost you would not have incurred anyway ....

.....its 99% failed bolts that why I would go the official route which should lead to a fully free repair ;-)
In other words " Milk it for all it's worth " :)
 
#10 ·
If you can get a good deal from the dealer then go for it.
I didn’t when my Mercedes A class rack failed. It failed once in warranty, replaced, and again 18 months later, but not covered as I had not paid for the first one so it was only guaranteed for the initial warranty period.
The part was about £300 (no electric racks in those days). Merc wanted £120 to examine and report to Mercedes and hoped to get me 10 or 20% discount, then wanted three hours labour or £360 to fit it. About £720 if I got maximum discount.
My local Indy bought the same rack from the dealer at full price and fitted it for £100, total £400. Main dealer labour rates are so ridiculously high that they become uneconomical to use for anything other than routine servicing IMHO.
Yes I would have got an extended guarantee and a frothy coffee, but it was the same part they were fitting.
Hope JLR are better than Mercedes were.
 
#11 ·
The difference here is that the Evoques suffer from a known bolt failure which is subject to a recall in other countries ie Canada......over here the safety authorities looked into it but copped out of a full safety recall due to the failure only occurring at low speed ie when most torque on the bolts therefore low risk of injury and JLR committing to free fixes on an as fail basis........the hassle with that as its not a recall is that you have to wait for it to fail....then potentially pay for a diagnosis to confirm its bolt failure but then you should get a full repair with new parts at zero cost to you.....its the hassle and potentially being without the car whilst its sorted thats the issue v a planned safety recall
 
  • Like
Reactions: Binty
#15 ·
Hi looking for some help.
My Evoque steering failed today when reversing out my drive.jan28th 2021 car is registered 2015 new.
Basically sitting out the front and I have no idea what to do. It is out of warranty and land rover have said they will investigate but can't guarantee anything and I will be liable for any costs. Car steering will not move at all and sounded like a grinding nose.google points towards steering rack failure .has it been recalled ??
What should I do and what kinda cost will I likely face :-( any help/advice welcomed guys thanks stu

hi, would you mind joining my Facebook group regarding this? It’s a group specifically for this fault and we are campaigning for a recall or free repair. We would like to hear people’s experiences regarding this fault, whether you were in any danger and whether you had to pay for repair. I hope you have it sorted but if not, we also have advice on how to approach JLR for a free repair.

the group on Facebook is called - Evoque & Disco Sport steering rack/EPAS failure advice & recall campaign.

It can be found via the search bar.

thank you.
 
#20 ·
Haven't a clue mate, was just thinking it was a case if removing 3 bolts then replacing them for my peace of mind instead of waiting for them to go, then being left with no car, diagnostic charge and getting it to dealer charge. Don't know how difficult this job is but great pity jlr don't offer this "simple" and cheap (compared to new rack) fix to this potentially fatal fault.
 
#18 ·
I was speaking to a rack company the other day who have replaced loads of these bolts, and they say of the hundreds they've done a few have sheared when removing, and there's no way of telling if they will or not until it sheared.

My only thought is if it does shear, then how long did you have before it snapped anyway?
 
#21 ·
I think JLR don't do this because it's not a straight forward job and if the bolts fail when trying to remove them then the rack is knackered. Then you have no chance of a free replacement. Personally I'd take the chance and just have the rack replaced if they fail at a later date.
 
#22 ·
I've read some are doing this as a preventative measure but if the bolts shear it's game over 😲. Anyone know the percentage of failures, I've just got the timing belt done, sorted haldex fault (🤞) now I've got this issue to worry about, not happy. This should not be happening on any car never mind a supposed marque. 😠
 
#23 ·
Hi looking for some help.
My Evoque steering failed today when reversing out my drive.jan28th 2021 car is registered 2015 new.
Basically sitting out the front and I have no idea what to do. It is out of warranty and land rover have said they will investigate but can't guarantee anything and I will be liable for any costs. Car steering will not move at all and sounded like a grinding nose.google points towards steering rack failure .has it been recalled ??
What should I do and what kinda cost will I likely face :-( any help/advice welcomed guys thanks stu

Hi

I have this steering rack failure on my 2014 evoque :(. It broke down whilst reversing and made thegrinding noise. I got it towed to a local garage as it was a Saturday evening. He said it won’t be cheap but my husband had been Googling the fault and said it could be this issue. So I rang LR and paid £60 to get it towed. I was due to go on holiday on the Monday so had to rent a car from enterprisefor £300. JLR have apparently agreed to pay for repairs but I’ll wait until I get it back to see if it’s all covered.
Just wonder if I have any chance to claim my other costs back. I’m carless until it’s fixed and out of pocket £360 already. Anyone any thoughts? Hope it’s not weeks I havekids to get to footy etc
 
#27 ·
My EVOQUE's power steering failed last night. No movement, grinding noise. Thanks to this thread I called the main dealer who checked my reg and said there was a recall on it. Had it towed there, just waiting to hear if that is the problem and then hopefully they will cover it. If it is the case I will be fighting to not pay the diagnostic fee! Will keep you updated.
 
#28 ·
You shoulder have to fight payment for the diagnostic as from your description more than likely the bolts. Iv had mine done twice 1st remanufactured rack they fitted failed within 3 months so 2nd time round they fitted a brand new one and it's been fine since. Good luck with yours
 
#29 ·
Good news, it's been fixed with no charge under the recall! Thank goodness I read this thread otherwise I'd have just taken it to my usual garage and been several grand out of pocket. (Disclsimer my usual garage are fantastic!) So I would echo the advice of others, take it straight to a main dealer (or at least call them to check if your vehicle has the recall on it).
 
#30 ·
Hi my wife called me whilst I was working away 24th Jan 24. She had a problem with the car. AA told her ot was the steering rack. Is was quoted £4500 for this work. Fortunately i went on this forum and rang Land Rover direct. Im pleased to say with the basin knowledge from reading this forum all works are being done under a recall warranty. Thanks guys and keep up the good work.
Kind regards Jez
 
#31 ·
Great news but £4500, blimey it gets worse
 
  • Like
Reactions: Gtiaps
#32 ·
Yup replacement prices definitely jumped was 3k when they replaced my rack 🤔 but as said after actually reading this brilliant forum instead of " Iv got a problem " the right direction was pointed out and monies been saved bonus 👍👍
 
  • Like
Reactions: CLAYBUSTER
Top