Hi all, Help!!

I've got the dreaded electronic power steering unit failure. I can see the unit is loose form the steering rack, and 2 of the 3 bolts holding it on have sheared off.

Is it easy enough to just take the EPS off, remove the broken bolts and refit, or is there likely to be more damage requiring open wallet surgery?

Thanks in advance,
Dobbles. MY15.5 HSE
MY13 110
MY87 90 (ex-mod) (for sale)

Hi, everyone, so a bit of an update which might pre useful for someone in the future.

After some Googling, I’ve discovered that this failure is huge! In more ways than one.

The failure is caused by one, two or all three of the bolts that secure the EPAS drive motor to the steering rack. The bolts are susceptible to salt damage which weakens them. They eventually snap, causing a catastrophic lose of steering. Luckily we were on the drive, so noticed straight away.

It’s such a common fault on Evoque and Disco Sport, that JLR provide a perpetual warranty repair, and is subject to a recall in the US and Canada. The problem was featured on the One Show in the UK, too.

Now, JLR and local dealership said they’d never heard of this on a RRS, but the part is identical to that used in the Evoque and DS. My 3rd party warranty company had heard of this, and the guy I spoke to knew it was quite common on RRS too.

But, it’s going to cost a lot to get repaired. New part if circa £2000, and labour to fit will be similar given the amount of work needed. Currently waiting for a complete estimate on the job.

So, there you have it; a couple of failed bolts which have a huge price tag. Sad day! MY15.5 HSE
MY13 110
MY87 90 (ex-mod) (for sale)

DM, would there be any advantage if this is bit of a common occurrence now to pre-empt it and replace the bolts with 304 or 316 grade stainless steel bolts, although they would eventually corroded but not to the degree of steel ones , might save someone a big bill, only a thought.

Cheers
Col

I know there were a few places offering this for the Evoque/DS racks

Those cars are now excluded from the recall due to "modifications"
(Assuming JLR will extend the recall to all models)

Also, if you snap the bolts while replacing, that's a whole world of pain

Disco_Mikey wrote:

It's nowhere near the labour estimate though

Gulp! More, or less? MY15.5 HSE
MY13 110
MY87 90 (ex-mod) (for sale)

Much less

Hi, I have just had this exact same problem on my L405, bolts snapped and the motor fell out, no warnings on dash and the motor was still spinning with each turn of the wheel. My local garage managed to drill out the broken bolts and re attach it but it doesn't work at all now, does anyone know if this now needs some sort of reset? !st Edition RRS S/C, Black on Black.

RRS HSE, Java, Alpaca, Bluetooth, Dynamic Pack, SC Grill, Black Badges, tints all round.
(NOW SOLD)
Ex D3 TDV6S owner

I remember being at my LR Independent last year and I was chatting about how busy they were with the lad on the front desk stated that they were getting a good few RR with the exact problem as described.He basically said the cheap quality bolts were the problem and blamed LR cost cutting rather than paying that little extra for decent quality bolts.

I'm surprised that LR are making this a perpetual warranty issue rather than just swapping the bolts out for decent quality items as a one off job. Surely that would be cheaper than dealing with full failures as warranty claims. 2012 SDV6 - it's missing a couple of cylinders
2008 TDV8 - it was a labour of love and is much missed

Hs anyone noticed the bolts tend to fail in winter and there is no corrosion on the bolts.
It happened to me 9 December 2023 overnight temp -4c on the driveway. pressed the ignition and the steering wheel started to whine and vibrate with no input from us, so the bolt must have sheared during the night.
The AA said they get loads of calls for this fault.

My 2015 range rover sport has the same steering unit as Discovery sport 2015 to 2017 , however its not covered by the fix on failure extended warranty for Evoque 2012-2017 and Disco sport.

Range rover cant explain why RRS owners are discriminated against and stone walling by not replying to complaints from long term customers. I have had Jags and RR for 40 years and most probably spent £600k on their cars.

This repair at £3000 represents 20% of the cars value

extremely bad way to do business and they put profit over safety.

Keep the pressure on LR Customer Service for your case
To be escalated. They may well still pay. MY15.5 HSE
MY13 110
MY87 90 (ex-mod) (for sale)

Thanks for the suggestion , however i most probably spent 2 hours on the phone with them over last 6 weeks.
originally told by RR customer service 13 December that if i took it to a RR dealer and if it was the same fault they may cover the RRS as a gesture of good will.

Knowing that it was the same fault I Paid for a recovery truck to take it to RR Stoke 15 December and they filled in the form and the RR came back on 30 December and said vin number isn't included, obviously sticking with the usual fob off scrip, as my car is a RR sport.

why should we be discriminated against when Evoque and Disco sports get a fix on failure?

I Followed up with a 2 lengthy calls and finally detailed email to the CEO and customer service highlighting the profit over safety issue and why the discrimination but nothing back since 10 days.

When the fault happened the AA technician pulled out the bolt which had absolutely no sign of corrosion, to me the shear looked like stress fatigue and my first reaction was why the hell did they use an aluminum bolt? then realised they put bi metalic corrosion over having a stronger tensile bolt. The new bolts are steel but coated to stop the bi metalic corrosion with the aluminum pump housing. This is what they should have done as the original spec. The theory of saltwater corrosion causing the fault does not appear to be common.

the same fault has just happened on my Range Rover Vogue (2016). Motor completely detached as all 3 bolts failed. Hate to think what would have happened if I'd been on the motorway or a busy roundabout. Same response from JLR, no recalls on your VIN and you're on your own!

Going to escalate with complaint and pictures on all socials - just to be a pain if nothing else. £2,500 for a new rack and 3 hours labour for a manufacturing fault seems a bit steep.