Q: Car steering locked in intersection

asked by on June 27, 2016

Since we first bought this car, it has been back and forth to the repair shop over and over again! Four times we've been to the dealership due to a whistling sound and engine light coming on. But the most recent problem was while I was waiting at a red light to turn left, the steering wheel suddenly locked and I couldn’t drive. So we took it again to get it serviced and was told to contact BMW of N. America. It took ‘3’ weeks before I got my car back. They said it was due to ‘steering error: EPS control unit is faulty.’ The dealership replaced the EPS control unit, which is basically the steering rack. The EPS control unit failed Again! They proceeded to disconnect the battery to reset the control modules, adjusted the steering angels, reprogrammed the EPS control unit, initialized windows & sunroof, and a 4-wheel alignment. We're stuck with this car. Can you tell us what to do or where we can get help to get a good diagnosis and how to fix this car?

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Hello there, this sounds like an rare situation. The whistling sound with the Check Engine Light would have a few possible symptoms. Most likely there would be an exhaust leak or a vacuum leak. Either could also set the Check Engine Light with them.

As for the EPS unit this is a bit more difficult to answer. It would be very unlikely for a new part to fail in this manner. The most likely cause would be a short or some sort of wiring issue that caused both units to fail.

I’d suggest getting the car looked at by a qualified technician, such as one from YourMechanic, who can diagnose your Check Engine Light throughly and perform any repairs required.

The statements expressed above are only for informational purposes and should be independently verified. Please see our terms of service for more details

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