Q: Power steering intermittent

asked by on May 13, 2016

I started my car this morning. It was nice and warm outside. The power steering didn't seem to be working though. I drove about ten miles, parked, and turned off the engine. An hour later, I started the car back up, and my power steering was working just fine. What would cause power steering to fail, then start functioning an hour later?

Hi there. Your vehicle is equipped with a variable power steering system that is affected by vehicle speed and other inputs, such as how the steering wheel is turned. If it suddenly was not working, it is because one of the sensors was not reading correctly, or there could have been a voltage issue.

It could have also been a fluid issue, but that is not as common. I typically start by scanning the computer for codes to see if anything comes up. If nothing is shown, then it will be hard to diagnose if the issue is not occurring when it is being tested.

The only thing that I have seen that causes this on your vehicle is the steering angle sensor not reading correctly. If you need to have this diagnosed, consider YourMechanic, as a certified mechanic can come to your home or office to diagnose your steering problem.

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