Steering & Suspension Defects Under Oregon Lemon Law

Steering and suspension defects are safety-critical and routinely qualify under Oregon’s Lemon Law (§ 646A.402).

Common steering failure modes

• EPS (Electric Power Steering) failure — sudden loss of assist.
• Steering wander / drift — vehicle doesn’t track straight.
• Steering pull.
• Steering rack failure.
• Steering column issues.

Common suspension failure modes

• Premature shock failure — leaking, bouncing.
• Strut mount failure — clunking, noise.
• Air suspension failure — Cadillac, Land Rover, BMW, Mercedes, Audi.
• Active damping failure — Magneride.
• Alignment drift — recurring alignment failures.
• Coil spring breakage.

Brand-specific patterns

• Ford F-150 / Super Duty — death wobble.
• Ram 1500 / 2500 / 3500 — death wobble.
• Jeep Wrangler — death wobble.
• Tesla Model Y / Model 3 — control-arm failures, suspension noise.
• Audi / Porsche air suspension — premature failure.
• BMW — front control-arm bushings.

Why steering/suspension defects qualify

1. Safety-critical — steering loss = immediate accident risk.
2. Substantial impairment — vehicle unsafe to drive.
3. Manufacturer recalls — many issues have associated NHTSA recalls.

Oregon considerations

• Mountain / off-road driving — Bend / Hood River outdoor market stresses suspension.
• Rough rural roads — eastern Oregon, coastal access roads.
• Death wobble — particularly relevant for rural Oregon pickup market.

Bottom line

Steering and suspension defects qualify under § 646A.402 readily, particularly when safety is implicated.

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