Backordered parts are a pain - any others with horror stories?

Hey All - got a 2016 GT that has been my beloved problem child for a couple years now. The latest problem occurred a few nights ago - while driving the power steering suddenly died and the dash lit up with power steering failed and "Service Power Steering" errors. (At 77k miles too, seems pretty early to me). This is days after getting it back from getting a new intake manifold due to some valve issue.
Anyways - Ford says a new power steering rack is required - all in all a little over 2k. But the worst part is that the part is apparently backordered. They said they could order it, but according to the codes they use that show backorder status, this part is likely around a few months if not more away from arriving, and there are no dealers in the US with it, period. So much for that spring and summer driving here in NE.

After talking to a couple other shops, one was able to source a used rack that fits (has 45k on it) - but because its not re-manufactured (also a shortage on those apparently) there is no warranty, and neither Ford nor the other shop can guarantee the mating process will work. I'm not sure what else to do here - gambling 1200 or so to have a used one put in that may or may not work, or waiting months, which I also can't afford to do - this is my daily driver. Anyone here have any similar experience or advice to give? Any other parts you all have had to wait multiple months to get?
 
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I work for a huge used car dealer. You aren't in that boat alone. Certain parts are extremely hard to get right now.

I see plenty of Mustangs with over 100k with the original electronic rack. If you reallyvwantvtovdrive I'd take a gamble with the used rack. Most places give a 30 day warranty on a used part. The labor wouldn't be covered though. We had one a couple years ago that had a bad wire inside it. One of my coworkers soldered it and it worked as good as new. If they won't warranty the used part labor then atleast get your old one back. The core price for a non- rebuilt part should be pretty low. If the replacement fails it might not be the same way your did. You may be able to use a part from your old one to fix it.

The differences between the rack and pinions are small. The programming may be different.

RockAuto has one for sale that is warrateed and rebuilt. If its the wrong part and won't work they should take it back. You may have to pay shipping.
 
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Unsure of your skill level, but you can use Forscan to perform the rack programming yourself if this is something in your scope of ability.

I ran into this issue a few years back when the rack in my Taurus started acting up. Dealer wanted $2.5k to replace. I purchased a used rack for $400 and installed and programmed it myself. Been working great ever since.

If the shop thinks the rack is plug-and-play, it’s not. You need to copy the original steering rack modules configuration and load it to the new one.

 
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