What's involved
What this repair actually is.
The inner tie rod threads directly into the steering rack and lives inside the rubber bellows boot, so wear here is invisible without a proper inspection. We remove the boot, unthread the worn inner rod with special tooling, install the new one, fit a fresh boot where needed, and align the vehicle.
Symptoms
How you can tell.
- Loose steering that an outer tie rod didn't fix
- Knocking felt through the wheel on rough roads
- Uneven front tire wear
- Clunk when turning the wheel back and forth at a stop
- Torn rack boot with grease sling
If you delay
Play in the inner joint accelerates tire wear and can eventually let the wheel steer on its own over bumps.
Educational estimate. Real pricing depends on your vehicle, the inspection, parts availability, taxes, and shop rates. Use this as a guide while you shop quotes.