What could cause a high-pitched steering whine in a Ford Focus?

[OliviaUS]

My 2017 Focus has started making a faint, high-pitched whining noise that seems to come from the front end whenever I turn the steering wheel, especially at lower speeds or when parked. It’s not the power steering pump itself because that’s electric, but I’m worried it could be the steering rack beginning to fail.

[Jack88]

That kind of faint whine with electric steering at low speed is not unheard of. It can come from the motor, or from the steering rack mounting, or even the column bearings. It doesn’t always mean it’s failing, but it’s worth getting checked.

[Paul.W]

I chased something like that once and it ended up being a loose front end linkage rubbing as I turned. Not the rack itself, but a bushing that had felt worn.

[James.M]

Could be other things, like a wheel bearing or a pulley, but the noise you hear with steering input is added load so it’s common to test the whole front end. Does the noise change when you turn left vs right?

[Hannah_T]

I once assumed rack trouble and spent weeks on it, only to find a tire that was out of balance or a bad alignment. It’s easy to fixate on the rack, so a quick shop check can save that.