Hey, Why Is My Car's Power Steering Warning Light On?

This image shows a steering fluid leak. This leak is happening because of a crack in the pressure steering hose; the mechanic needs to replace the hose and clean the area.

This vehicle came into the shop showing power steering assistance loss for both left and right turns. In addition, the owner was also noticing a buzzing noise when making turns and wet spots on the driveway. Plus, the steering system warning light was popping on.

During the vehicle health inspection, the mechanic noticed a low steering fluid level when checking the underhood. Then, with additional pinpoint testing on the power steering system, they searched for the faulty part causing this. First, they thoroughly cleaned the car's steering system, including the power steering hose, which they found a leak.

The leak was responsible for draining the steering wheel fluid reservoir. The shop will assess any steering fluid loss and then fix the leak. The leak they find should look like the one from the case image above.

This image shows the steering wheel slightly pulling to the left; the steering is off and needs alignment and calibration. In this case, the culprit was a faulty steering angle sensor.

A customer brought this vehicle to the shop complaining about several warning lights popping on the dashboard. More specifically, the dash displayed warnings concerning the electric power steering and ABS/traction control. In addition, the customer also described symptoms such as the steering wheel pulling to one side and the car being difficult to handle.

The mechanic began by performing a vehicle health inspection, where they confirmed that the steering wheel was off-center. However, the vehicle health inspection alone didn't lead to what was causing this issue.

The shop began to perform additional testing with the client's consent, leading to a faulty angle sensor. More precisely, the sensor sent false information to the vehicle's computer system. In this case, the sensor was beyond repair and required replacement.

Replacing this type of sensor typically takes a bit more work since many advanced driver assistance systems depend on it. This means that the mechanic needs to calibrate the new sensor and other advanced power assist system components after replacement.

This image shows the steering fluid reservoir. In this case, the steering pump isn't working, interrupting the fluid from doing its role. The fluid is also visibly contaminated by the internal broken pump.

This vehicle came into the shop showing steering power loss on sharp turns and occasional buzzing noise from its underhood when turning side to side. In between the vehicle's services, the customer topped off the power steering fluid, which was odd.

During a vehicle health inspection, the mechanic found low steering fluid levels; they also noticed particles (metallic specks) from internal pump failure in the fluid. Hence, the steering pump was faulty.

In this case, the ideal approach is to replace the pump, flush the steering hydraulic system, and replenish the system's steering fluid. However, additional testing is vital to evaluate the vehicle's system and investigate if the faulty pump's internal failure damaged any other parts. More precisely, it can put other components of the hydraulic power steering system at risk.

The scanning device in this image detected faulty hardware in the control unit. This means that there are internal failures in the steering system, which the mechanic needs to track through additional testing. Then, repair and recalibrate.

A customer came into the shop complaining about their bad-performing car's power steering system. Plus, the steering wheel warning light was popping on the dash. In addition, they noticed an odd noise from below the driver’s brake and accelerator pedal area.

The mechanic did a test drive and confirmed all of the customer's claims. Then, they performed a vehicle health inspection, which showed internal failures and noises coming from the steering column assist motor. But, even though the inspection revealed internal failure, only additional testing would isolate the cause.

Then, the technician performed additional tests and confirmed that the vehicle's electric steering column was faulty. So, unfortunately, the mechanic must replace this part and fully recalibrate the steering system and related components.

This image shows a faulty steering rack. The mechanic checked it during an underhood inspection and found internal failures after doing additional tests.

A customer came into the shop complaining that their vehicle was making odd noises steering column by the driver's feet. In addition, they also complained that the power steering assistance was poor when making a left turn.

The mechanic initially did a test drive with the vehicle and noticed the grinding noise and left-turn power assist difficulty. Unfortunately, the typical vehicle health inspection didn't lead to any significant faulty parts. Hence, the customer allowed for additional testing.

Additional testing was essential to spot a faulty electric steering rack. Additionally, these tests are vital to verify information on proper power and ground for the electric steering before rack replacement. This information is crucial before replacing any part of the electric power steering system.