xcr

Thanks for all the thoughts. It's hard to tell from the video & I hoped it would come across better, but if you watch carefully you can see this is more of a weird "bump" (momentary over assist) in the power steering than it is slack or slop in the steering system right at the point at which the steering gets resistance when changing directions. I jacked the car up and it is definitely related to pressure on the steering as it is much less pronounced with the wheels off the ground, but still happens. I did also find an outer tie-rod end that was a bit loose/worn, so we replaced it - but as suspected, that wasn't the culprit. With the car off, there is zero slop between either wheel and the steering wheel, although there is a weird amount of "slop" before you get resistance when manually moving the tires, from something in the rack. May be normal, but doesn't feel like it (I'd need to feel a fusion's steering that doesn't have this problem to be sure). When the car is off, tires off the ground, and you wiggle the wheel back and forth, there is a noticeable "clunk" you'll hit in either direction after some relatively free movement - now this isn't mechanical slack between the steering wheel and tires, it's something else (maybe the mechanicals of the rack hitting the EPAS unit?) and if you are under the car, the noise is coming from the EPAS, it also squeaks a little right there as you turn. All bushings and joints under the car look good - no slack or slop anywhere. I felt the coils and other suspension pieces with the car running and someone turning the wheel making the "bump" happen and it seems to be definitely something coming from the EPAS - nothing is really felt in the suspension. Not sure what to make of it - I haven't found anyone else on the internet with this specific issue and I've never seen a hydraulic or electronic power steering do this before - it's really odd. The car seems safe to drive and all the suspension is in good shape, so I'll continue to investigate and may just end up replacing the rack eventually - but at this point I'm not sure there's an easy fix or explanation. Maybe something would present itself if I removed the EPAS unit, but if I do that, I'll probably just replace the rack with a used or rebuilt unit...

2012 Fusion SE with EPS. When turning, as you change directions, there is a "clunk/bump" that can be heard and felt in the wheel - its pretty significant. The "bump" feels like a momentary amount too much assist. It occurs when you turn the wheel any amount, then return and get right to the point of resistance when turning the other direction - i.e. turn all the way left while sitting, then start turning right - the wheel will turn some, then as it meets resistance from the tires, will do it's "clunk/bump" then act normally until you turn the other direction. You can make it happen rapidly by sitting and just turning the wheel quickly back and forth. It's not tied to a position (like center), it floats around to where you are changing steering directions and get first resistance. It does it worst when sitting, but it can still be felt while driving normally. If you have to maneuver suddenly, the "bump" is much more pronounced. I've uploaded a video to You Tube of it happening while parked. I've looked under the front end and there is nothing loose - the noise seems to be coming from the EPS unit itself, but if something else is binding & causing it, that may just be the EPS overcoming that resistance and making the noise. I haven't found anything else unusual suspension wise. Next step for me is to jack up the front end and see if it still does it & maybe get a better idea where it's coming from - but I don't have a floor jack handy, so that will have to wait until I can run by my shop building.