47 votes
944 were notorious for leaky steering racks. We replaced many ZF steering racks in 944s back in the day. Usually when they went south, they would leave a sizeable puddle of ATF, underneath the car. Sometimes you need to pull the rack boots back, and the fluid would pour out.
So the ZF steering rack finally got through customs and arrived safe and sound - thanks UPS. The rack is originally from a VR6 Passat so in theory should be up to the task. Got it installed and hooked up and so far no leaks. Immediately I noticed the pump is a lot quieter connected to this rack than it was when connected to the TRW rack which makes me think the TRW rack couldn't handle the pressure coming from the pump? Or maybe there was just something wrong with it internally. So far no leaks from the ZF rack so fingers crossed it'll hold up well when I get it back on the ground and go for a test drive.
I can confirm, I had to change the rack on my 2001.5 Passat because the steering wheel was loose and they are in fact interchangeable.
I replaced the steering rack on the car because the original rack was leaking. The replacement rack was an OEM from a junkyard. The old rack was a TRW and the new one is a ZF. The steering is heavier overall than with the old rack. My friend says it's definitely harder right than left.
I had to replace my ZF steering rack. Prior to replacement the feel was prefect. Only thing is it is remarkably easier now, like way too easy. It feels like one of those early 90's vans where the power steering is overly assisted and has no feel.
New reman'd steering rack from German auto parts installed Saturday, took about 7 hours...Pump is silent, steers nice, doesn't rattle on center, doesn't grab the wheel out of your hands anymore.
Put a used w8 rack in that had 66k on it. Tested it out before I buttoned it all up, seemed great. Buttoned it all up, drove a few miles on a test drive, no issues or noises at all.
I had my pressure hose go out, then the rack go in a similar situation to you (a little leak turned into a blown out rack). go get a zf rack, and replace the hose (sadly, they both cost about the same, and it's not cheap). i've been running solid since then.
There's a couple reasons I've found by taking one apart that failed within a year. I've never been happy with the steering response from a re-man. I found the center wear between the rack and pinion gears to be almost laughable. There was an eighth of an inch of slop between the teeth. That's why I could move the steering wheel from side to side while going straight and nothing would happen. The biggest problem I found was the abundance of rust pitting on the cylinder walls. Obviously hydraulic fluid is hydroscopic and moisture getting in causes that. Brand new seals won't help if the mating surface is pitted. I think it's just the luck of the draw. You might get one that's in good shape internally and never have a problem. Then again, you might get one that was sitting for ten years full of water before it was rebuilt.
Most VR6s came with a ZF brand steering rack which uses different length tierods than ABA engined cars which mostly came with TRW steering racks.
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The brand is registered in Germany. Official website: https://www.zf.com.
In March 2026, PartReview users have a mixed opinion of ZF steering rack.
PR Score — 78 out of 100, based on 15 reviews and 47 votes. 11 positive reviews, 2 neutral reviews, 2 negative reviews. Average rating — 3.8 (out of 5). Vote balance: 37 up, 10 down.
In the ranking of the best steering rack this part is at position 2, behind OEM BMW , but ahead of OEM Volkswagen and OEM Subaru.
Users also evaluated the qualities of ZF steering rack:
See which car brands and models owners choose ZF steering rack for. Below are car-specific ratings where this part is in the Top-3:
There are 5 comparisons of ZF steering rack with other manufacturers on PartReview.
In particular, see which steering rack are better: OEM Mazda or ZF, OEM Honda or ZF, OEM Volkswagen or ZF, OEM BMW or ZF, OEM Subaru or ZF .
