I've seen a previous Thread on this but there was no final answer. I have a 2012 F150 with electric power steering. The steering freezes when the temperature drops below freezing. When the sun comes out and it gets above 32 degrees, it steering breaks loose and I can drive. Of course, in the midwest, the sun doesn't always come out and it doesn't always get above 32 degrees. If the temperature is in the 20s I can thaw the steering with a heat gun on the power steering motor, mounted on the rack, but I don't want to leave it parked or it will re-freeze. I don't want to go through the next four months hoping for a warm day so I would like to fix this. a replacement rack and pinon, with the power steering motor is about $800 but if it is replaced the computer must be reprogrammed by the dealer. When this is added in, along with towing the truck to the dealer, we are pretty close to the value of the truck. Has anyone been through this? Is there a way to drain the motor?

 

I'll take a wild guess here......It can & has happened with stiff steering.....Take a good spray lubricant (not wd-40) (Fluid film etc)
Spray & litery soak the two u-joints in the steering shaft...pay special attention to the bottom u-joint (it is beside the exhaust manifold & is more subject to be the problem & gets covered with road salt etc.) (exhaust manifold tends to dry this joint out also)
Your time & lube is all it's gonna cost you....remember after you lube it do about 6-10 real tight figure eights to help work lube into the joints....Then drive it for a few days.......If above fixes your issue plz post back with results...So To help others.... Respray every week or so if above fixes it ....Ultimately replace the shaft.....Good Luck !!.

PS: I used to drive the left front up onto a curb & definitly spray that bottom joint from underneath !! China shafts work !!! & are available on E-Bay & are way cheaper than Oem.....

 

probably needs new intermediate shaft.

 

I guess w'll never know what fixed his trk...Or if it was scraped etc.......He seems to have disappeared??

 

Thanks for the remarks and I apologize. For some reason your remarks never showed up when I checked, until now. I just found the remarks because things have changed. After the spring of 23, the problem went away but there was a faint grinding whenever I turned the wheel. I just lived with it until today when, on a bright 60 degree day, the steering froze again. Now I am finding lot more information and it seems there could be water in the motor that froze it previously. Now, corrosion has probably taken the motor out.